From left, Victoria Sales Tax Development Corporation President Russell Dempsey, Parks & Recreation Commission Chair Laurie Eder, Parks & Recreation Commission Vice Chair Brian Billingsley, City Manager Jesús A. Garza, Parks & Recreation Commissioner Harley Fisk, Mayor Duane Crocker, former Mayor Jeff Bauknight, State Representative Geanie Morrison, Councilwoman Jan Scott, Assistant City Manager Mike Etienne, Councilwoman Josephine Soliz, Councilman Mark Loffgren and Councilman Rafael DeLaGarza III cut a ceremonial ribbon to celebrate the restoration of the Riverside Park duck pond. The ceremony was followed by a kids’ fishing camp hosted by the City of Victoria. The duck pond had been closed since 2018 because of structural damage that was caused by erosion and worsened by Hurricane Harvey. The updated pond, which reopened to the public in December 2023, includes design changes that will help to prevent erosion, such as the new retaining wall, the relocation of the gazebo and the merging of two separate water bodies into one pond. The improvements were funded in part by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the Victoria Sales Tax Development Corporation.
View more photos from the event.