Crown Prince opens major public park in Irbid

AMMAN — HRH Crown Prince Hussein on Saturday inaugurated the King Abdullah II Park in Irbid, established under Royal directives, and spanning over a 178-dunum plot of land.

The Crown Prince unveiled a plaque, planted an olive tree, and toured the park, designed to facilitate entertainment, sports and cultural activities, to improve the quality of life for residents of Irbid, 80km north of Amman, a Royal Court statement said.

The park, which cost JD15 million, includes a glass nursery, a bird garden, playgrounds and a 280-metre-long artificial river.

During the inauguration, attended by Senate President Abdur-Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh, Irbid Mayor Hussein Bani Hani, officials in charge of the project briefed the Crown Prince on the phases of developing the facility, as well Irbid Municipality's plan to preserve and sustain it, to be one of the governorate's cultural landmarks.

Bani Hani underlined in remarks to the press that it was His Majesty King Abdullah who issued directives to establish the park, voicing appreciation for His Majesty, and the Crown Prince for inaugurating the project that serves Irbid’s local community.

The mayor said the municipality will work on organising and regulating cultural and sports events and activities, as well as school trips, and will keep it clean and preserve its features, announcing that a special team will be appointed for the job.

Elaborating on the components of the public park, Bani Hani said it includes a restaurant, six sports fields (four for football and two for basketball), as well as green areas, six overpasses above the artificial river, and water tanks with a capacity of 8,000 cubic metres, 3,000 of which will be collected through water harvesting.

The glass nursery is an income-generating project that will support the municipality’s finances, the mayor said, explaining that money would be made by selling saplings.

Municipal Affairs Minister Walid Masri, MPs and senators from Irbid, Royal Court Secretary General Yousef Issawi and several officials attended the inauguration.