The park houses the little bit of open space left in the predominantly Black neighborhood, sandwiched between industrial and business facilities in far east Fort Worth.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives us a sense of, \u2018We didn\u2019t let our ancestors down,\u2019\u201d said Jeff Pointer, president of the Mosier Valley Neighborhood Association. \u201cThey came in and left this to us, and to do exactly this. Our ancestors can rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s groundbreaking was the culmination of 12 years of planning and waiting since the city first acquired most of the land for the park.<\/a><\/p>\n The park\u2019s amenities will include an enhanced trail system, four basketball courts, fitness stations and more parking to support future events and increase accessibility, park and recreation director Dave Lewis said at the event.<\/p>\n The park will also house a new playground at some point in its development. City officials plan to spend just over $905,000 on the park, predominantly funded by the 2022 bond program.\u00a0<\/p>\n City Council member Deborah Peoples, whose district includes the predominantly Black neighborhood, said she could not honor the park without thanking her council predecessor Gyna Bivens.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis project has been long in the making,\u201d Peoples said. Bivens, who gave up her district seat in 2025, asked her successor to \u201ctake care\u201d of Mosier Valley when she took public office, Peoples said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bivens, who served District 5 since 2013, died earlier this month<\/a> soon after announcing that she\u2019d been diagnosed with cancer. Throughout her tenure, she adamantly called for city officials to prioritize the development and maintenance of Mosier Valley Park.<\/p>\n \u201cToday we are starting the journey to take care of Mosier Valley,\u201d Peoples said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The area has historical and cultural significance, she stressed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is important that we preserve and honor that legacy,\u201d Peoples said. \u201cI am so excited to see the diverse community members who are here today, because they have embraced this history and are committed to carrying it forward.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The historic neighborhood was annexed into Fort Worth<\/a> in 1960 ahead of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport\u2019s construction. The acquisition displaced some residents because they couldn\u2019t afford to pay higher property taxes, according to previous Report coverage.<\/p>\n Remaining residents cited concerns about seeing little improvement in the neighborhood\u2019s infrastructure since it was annexed, prompting the city to address dilapidated areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n That outcry from the public included a lack of parkland. Fort Worth leaders acquired 4 acres of the parkland in 2014. The land is equipped with a historical marker commemorating Mosier Valley School<\/a> from 1883, which once stood at the park.<\/p>\n The park\u2019s development drew criticism<\/a> from residents after progress stalled in 2019. That year, officials installed tables and parking spaces, while the area remained mostly a park in name only.<\/p>\n Now, the public can expect a recreation center and urban farm at the park by 2028, said Pointer, the association president.<\/p>\n Preserving the school\u2019s history through the park and its amenities is important because the school once served as a center and resource for the community, Pointer said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Construction on the first phase of the park is slated for a completion date of December.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is where everybody came, and we want to bring it back to that,\u201d Lewis said.<\/p>\n Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/FINAL-Deborah-Peoples-1024x683.jpg\")
Deborah Peoples, pictured Feb. 26, serves Fort Worth\u2019s District 5, which encompasses the historically Black Mosier Valley community. (Nicole Lopez | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260226_MosierValley3-1024x683.jpg\")
Jeff Pointer attended Fort Worth\u2019s Feb. 26 groundbreaking for Mosier Valley Park. He leads the community\u2019s neighborhood association and has advocated for the park\u2019s revitalization. (Nicole Lopez | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_1421-scaled-e1708724344534-1024x658.jpg\")
A historical marker commemorates the site of Mosier Valley School, which educated generations of Black children in far east Fort Worth near Euless. Mosier Valley was the first community established by formerly enslaved people in Texas shortly after the Civil War. (Haley Samsel | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n