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With the redevelopment of Farmers Branch Elementary School expected to temporarily displace neighborhood children from nearby recreational spaces, the city is working to complete improvements at Squire Park before construction begins, parks staff told the city council during the Tuesday, April 7 study session.
Parks and Recreation Director Robert Diaz and Park Superintendent Mark Moffett walked council members through a concept drawing for the 1.43-acre park located in the Valwood Park neighborhood, developed by a consultant based on community feedback gathered through outreach events and online surveys conducted last year. The project dates to a 2021 community survey in which residents identified the need for park improvements.
"We know how important this is going to be, especially while that school is down," Diaz said. "We want to get kids playing on that playground next year."
The city has approximately $1.1 million remaining in the project budget after design and survey costs. A full build-out of the master plan would cost an estimated $2.6 million, and a scaled version targeting the park's most critical needs is estimated at $1.7 million, meaning some amenities will need to be phased or cut. Diaz said the city is not seeking additional funding at this time.
"I'm not here to ask for more money," Diaz said. "We know where we're at. We're at that $1.1 million and this is where we want to try to get you those big ticket items."
The three priorities identified by staff are a new playground, a combination sport court and trail connections throughout the park. Diaz said the playground alone is estimated to cost between $650,000 and $900,000, noting that the recently completed Dutch Village Park playground came in at approximately $600,000 including a small picnic pavilion and surrounding sidewalks. Items such as site furnishings, landscaping, sport lighting and a picnic pavilion would be submitted as bid alternates, meaning they would only be added if the budget allows after base bids come in.
Several council members raised the idea of replacing the proposed pickleball court with a soccer area, citing the demographics of the surrounding neighborhood. Council member Lupe Gonzalez said children in the area frequently use the soccer complex at Vivian Field and the turf area near the elementary school, and that once school construction begins those options will be temporarily unavailable.
"I would really like to see soccer in there instead of pickleball," Gonzalez said. "A lot of the kids in that area love to play soccer."
Council members Tina Bennett-Burton and Elizabeth Villafranca echoed the sentiment. Council member Roger Neal also agreed with the soccer approach and asked staff about expected annual maintenance costs under the new design. Diaz said the improvements should not exceed the city's current maintenance budget for the park and could potentially reduce costs given that newer equipment and surfaces require less upkeep.
Council member David Reid suggested exploring whether community volunteers could assist with portions of the project during final construction phases as a way to stretch the budget further.
Diaz said he will incorporate the council's feedback on soccer, finalize the design to approximately 60% completion and return to the council later this summer with harder cost numbers before the project goes out to bid. The park board has reviewed the concept twice and signed off on the overall direction.
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