COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Two Columbus parks will be designed and improved through a project worth over $1.6 million.

Gender Road Park and McCoy Park are separate park parcels owned by the city’s Recreation and Parks Department. Both parcels are currently underdeveloped and in need of improvements, according to Columbus City Council.

On Monday, the council approved an additional $1.2 million to be added to a contract with Kimley-Horn and Associates, which is providing architectural and engineering services to improve them. With the added funds, the contract is now worth an aggregate total amount of just over $1.6 million.

Kimley-Horn will provide professional services to develop improvements for the two parks as part of the project. Those services will involve master planning, conceptual design, construction oversight and public engagement.

For the empty 32-acre Gender Road parcel, the consultant team will develop a report on existing public recreational facilities in a three square mile area, conduct public engagement with locals, and conduct internal program discussions to develop a plan for high-quality programming over the next decade. A master plan developed in the project’s first phase includes a basketball court, pickleball court, playground, walking trails and a Frisbee golf course for the park.

“Acquired in 2010, the development of Gender Road Park will complement existing amenities and programming at the adjacent Pickerington Ponds Metro Park while creating a new regional destination for people who live in South East Columbus and beyond,” said Mishelle Hilliard, project manager and Registered Landscape Architect for the city.

Construction on Gender Road Park is expected to start in early 2025 and be finished by early 2026.

McCoy Park, on the other hand, is an over 19-acre park acquired by the city in 1946. In need of redevelopment, the parks department will develop a master plan for the site. Current plans for the park include fields for crutch/blind soccer and adaptive softball, an accessible playground for those with disabilities, a splash pad, and pickleball and basketball courts.

“The redevelopment of McCoy Park will support and complement other parks in the southwest quadrant of the City, while also becoming part of the department’s vision for Tournament City and the future permanent home for its outdoor therapeutic recreation programming,” Hilliard said.

The schedule for McCoy Park’s redevelopment is not set, but the parks department hopes construction can start in mid to late 2025 and be complete by early 2027.

In May, the council approved a $790,080 contract for the Columbus Recreation and Parks 2025-2035 Master Plan Project, which will set a vision for the department over the next 10 years.