A neglected Westside park — infamous for its connection to a former Bexar County constable convicted of two felonies — is expected to undergo major renovations to create a new sports and recreation complex.
Covering 41 acres, Rodriguez Park is currently home to basketball courts, tennis courts and two playgrounds.
The park drew attention in 2019 when two residents accused Bexar County Pct. 2 Constable Michelle Barrientes Vela of seeking to intimidate them and demanding cash in exchange for providing security during their use of a park pavilion on Easter weekend. She was convicted in 2022 on two felony counts of tampering with records after evidence showed she altered, destroyed or concealed cash logs from Rodriguez Park.
“That was the famous shakedown pavilion,” Bexar County Parks and Recreation Department Director Ken McGlamery said Tuesday. “… That area really needs something and this is going to be a transformational project.”
Now, under an agreement Bexar County commissioners approved Tuesday, plans call for upgraded basketball and tennis courts at the park near Nelson Wolff Stadium, as well as new soccer and baseball fields, fitness equipment, ADA-accessible playgrounds, a splash pad, concession facilities and electric vehicle charging stations.
The county already approved funding to connect Rodriguez Park to the Howard W. Peak Greenway Trails System, and the renovated park will also include a new fitness loop for walkers and joggers.
McGlamery said the new facilities will better accommodate the area’s existing youth sports programs, as well as the community’s growing interest in pickleball.
“Any tennis court we do make will wind up having pickleball because we get beat up on pickleball all the time,” McGlamery said. “We’re gonna take care of the pickleball guys.”
After decades of leaving the facilities in neglect, increased park use during the pandemic forced county leaders to rethink their upkeep. Bexar County commissioners agreed to a $74 million investment for 28 parks projects in 2021.
Rodriguez Park is set to receive $12 million in upgrades.
“The revitalization of Rodriguez County Park is not just about upgrading a park; it’s about reinvigorating our community,” Commissioner Justin Rodriguez (Pct. 2) said in a statement. “Investing in these improvements means investing in the well-being and future of our precinct by promoting wellness, accessibility, and unity among our residents.”
Longtime users of the park remember when its biggest attraction was a swing set. Since then, the playgrounds have been added and the pavilions received lighting and Wi-Fi as part of a bigger effort to make them ADA-compliant.
“We would only come for the swings, but now that I have kids and we’re older, we come here all the time,” said Westside resident Liz Trujillo, who was visiting the park Tuesday evening with her sons Mateo, 4, and AJ, 3.
But change won’t come quickly.
Part of the park is in a floodplain, and the renovations include overhauling low-water crossings that are prone to flooding.
The project entails a two-year, $1.7 million design process for the engineering firm Halff, which McGlamery said includes roughly $300,000 for unforeseen challenges. Construction is expected to take place in 2026.
“We have youth sports there and we have an open a bunch of open green space. … It’s going to be ideal for that,” McGlamery said. At the same time, “We don’t know anything about what’s underneath the surface that property.”
