Fitness installation planned for city park named after Wichita veteran
A park in Wichita’s North End named after a Hispanic veteran from the neighborhood is on track to be developed after sitting empty for 14 years.
The park, at 25th Street and Wellington, will have fitness equipment, artificial turf and a flagpole to honor veterans.
“I just know that the whole thing would mean a lot to my dad. Being a North Ender, a Hispanic and a veteran,” Patrick Garcia II said in a phone call. “That checks all the micro groups that one can be a part of and this thing would just put a really put a giant smile on his face because he liked spending time outside.”
Patrick D. Garcia grew up in the area of 23rd Street and Park Place after moving from Garden City with his family.
He served in the U.S. Army from 1968-70, then returned home to attend Wichita State University. His work in the public sector included being an assistant to former U.S. Rep. Daniel Glickman and a U.S. Department of Justice Immigration officer. He died in April 2000 at the age of 50 from complications of a brain tumor.
‘A dream come true for a kid’
After his death, family and friends wanted to honor Garcia as a war veteran, so they started looking for land they could get as a donation.
J.W. Baum donated the land in honor of his brother, B.E. Baum, who was also a veteran, said J.W.’s daughter, Janiece Baum Dixon. B.E. and J.W. Baum were lifelong residents of the North End.
In 2008, the one-and-half acre plot near where Garcia grew up was named Pat Garcia Veterans Memorial Park in his memory.
Robert Chavez is a community activist and a member of the American G.I. Forum, a community-based organization that addresses the needs of U.S. veterans. Chavez said his family and Garcia’s grew up together and are longtime friends.
Chavez said the development of the park has been discussed for some time now. He and other community members advocated for the park to be used as a fitness area and to honor veterans.
“[We wanted] a basic military training style park where you can do activities like pull ups, push ups and 40-yard dashes,” Chavez said.
North End residents, including Chavez, expressed continued interest in developing the park, Wichita District 6 council member Maggie Ballard said.
“Some people from the community came and talked to me and I saw that it was a priority to that area,” Ballard said. “The North End has been underdeveloped for some time, and there seems to be interest in this project from community members.”
The Wichita City Council voted unanimously last month to spend $155,000 to develop the park, including the installation of a Fitness Court by the National Fitness Campaign, a wellness consulting firm based in San Francisco, California.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, through a sponsorship with NFC, will provide a $50,000 grant toward the fitness court. The city will pay the remaining $105,000 by reallocating funds budgeted in 2028 for Kiwanis Park in west Wichita, according to a City Council meeting agenda.
“Shifting this funding and initiating it in 2023 will allow the City to reduce the overall cost of these improvements by taking advantage of the pricing offered by NFC,” city park and recreation staff said.
The fitness court equipment is scheduled to be purchased by the end of the year and arrive by early spring 2024. “Hopefully we can get everything installed by the end of spring, early summer,” Wichita Director of Parks and Recreation Troy Houtman said.
The project will address the city’s parks and recreation goals for diversity, equity and inclusion by providing more amenities for an underserved population of Wichita.
Wichita’s North End is predominantly Hispanic, and the neighborhood where the park sits is El Pueblo. It is classified as low to moderate income, according to the U.S. Census.
“All of this would be a dream come true for a kid in that neighborhood,” Garcia II said. “Growing up, you know, something right down the street to go blow off some steam and play some ball with the neighborhood kids.”
