Pflugerville details Monarch Recreation Center: courts, aquatics, rooftop event space and a rare 'stand‑up' slide
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Summary
City parks staff unveiled design and programming for the Monarch Recreation Center — a multilevel downtown facility with multiple basketball courts, indoor aquatics, an indoor turf area, a 300-person event room and a novel stand‑up water slide — funded through a mix of an anticipated bond and city sales-tax reserves.
Pflugerville parks officials on Monday gave commissioners a detailed look at the Monarch Recreation Center, a multilevel facility planned for the city’s new downtown East that will include multiple full-size basketball courts, indoor aquatics, a large indoor turf area and a rooftop event space.
Jeff O’Shea, assistant parks and recreation director, said the building measures roughly “129,000 square feet. It’s actually a 139,000 square feet,” and will include four high‑school‑sized basketball courts that can be divided for smaller games, four volleyball courts, 12 pickleball courts, a fitness and cardio area and multiple multiuse event rooms. “There’ll be an indoor aquatics area…a little wave pool type thing,” O’Shea said, describing programming intended for families, therapy and multi‑generational use.
Why it matters: The center sits across from the new City Hall and is intended to serve as a programming hub for recreation leagues, classes, therapy and special events while tying into the city’s broader downtown activation plans.
Funding and partnerships: Director Shane Mize said the project’s money comes from a combination of a proposed municipal bond and Parks and Community Development Corporation (PCDC) sales‑tax funds. “This is a bond, like, a $48,000,000 bond, which would have purchased about a half of this rec center, and then the 4B sales tax from PCDC funding the other half,” Mize said. O’Shea added staff are pursuing some public‑private partnerships for equipment and retail operations; developer Griffin Swinterton will manage retail leasing under the center’s P3 arrangement.
Design and notable features: Commissioners heard that the center will rise vertically to fit in the downtown footprint and includes features staff characterized as uncommon for a municipal rec center: an indoor turf area with a ‘turf ramp’ connecting levels, a multi‑generational lounge, child watch services and a third‑floor 300‑person event room with a teaching kitchen. O’Shea described two slides in the aquatics area and identified one as “the first indoor stand up slide in The United States,” a claim made during the presentation that was not independently verified during the meeting.
Programming and access: Staff said programming will be multigenerational and heavily scheduled; current rec‑center programs will migrate to the Monarch. O’Shea said staff planned community engagement to determine classes and instructor interest over the next year. On age access to weight rooms and equipment, staff said they will set programmatic policies with liability and insurance guidance determining minimum ages and supervised access.
Site integration and parking: Commissioners asked about outdoor space and parking. Staff said the rec center will open to a shared plaza across from City Hall, with garage parking planned nearby, and that the plaza will host farmers markets and concerts, extending programming outdoors when the garage doors and patio open to the plaza.
What’s next: Staff will continue design refinements, present the five‑year CIP in coming meetings and return with more detailed operational and funding plans for commissioner feedback.
