The Art Park (Catfish Row) has had several repairs made

VICKSBURG, MS – The Art Park at Levee Street is the largest and most popular playground in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Located across from the Mississippi River canal on Levee Street, the park commonly known as “Catfish Row” has been providing families with free fun for many years. It consists of a playground, a toddler playground, a splash pad, a play area made from the parts of the Sprague, and lots of children’s artwork displayed along cement walls.

Not long ago, the playground was in disrepair; much of the equipment was both broken and hazardous. Community members expressed concerns of the derelict state of the park, both as an eye sore for the city’s waterfront, but also for the safety of the children who play there, wondering if the playground would be shut down. Over the past few months, the City has begun making much needed repairs.

All but the fencing

Alderman Alex Monsour said that everything at the Art Park has been repaired except for fencing repairs. The broken equipment has been replaced and updated, holes in several areas have been fixed, and the steam boat area has been refinished. The aforementioned fencing will aim to keep children from having access to the steep hill along the side of the park.

“It takes an engineer to do it. They’re going to tell us what we need to do to fix the access underneath the fence. If there is any erosion they’ll tell us what we need to do repair that,” said Monsour.

Most of the worn out turf has also been replaced. A new double slide has been installed. A climber has been set up in place of the slide that was torn down, and dangerous pieces of broken equipment have been removed.

Monsour expressed that the city is doing its best to update and repair things, such as the playground, in the city.

“Anything you do in the city government, you’ve got to jump through about 15 hoops to do it. You’ve got to check safety guidelines and everything else. When you’re dealing with kids you’ve got to make sure everything is safe, especially when it comes to kids… and it’s very expensive,” he said.

Monsour also mentioned that the park needs to be cleaned.

“We’ve got to get the fire department out there to go on and clean it. You can’t use pressure washers on (the equipment and turf) because it will blow it out and cause damage,” he said.

Further updates and additional plans for the Art Park can be determined by the head of parks and recreation, Rick Daughtry.