Park honoring fallen APD officer Phil Chacon reopens after two years of renovations

On Saturday morning at Phil Chacon Park, kids were playing inside a dragon-shaped, shaded playground. Adults walked their furry loved ones in the dog park or rode their bikes on a pump track.

As they enjoyed the sunny, spring weather, city of Albuquerque Parks and Recreation Director Dave Simon welcomed them back. The International District park along Louisiana SE, north of Gibson, had been closed since 2023 for renovations.

“I’m so happy,” resident Katie Hall said. “I’ve been waiting two years for it to open up.”

The park is named after Albuquerque Police Department officer Phil Chacon, who was fatally shot while responding to an armed robbery in 1980.

Chacon’s daughter, Denise Chacon, was 10 years old at the time. “My dad was all about community,” she told the Journal, “and for a park to be named after him is the greatest tribute that could be made in his honor.”

The renovations, she added, meant everything to her and her family.

The $9.7 million worth of work included a renovated turf field for futsal — a variation of soccer played with a heavier ball — a new disc golf course, a walking path, a community garden, a dog park and an expanded playground. An art walk will be added that will include pieces “designed for children and youth that reflect the diverse cultural heritage of the International District,” Simon said.

“(The park) is an open space where we can gather our families, enjoy the fresh grass and take our pets,” Hall said. “I think this really is good for the community’s morale because we’ve had so many hard times here lately.”

Another park feature is a BMX pump track, which is designed to be ridden by pumping, not pedaling or pushing, using a series of rollers, berms and banked turns to generate speed and momentum.

Instead of having to drive to Bernalillo to practice on a pump track with his 13-year-old son, Craig Berry said he can now stay in the city.

Funding for the park’s renovations came from a variety of sources, including the American Rescue Plan Act, the Community Development Block Grant program, impact fees, state capital outlay funds, the city’s general fund and the New Mexico Finance Authority, whose contribution is going toward a new irrigation system.

Phil Chacon Park “just needed some love and needed some rejuvenation” that will ensure it is going to benefit a couple of generations of Burqueños, Simon said.

The improvements are really exciting, especially for youth who now have a place to go, resident Genevieve San Miguel said. Hopefully, it will keep them off the streets, she said.

As visitors strolled the park and listened to a performance from New Mexico Taiko, a guest used colored chalk to draw a message on the sidewalk that read: “Thank you.”