The new 32-acre Town Commons Park in Gautier is under construction, bringing with it a great lawn for public events and, eventually, pickleball courts, an outdoor amphitheater and more.
A $1.9 million Phase I sitework contract was awarded to J.E. Talley Construction to build roads and drainage, other infrastructure, parking, and the great lawn area, where City events such as Cruisin’ the Coast will be held in the future.
Town Commons Park is being built northeast of the Dolphin Road roundabout and Nature’s Playground sculpture, and the sitework will take nine months to complete.
Future phases of Town Commons Park will bring an outdoor amphitheater, pavilions, restroom and concession facilities, a musical water feature, dog park, musical playground, splash pad, pickleball courts, football field, volleyball courts, fire pits and more.
“Town Commons Park is a huge step toward developing our town center and the growth of our city overall,” City Manager Paula Yancey said.
The park will also provide a centralized gathering area for the City’s events. Gautier has outgrown all its other public facilities when hosting large events such as Cruisin’ the Coast, which brings in more than 300 registered antique vehicles each year and hundreds of more viewers.
City leaders expect this major quality-of-life improvement to attract commercial and retail development and work in conjunction with the redevelopment of the former Singing River Mall property.
“As the City purchases and redevelops the old mall site, this premier park will help sell Gautier to businesses looking to expand and set up shop in Gautier,” Mayor Phil Torjusen said. “It should be noted that there have been multiple Gautier administrations that have planned for this Town Commons Park project, and the groundbreaking marks the beginning of a new era for our citizens and future visitors. There will be many memories made here, and thank you to everyone who has played a part.”
Ward 3 Councilman Casey Vaughan, who represents the area, said developers have told City officials they want to see a city investing in itself before they invest their time and money.
“I’d really like to thank the City Manager Paula Yancey, her staff, City Attorney Josh Danos, Seymour Engineering, the Tidelands Trust Fund, and our state and federal delegation, who all helped move this important project forward,” Vaughan said.
