Board says funded community guard will stay put while city identifies backup site

Farmers Branch Parks and Recreation Board members discussed the future of the community guard and agreed to keep the currently funded location for the coming year while clarifying a second, contingency site the city had identified.

Board members said the city will fund the community guard through the upcoming year and that users and volunteers continue to support the current placement. The discussion focused on clarifying a second location the city had identified in case the guard needed to move.

The board heard that one clearly identified site is a field south of the library and north of the fire station on Webb Chapel. A possible second site was described as the west end of the Rose Garden area — a portion between the cemetery and a columbarium where a horseshoe pit and orchard areas sit. A board member asked for a follow-up map and an on-site visit to understand the second location’s footprint and logistics.

Board members and staff said the city prefers facilities on city property rather than on private parcels tied to other organizations, such as church property that also houses a school. That preference informed the search for the alternate site. No action to move the community guard was taken; members said the item is not urgent and the current site will remain funded and in use while the city continues contingency planning.

Separately, a board member invited colleagues to a church service on Oct. 26 where Barbara Lini, who the board said is a garden volunteer, will speak about the garden. The board also discussed volunteer procedures; staff said background checks remain required for volunteers and that the school’s volunteer process typically turns around within 24 hours.

The item concluded with no motion to relocate the community guard and an agreement to follow up with a map and an on-site walkthrough for board members who requested one.