MIDLAND, Texas — From sports fields to neighborhood park renovations, soon all over the City of Midland you'll notice our parks will be making some necessary improvements.
"I think it's exciting to hear that staff is planning ahead and they're following a master plan for our parks, and so to hear what some of those perspectives are and to look forward to what they hope to do it was a benefit to the council today," said Mayor Lori Blong.
During a briefing prior to Tuesday's Midland City Council meeting, Parks and Rec Assistant Community Services Director Laurie Williams presented to the council the future planned projects for our parks.
"We'll be doing two playgrounds this year. One at Haley Park and one at Butler T-Ball field," said Williams. "We'll be renovating the bathhouse at Doug Russell Pool."
The projects presented had a plan with a budget.
"So we plan to move forward with a hike and bike trail, and moving the dog park and doing some irrigation renovations and a new playground at Bill Williams, that'll use up that $4.5 million there," Williams said.
"Then we're looking at a project over at Reyes-Mashburn Park that has a budget of about $11 million and over to the soccer complex at Beal. These are big dollar projects and we have to wait till council funds those with whichever mechanisms they have to do that to move forward with those," said Williams.
She said these park improvements are being made due to needs from our growing community.
"We had a Parks and Recs Masterplan that was done in 2020 to identify some needs, like hike and bike trail is a big need in Midland so we're trying to work towards those needs that we're identified," said Williams.
"If you go in the parks on any Saturday, especially when it's nicer in the spring and the fall, you see Midland families and that's what they do with their kids. They are in sports, they are in soccer, they are playing in the playgrounds," Williams said. "Our parks are very used, so we have to plan we have to have foresight on where are we gonna handle all these kids as they continue to grow in these sports."