By Christopher Edmunds

The Selma Times-Journal

VALLEY GRANDE — The walking trail in Valley Grande City Park will get a $1,900 facelift in the coming weeks.

The proposed improvements include fresh sod, new plants, new bark for the playground area and an additional flowerbed near the entrance of the park.

The Valley Grande City Council unanimously approved the proposal by Councilman Tim White during Monday’s council meeting.

“We had a lot of shrubbery and stuff that died over the winter,” White said. “We’re basically just going to spruce it up.”

White said the landscaping work would start immediately and last a few weeks.

Valley Grande Mayor Wayne Labbe said the $1,900 budget for the project would come out of the parks and recreation budget.

Valley Grande City Park has seen several recent improvement efforts, including the $140,000 addition of lights for the baseball fields.

Labbe said Valley Grande is in a good financial position to make the improvements. He cited growing businesses in the area, such as Dave’s Market and Valle Grande Mexican Grill, as well as the expanding population of Valley Grande as driving forces behind the economic boost.

“We’ve been real fortunate with our tax dollars,” Labbe said. “Financially, this city is in the best shape it has ever been.”

Labbe said he hopes the park continues to grow over the next few years.

“Over the past year and a half or so, we’ve been working on the park to facilitate Valley Grande baseball,” Labbe said. “We’re hoping to pick up softball and a machine-pitch league. It’s all about the kids, and we’re just trying to grow up with them and give back to the community.”

In other news from the meeting:

4 The date for Art in the Park was unanimously set for Nov. 1.

4 A complaint about Dallas County Road 5 was heard, but no action was taken.