Wylie parks staff report progress on Founders Field, Brown House, pickleball courts and splash pads

At its April 14 meeting, the Wylie Parks and Recreation Board heard staff updates on multiple park projects, including renovations at Founders Field, exterior repairs at the Brown House, surfacing and future shading of six pickleball courts, and final work on two splash pads with a planned grand opening on May 10.

The updates matter because they affect public recreational facilities used by athletes, families and senior residents across the city and include infrastructure work that must be completed before the summer season.

Brent, a Parks and Recreation staff member, said the current Founders Field renovation is focused first on drainage and grading work. "They're basically, what they've done so far is they've taken the first top level of the topsoil out. All of that is eventually gonna be replaced," Brent said. He told the board crews will finish grading, install irrigation (including a few hundred feet of additional mainline and lateral zone lines), add new topsoil, apply two inches of sand on the playing area, and then sod the field. Brent said this phase started later than last year but is expected to finish by mid-summer.

On the Brown House, Brent said the contractor has completed about half the exterior painting and is replacing rotted wood in soffits and window frames. He said some stained-glass pieces are being remolded and one piece needs a rebuilt frame. Staff plan a moisture test under the house and are reviewing prices for interior floor work; if funds are not available this fiscal year, that work will be deferred.

Work on the six pickleball courts has advanced to surfacing. "The concrete's cured now. I think we actually waited about 34 days," Brent said. He said crews are etching and preparing the surface and the painting and surfacing phase should be completed within about a week, allowing all six courts to open for play. Council previously approved a permanent shade structure for the courts; Brent said engineering drawings are under review by the vendor and the lighting vendor is coordinating specifications with the engineers. He described the shade as a large metal-truss structure that will be a later phase once manufacturing and installation are scheduled.

Staff reported landscaping and irrigation work is complete at the two new splash-pad sites. Brent said contractors are finalizing equipment-room components and on-pad features this week and staff are preparing outreach for an opening event. "We're hoping for a opening day soon, with a grand opening on May 10, is what we're looking for," he said, adding the planned time is 10:30 a.m. to noon. The board was told the city will post temporary rules signs at the splash pads initially and convert them to permanent signage after observing operations; staff asked board members to report any issues that suggest rule changes.

Board members asked procedural and outreach questions during the update; council approval for the pickleball shade was noted but funding details and construction schedules beyond engineering were not specified.

Staff said the next visible steps for the projects are completing irrigation and sod at Founders Field, finishing exterior repairs at the Brown House, completing the pickleball surfacing and then manufacturing and installing the shade, and final vendor work on splash-pad equipment ahead of the May 10 ribbon-cutting and simultaneous openings at East Meadow and Community Park.

A formal vote on meeting minutes and an adjournment motion occurred elsewhere on the agenda; both passed 6-0.