El OSO Park is a 40 acre heavily used Park and is located in the Maryvale district of the City of Phoenix. The park had very limited lighting and was aging from years of blight and only maintenance concerns had been addressed for the past 30 years. The City, through it’s 3PI initiative, infused 4 million dollars of improvements.
These improvements included a complete safe-by-design lighting concept with green energy LED fixtures throughout the entire Park. Wide sidewalks now provided ADA pedestrian access to the entire park, and adjacent neighborhoods. The dilapidated parking lot was removed and replaced. Irrigation improvements included a retrofit of all heads and laterals and an addition of a booster pump. All new triple deck playstructure was added to the new family ramada areas. Three octagon ramadas were placed in proximity to accommodate larger extended family gatherings. Two new state of the art mini-soccer complex with artificial turf and two new basketball courts were also added. The archery range was updated and shade structures added. Two softball fields were renovated and shade structures added. The aging bathroom that was often out of service, due to a sump pump operated system. This was modified to a gravity fed system and completely remodeled interior and the roof structure was removed to match the roof and design unity of the new utility, equipment, and storage facility.
One of the most significant and icon design features of the new park is a gathering place with a focal point of a 37′ illuminated Steel Fabricated Tree that was incorporated to bring an heightened interest and a sense of place to El OSO Park. A plaza bosque of ‘Red Push’ Pistache trees was also incorporated into this gathering place plaza. As these trees mature, they will provide a large shaded areas at the heart of the park.