Marfa
As tri-county citizens endure the blistering West Texas heat and soak up the restorative rains through midsummer, the Marfa Parks and Recreation Board is busy making sure everyone can continue to enjoy the town’s outdoor parks and play spaces.
Last week, the board met with the City Council for a walk-through at Sunset Park, located on Oak Street across from Marfa Public Library, to appoint newly-elected City Councilmember Emily Kolb to the board, and to introduce council members to a design plan for the park. The Parks Board is hoping the design plan will be approved at the next council meeting, according to Board President Michael Camacho.
The plans for Coffield Park, already approved, and Sunset Park were developed with the help of landscape architectural design firm Circle V of Austin, Texas, who was hired by the board to help refine the vision for the parks, using information gathered from a well-attended community input meeting in May of 2025.
The board hired a professional design firm for two reasons, Camacho said: “A comprehensive design plan” is far more useful than “a piecemeal plan,” and “for funding and development opportunities.”
Now, the aim is to make Sunset Park “a downtown focal point for all,” Camacho said. In the last few years, a new fence has been erected as a safety measure around the south side of the park where it abuts the railroad tracks, dozens of new trees have been planted, and recently, new benches and tables were purchased for folks to enjoy. In the future, a community pavilion and bandstand/stage will be added.
As for Coffield Park, arguably the city’s busiest outdoor play space, Camacho said the board intends to add a pickleball court as well as shade structures for the basketball court and splash pad, and more native trees and landscaping.
The Pavilion Improvement Project at Coffield, which will add a kitchen, bathrooms and ADA-compliant sidewalks near the existing gazebo, has been long-delayed due to mismanagement and eventual firing of the previous general contractor, according to Camacho. He said soon a steel portion of the buildings will be completed to fix the mistakes of the previous contractor, and then, “We have to put out another Request For Proposals to find yet another GC to finish the project.” Luckily, Camacho says they already have interest from contractors willing to help, and ideally the project will be finished by Summer 2027.
Equally exciting for the board is a new partnership created earlier this year with a Texas nonprofit so individuals and businesses can make 501(c)(3) tax-deductible donations directly to Marfa Parks and Recreation here.
Other Marfa parks under the governance of Parks and Recreation include Lannan Park on W. 2nd Street, which was donated to the city by the Lannan Foundation in 2022; Travis Self playground and park on Oak Street; and the Marfa Dog Park, located next to Sunset Park.
The Marfa Parks and Rec Board meets the third Thursday of every month in the Casner Room at City Hall; the public is encouraged to attend.
