BEAUMONT, Texas — While the installation of new equipment at two Beaumont parks has been officially approved, the future looks uncertain for several other city parks.
On Tuesday, Beaumont City Council members approved the installation of the new equipment at both Charlton-Pollard and Central Park, otherwise known as Imagination Station.
On the other hand, council members tabled a vote Tuesday to purchase playground equipment for Combest Park and Babe Zaharias Park.
During a city council meeting on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, council members approved $1.4 million for playgrounds across Beaumont.
While some neighbors are happy to see progress being made to bring new playgrounds to the city, others are wondering why the parks near them are being left out of the approved budget.
Selena West is counting down the weeks until she gives birth to her first baby boy. She says a new playground at Combest Park would be nice.
"I'd bring my kid over there all the time to interact with kids, especially kids in his own age group," West said.
Next door to West, you can see toys in the yard and shoes on the front porch, which may indicate that West may not be the only mom looking for a place for her kids to play.
"Some kids don't have a yard to play in and with how busy the roads somebody's liable to get hurt and if we had a playground, we'd know that the kids were over there," West said.
The old equipment at Combest Park was taken out in 2022, and with the vote Tuesday being tables, it will remain that way for the time being.
"We wanted to have more clarity in terms of how much the parks are used and is this the best allocation of our resources," said Beaumont Mayor Roy West.
Mayor Roy West says the council wants to take a tour of Combest and Babe Zaharias Park before committing any funds for improvements.
Meanwhile, Councilman A.J. Turner says right now is the time for residents to speak up.
"We have to make decision based upon the residents' request and their needs. Those particular parks currently haven't reached out to any councilmen, but we had neighbors from Charlton-Pollard as well as the Imagination Station," Turner said.
Mayor West says they plan to have studies done on the parks within the next two weeks.
Only then will they decide if Babe Zaharias and Combest Parks will get new playgrounds, according to Mayor West.