Tuscaloosa’s River District Park Renamed in Honor of Longtime Local Towing Leaders

The city of Tuscaloosa has renamed the still-new River District Park in honor of local businessmen and philanthropists who have long led the local towboat industry.

The new park opened last fall and features green space, north-facing areas to view the beauty of the Black Warrior River, a plaza and an outdoor stage.

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On Monday morning, a spokesperson for the city sent local media outlets a press release saying the park has been renamed Parker-Haun Park in honor of the families who own and operate Tuscaloosa's Parker Towing Company.

The families are major philanthropists whose names already adorn the University of Alabama's new Parker-Haun Tennis Facility. The city said staff wanted to honor the Parker and Haun families due to their overwhelming support of the Saban Center, which will be built right beside the park.

“Nick and I are delighted by this next step for Parker-Haun Park," Ms. Terry Saban said in the press release. "In the last year, this park has become such an asset to our community and will be a wonderful outdoor extension to the Saban Center. We are honored to dedicate it to the Parker and Haun families."

Tim Parker III, the current president and CEO of Parking Towing Company, said they have chosen to support the Saban Center because how transformational the new education hub will be for area children.

"The donation is for the STEAM opportunities for the children,” Parker said. “We saw what a positive impact our prior contribution made at the Children's Hands-On Museum and wanted to be a part of the next evolution for the children of West Alabama. We are honored to have the park named after us due to our history at the location.”