Marion Square Might Look A Lot Different Next Year

If you were at Marion Square Park last Saturday you would've run into all kinds of fun going on in the park. Some people were playing music, others were shopping at local vendors, and some people were out just enjoying the fall weather. There was also a lot of excitement over the approval of $7 million to be used on park renovations next year.

KCRG reports the Marion City Council approved the use of $7 million of ARPA to revamp and update Marion Square Park. Initial plans for the renovation include an Ice Rink, added shade areas, and a restoration of the train depot.

I was born in Minnesota and while not every Minnesotan plays hockey, despite what many people in the United States think, Minnesotans sure do love their ice skating. This would be a really fun thing for a family to enjoy throughout the winter and especially around the holidays. Just cruising around on your ice skates and taking in the atmosphere of the park sounds like a fabulous addition. Imagine a nice skate on Christmas eve, with all of the lights on in the park...sounds like my kind of December day.

While this may be news to some, Marion Mayor, Nick AbouAssaly told KCRG, these plans have been in place for a while.

The park had a lot of damage from the derecho. We lost some of the larger trees, and the depot was damaged. We began the process of completing the streetscape project, and it became time for doing work on the park itself.

This will also be a great way for Marion to add new users to the park. This will be my first winter as an Iowan and knowing, next year, there will be a fun place to enjoy the day and take in the park is something I'm excited to see. AbouAssaly also told KCRG, he is excited about the transition for Marion residents.

This was the first park in the city of Marion. We now have over 600 acres of parks and trails. So, there’s a new function for the space to transition into.

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