| Bus Driver Edward Ray Honored By City leaders: Proposed Park to be Named After Local Hero |
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| News - Local | |||
| Friday, 27 July 2012 09:42 | |||
 CHOWCHILLA - At this week’s City Council meeting, Council Members voted unanimously to approve a recommendation from the Chowchilla Parks and Recreation Commission to name a proposed, grant-funded park after Edward Ray, in his memory. Mr. Ray passed away in May at the age of 91.Edward Ray was the life-long Chowchilla resident who helped save the lives of twenty-six school children in the 1976 school bus kidnapping ordeal. Mr. Ray was considered a hero by everyone who knew him and City staff felt it was appropriate and deserving to honor this humble man’s legacy.
The park, unofficially known as Legacy Park prior to the decision, is a proposed 6.8 acre park on the south east side of town near Chowchilla Union High School to be built with a grant from the State’s Natural Resources Agency. The neighborhood park, located by 11th Street and Mariposa Avenue, was originally designed with open space grass areas for recreation and sports groups, basketball court(s), restrooms, playground equipment, covered pavilions, walkways, and a lighted parking lot.
 Based on the limited amount of grant funding available, the park will be re-designed to accommodate more open field space, less maintenance, and the cost of other amenities will have to be analyzed.
“This is a very fitting tribute to a wonderful man who lived his life helping children,” stated Chowchilla Mayor Janan Hebert. “We are happy we can honor Edward Ray and his legacy by connecting his name to a place where youth are going to gather and be happy and healthy.”
The City of Chowchilla plans to move forward on the pre-construction phase of the park soon and will start by obtaining new design plans. After this process is completed, the City hopes to break ground within a year or so. Their goal is to see a finished “Edward Ray Park” by the end of 2013.
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