The Newfield Community Park has been approved for creation under a grant to the City of Kingfisher using federal funds from the National Park Service and under the direction of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, said John Gooden, Kingfisher Trails Inc. president.

“We have been developing this planning for this park since the Parks and Recreation Committee welcomed Steve Bonner of the National Park Service to Kingfisher in 2002,” said Gooden.

Four years ago, Kingfisher Trails commissioned a professional plan for the park.

Although the plan has been under consideration for several years, fundraising efforts only began in earnest a little over a year ago.

The park’s name was voted on by city commissioners after the Newfield Foundation, the charitable arm of the former Newfield Exploration Co., donated a half million dollars to the project.

Other large contributions towards the project have been $150,000 from Gooden’s stepfather Herman Meinders and $40,000 from Pioneer Telephone Coop for the Pioneer Crossing.

The park, which will be located in the city’s northwest corridor across a 13-block area west of downtown, will consist of three principle areas, Gooden said.

The first area will have an arboretum and wild garden.

“This area will not require much mowing and will be more natural,” he said. “If done properly, it can be quite a destination point for family fun.”

The other areas include concert grounds, featuring a bandshell, and festival grounds, for outdoor events.

The festival grounds will consist of space for food trucks, a dog park, a foot bridge, a pump track (for BMX or mountain bike riding), restrooms and concessions as well as a wetlands pond.

“The first grant [from the National Park Service] was for $350,000 and was matched to the same amount locally, most of which is accounted for by the Kingfisher Trails,” said Gooden.

The City of Kingfisher has approved the process of applying for a second grant under the Land and Water grant process, Gooden said.

“The second grant anticipatesanadditional$490,000 plus local matching funds in a fifty-fifty match. Again, nearly all of the local match will hopefully be supplied by the efforts of Kingfisher Trails,” said Gooden,

The first phase will begin after the city receives a contract and a notice to proceed from the National Park Service.

The grant application for phase two requires a public meeting as well as proof of community support.

“We would very much wish to have the community’s input,” said Gooden. “Perhaps there are improvements we might make and have not yet considered.”

A public meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 25, in the NBC Oklahoma Community Room.

“This park will be a major addition to the quality of life here,” said Gooden. “The ability to host festivals, concerts, and family fun near our downtown area will be a boost to business and community spirit.”

The main expense of the first stage of constructing the park will be building the band shell.

Kingfisher Trails is leading the construction of the band shell, and private donations are sought. Donors above a certain level will be recognized by name on the shell itself, Gooden said.

Donations can also be made for sound and lighting systems, according to Gooden.

As required by the Land and Water grant, overhead power lines in the area of the park will be removed and underground wiring will be installed.

“We will also be conducting a topographical survey and engineering before beginning much of the work,” said Gooden.

Some streets in the area will also undergo alteration and be closed to through traffic or removed.

Gooden said he hopes the entire project can be completed in 2020.

“We expect to get the contract from the National Park Service this month and Kingfisher Trails will begin preparing documents for construction of some of the trails in the park this week,” he said. “Actual construction of the elements of even the first phases of the park will have to wait on the architect and engineer.”