City officials on Monday celebrated the completion of a renovation project at Fairmount Park near the Wichita State University campus.
The park has a brand-new basketball court and the first futsal court in Wichita. Futsal is a game similar to soccer but with a smaller ball and a smaller outdoor playing surface.
Half of a tennis court at Fairmount Park was renovated and converted for the game. Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell says the court, which cost about $281,000, will help attract college students to the park.
"The courts are well represented in other countries and will help us serve our diverse student population," Longwell said at his briefing last week. "It's just the kind of amenities we want to see in our city."
Fairmount Park is located south of the WSU campus. Following a brutal murder there in 2014, the city and the university began working together to improve the area. A task force calling itself "Enough is Enough" was established with the goal of creating safe, economically vibrant neighborhoods near campus. It’s supported by a $250,000 grant from the Kansas Health Foundation.
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