Squire Park outreach shows residents favor walking path, sport courts and upgraded playground; staff to return with design and cost options

Parks staff reported Aug. 19 on public outreach for Squire Park in the Valwood Park neighborhood, saying residents prioritized a walking path, sport courts (notably basketball), an upgraded playground and interest in a water feature from some respondents. Robert Diaz, Parks Director, said the outreach included an online survey (149 responses, 83 from the target neighborhood), school visits to Vivian Field Middle School and Farmers Branch Elementary, and an in-person event June 25.

Diaz said the city currently has about $1 million budgeted for Squire Park improvements and that staff recommends returning with a design contract and a menu of costed options similar to the Mercer Park process. “When we get the consultant on board, they’ll know that the design will have a budget and they’ll design to that,” Diaz said. He added the consultant would provide an opinion of probable cost and include bid alternates so council can select which items to fund.

Council comments: members asked for itemized cost estimates and life-cycle maintenance estimates, especially for a water feature or splash pad that has higher operating costs and limited seasonal use. Councilman Reid noted splash pads may have limited annual use and higher maintenance; Councilwoman Villafranca and others emphasized additional parking and siting to limit impact on adjacent properties.

Next steps: staff said it expects to return with a design contract in October, present costed alternatives and recommend bid alternates tied to the current $1 million budget; no construction contract or final design was approved at the study session.