Big news on horizon for Port Neches’ Tugboat Island

PORT NECHES — About 28 years have passed since the Port Neches community came together to build Tugboat Island — in the near future they may be called upon to do the same for a new rendition.

A recent social media post from Restore Tugboat Island — a group seeking to raise funds to rebuild the popular park — stated that some big news will be released in the upcoming weeks.

Eric Sullivan, who is on the committee, could not release specifics just yet said the fundraising effort is doing great.

Restore Tugboat Island is a 501 c3 nonprofit organization formed by resident Rita Morgan in 2020 with the hopes of bringing the playground back to life. The original thought was for repairs to be made but that would have been too costly considering the amount of structural damage the playground had.

Fundraising slowed down during COVID and hurricane seasons but heated back up again.

Committee leaders have been working with Playgrounds by Leathers which happens to be the same company that built the original structure in 1996.

“They did the original park,” Sullivan said. “They’re (committee) working with Mark Leathers whose dad was involved in the original Tugboat Island, continuing a legacy.”

Sullivan said the new Tugboat Island will be a destination park like no other.

There will be the need for volunteers just as others were with the original. Some of the volunteer jobs include: volunteer coordination/recruitment, materials/tools, design/special art features, food, children/childcare, construction and labor, and more.

The new park will have number of features including an include area with handicap swing, he said.

The goal is to build a unique 19,449 square foot playground for Port Neches riverfront Park.

The children’s plans call for a river theme playground that will be constructed with green materials, organizers said.

History

Port Neches Mayor Glenn Johnson, in a 2020 news story, said he worked as the general coordinator of the project alongside Zuetta Pinkston, Connie Seal, Jane Kubitz and Weida Philpott in 1996.

School children helped design the park and funding came through contributions. Approximately $234,000 was raised to build the park.

“It was all volunteer labor,” Johnson said previously. “We had so many people that were working that we put skilled labor positions pushing wheelbarrows. People came from all over; Port Arthur, Beaumont, Kountze, Silsbee and even Louisiana.”

He called it an incredible experience for the entire city of Port Neches and that by working together they could accomplish anything.  They ended up building the largest park of its kind between Houston and Lake Charles.

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