Announcing the

"Dr. Nancy Lefeber Hughes Community Greenspace!"

Galveston’s newest park sits in a densely populated, East End residential neighborhood needing additional green space, delivered at no cost to the taxpayers.

Galveston is known for many Texas firsts, and now we’ve set another example, this time offering neighborhoods across Texas hope when their local elementary school shutters.

In January 2025, Project Rosenberg offered to raise $2.2 million for Galveston ISD, matching a respected, well-funded bidder who proposed building healthcare workforce housing.

But our neighbors when polled by a wide margin wanted more green space, rather than more housing in an already high vacancy, dense neighborhood.

School District leaders solicited bids, and the board of trustees in a narrow, late-night 4-3 decision took a chance on us, rejecting cash-ready bidders, giving us 120 days to raise money to match the highest bid.

We delivered a $2.2 million check to them early, and a $50,000 check for expenses at closing.

We didn’t purchase the land. Rather, we partnered with respected local nonprofit Better Parks for Galveston, depositing donations into their account.

Better Parks then donated our donors’ $2.2 million, plus expenses, to Galveston ISD in exchange for conveying the former Rosenberg Elementary site to the City of Galveston as a donation of public land.

Texas Law allows this triparty arrangement where a public entity monetizes assets to meet budget, and another public entity, funded by donors, takes possession.

Our team then raised an additional $600,000 for building demolition, asbestos abatement and property improvements so that the city of Galveston would accept the land as a city park donated by the school district.

Under Texas law, land designated as a city park cannot be sold absent a majority decision of the city’s qualified voters.

The law promotes public parkland in perpetuity. The law further provides that even if the voters approve a sale, the proceeds can only be put toward another park. So, a park it is, and a park it shall remain.

Naming the park for Hughes followed the established process of submitting a written request to local authorities, noticing it in the local newspaper and under the Open Meetings Act holding a public hearing at City Hall, a formal vote of the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board and public notice of and approval of the Board’s recommendation by the City Council.

How sweet it is that the Board and City Council unanimously approved the park’s name as “Dr. Nancy Lefeber Hughes Community Green Space.”

Locals may assign a “nickname” in due course: Dr. Hughes Park? Nancy’s Park? Hughes Green?

Project Rosenberg succeeded because 300 donors, scores of volunteers and supporters and mindful school district and municipal leaders worked together.

The park is part of Texas history, it’s permanent and it’s beautiful. You can touch grass here. You can breathe here. You can count on it.

It will outlive us all and be enjoyed by our children, grandchildren and their children through many generations