The new Tom Lee Park is mostly complete, and construction has now paused to allow for Memphis In May events to take place by the river.

George Abbott, director of external affairs for the Memphis River Parks Partnership, said the park was 80% complete during a tour for media and members of Downtown Memphis Commission boards Tuesday.

He said the park is on track for a grand public opening over Labor Day weekend. Final work will take place over the summer after any damage from the festival is repaired. While some fencing has been put up to protect planted areas and other park sections, Abbott added he “has great confidence in Memphians” not to cause a huge amount of damage and to “protect the asset that we built.”

Work on the $61 million park overhaul started almost two years ago. Funding for the park came from the city, the county and the state as well as individuals, corporations and philanthropic organizations.

One of the biggest changes from the former Tom Lee Park is the amount of plant life. More than 1,000 trees have been planted, including oaks, birches and tulip poplars. An untold number of shrubs, bushes, flowers and other species have been planted as well, all native flora.

“Everything that’s planted in here is appropriate to the area,” Abbott said, adding many of the seeds were collected from nearby nature areas.

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Across Riverside Drive, the Cutbank Bluff is complete but will not open to the public until later this year when the rest of the park is ready for visitors. The feature has more than 50,000 plants and provides a path compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act for people to get from the top of the bluff to the park.

A raised walkway across Riverside Drive is intended to serve as both a crosswalk and a way to slow vehicle traffic. That lets into a plaza at the north end of the park with misting fountains and color-changing lights.

While some detail work is waiting for completion — the lights on the plaza and an art installation on the floor under the canopy named for Tyre Nichols, among other things — paths are paved, milkweed and goldenrod have been planted to create a monarch habitat and an environmentally-friendly cooling system has been set up for indoor areas.

Permanent food, beverage vendors named

The park will feature three permanent food and beverage vendors by the children’s playground, in addition to space for food trucks. MemPops will sell its signature sweet treats, Vice & Virtue will have coffee and cocktails, and Paper Plate Pavilion will be serving up a variety of eats.

The park location will be the first brick-and-mortar for Paper Plate Pavilion, which has operated as a food truck since launching in November. Chef and co-owner Jorie Williams said they were excited to move into the park and believed their offerings would complement, and be complemented by, the surroundings.

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“The aesthetic is very beautiful down here. And so the food is gonna play a role in it, too. I want you to be able to take a picture when you get your food from me… it's gonna look just as good as it tastes,” he said. “That's what we focus on with our menu is being unique and that it looks really good.”

Williams said while Paper Plate Pavilion doesn’t serve barbecue, it does have an emphasis on smoky flavors. That applies to everything from the brisket mac-n-cheese to cold-smoked peanut butter in elevated peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the stuffed bell peppers.

The cornbread waffles served with each entrée and used for all the sandwiches is another distinguishing feature for the eatery, as is the focus on fruits and vegetables. While there are no french fries for sides, you can get plantains, a vegetable medley or a rice and grain blend.

“That was a really strong selling point for us, to set ourselves apart with a healthier menu,” co-owner David Self said.

Williams said meat and vegetables are sourced locally and many of the entrées can be served without meat or dairy to make them vegetarian or vegan. There will also be breakfast options including grits and chicken and waffles.

Corinne S Kennedy covers economic development, healthcare and real estate for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached via email at Corinne.Kennedy@CommercialAppeal.com

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tom Lee Park: The latest on Memphis park's construction, opening date