Sherwood renovations progressing

Like a gift sitting under a tree that you can’t open until Christmas morning, the new playgrounds at Sherwood Park sit behind a chain link fence.

And while the big gifts to the kids of Odessa will remain wrapped for a while more, the $4.4 million renovations are on schedule, said Steve Patton, city of Odessa parks and recreation director.

"By far, it’s one of the best projects we’ve ever done," Patton said before a recent City Council meeting. "Everything’s gone extremely well."

One of the playgrounds is meant to resemble a ship, while the other looks like a barn. But the park’s familiar octopus and spider will remain, Patton said.

On Tuesday, Patton said the ship, the "S.S. Funship," was a nod to an attraction at Sherwood’s early playgrounds, which were first built in 1952.

"I tried, as we designed it, to go back to some of the original features there," he said.

The ship and the barn will include slides, climbing areas and sliding poles. Still to be built at the playground are spring riders, climbing nets, safety surfacing and landscaping and irrigation.

And though they are still not complete, Patton said the park’s perimeter walking paths are already popular.

"There are already a lot of people walking around the perimeter of the park daily," he said.

In the coming weeks, the restrooms between the park’s volleyball courts and skate park will be replaced by prefabricated restrooms, Patton said.

And grass is down on the new baseball complex at Sherwood.

Sitting in the picnic pavilion near the volleyball courts, Tim and Olivia Holguin said the park, with dusty lots and construction equipment doesn’t look impressive now, but they look forward to the grand reopening.

"It looks ugly right now," said Tim Holguin, a county employee. "Sooner or later, it will turn out pretty good."

Olivia Holguin, a city employee, said the improvements to the ball fields would be nice for her grandchildren.

"The more stuff you get to keep your kids off the streets, the better," she said.