HomeMy WebLinkAboutVETERANS PARK AND ATHLETIC COMPLEXParks and Recreation Department 1/2 April 11, 2011
VETERANS PARK AND ATHLETIC COMPLEX
(VPAC)
Description
This site is open and fairly flat with 2 small wooded areas on the southeast and western edges. It
is intended to be an athletic park. This athletic park will be completed in a course of three
phases. Once completed, it will include 9 softball fields, 13 soccer fields, bike trails, pavilion,
and concession stands. Twelve acres of this land is designated as a Veterans Memorial which
encompasses a Veterans Memorial sculpture designed by Robert Eccleston and a garden plaza.
It was dedicated in November 2002 to all veterans of the Brazos Valley who have served in any
US wars. The park hosts approximately 35,000 at registered events annually.
Phase I includes 6 soccer fields, 2 softball fields, parking, maintenance shop, trees, irrigation,
and entry road. Completion of Phase I was celebrated in a dedication ceremony in May 2003.
Phase II started in 2006 and completed in 2007. It includes, concession building, 3 softball
fields, 3 soccer fields, additional road and parking spaces, a 500 capacity American
Pavilion , playground and American Mile history trail. Phase II dedication was held on Friday,
April 27, 2007.
American Pavilion, with 9,912 sq. ft., is our largest picnic facility and the only pavilion with a
stage. This shelter accommodates 500 people and features complete kitchen and restroom
facilities & stage. Parking will accommodate approximately 147 cars with additional parking
spaces near the soccer fields. Inside the American Pavilion, replicas of the 50 state seals of the
United States have been hung in the order that they joined the Union. A recording of the military
service medleys plays at noon and at 6pm daily.
American Mile history trail begins adjacent to the American Pavilion and continues around the
west soccer fields. Brick pavers engraved with points of history have been placed every 20 ft.
along the trail. There are over 700 points of American history (international, national, state and
local) beginning in 1776 through 2007 when the trail was dedicated. Students of all ages enjoy
scavenger hunts along the one mile trail.
Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial – See attached Fact Sheet.
911 Memorial – See attached material.
Lynn Stuart Pathway – See attached material.
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Future Plans for Veterans Park include a Native American Pathway. An area adjacent to the
American Pavilion has been set aside to create another history path that will tell the story of the
indigenous tribes that settled thousands of years ago in the Brazos Valley. Many of these tribes
traveled along El Camino Real on the northern border of Brazos County. During the site
preparation phase of Veterans Park, anthropologists and archaeologists discovered evidence of
ancient earth ovens. In November, students from Texas A&M University, Texas State University
and Baylor University will host the third annual Hot Rocks Cook-Off on this site. The event
recreates ancient cooking methods in the earth ovens, stone boiling experiments, and ancient
living techniques.
Amenities:
Athletic Fields (Soccer/Softball/Baseball)
Pavilion
2 History Trails
Veterans Memorial
911 Memorial
Recycled water irrigation system
Richard Carter Water Oak (the biggest tree in Brazos County?)
Quercus nigra, circumference: 195 inches, average crown: 70 fee, height: 70 feet
(State champion Water Oak is 340 points. the VPAC tree has 283 points, putting it at the
number seven Water Oak in the State of Texas.)
Video links:
Lynn Stuart Pathway Military History Trail
Korean War Memorial Dedication
Korean War Memorial Ground Breaking
War for Texas Independence Memorial Dedication
Thank you to Veterans
For more information, contact:
Anne Boykin
Heritage Programs Coordinator
Parks and Recreation Department
City of College Station, Texas
O: 979.764.3491
C: 979.450.3296
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E-mail: aboykin@cstx.gov