Parks staff honored; Rose Park ribbon‑pull opening set for Dec. 19

Assistant Director Bridal Coakney told the Mansfield park board on Nov. 20 that park staff brought home multiple awards from the North Region Texas Recreation and Park Society conference, including competition and program excellence honors for the irrigation team, the senior lifestyle program and the nature education team.

"We brought home some hardware," Bridal Coakney said, introducing the groups and inviting the board to take photos with the award winners. She identified the irrigation team as Anthony Ford and Chris Adolf, who qualified for state competition and will represent Mansfield in Corpus Christi in February.

Staff also announced personnel and program updates. The director said Chris Adolf was formally promoted to crew leader this week and congratulated him on the promotion. Staff reviewed near‑term project work, including final punch‑list items and site cleanup at several parks, and laid out logistics for the Rose Park opening: a daytime ceremony set for Dec. 19, shuttle parking from RL Anderson Stadium, restricted public parking in the park itself and dedicated accessible parking near the ceremony area. Instead of a ribbon cut, staff said officials will "pull a ribbon" to open the park.

Staff described additional project progress: Julian Field Park and the Veterans Memorial are nearing substantial completion but may slip into mid‑January because of weather; Walnut Creek Phase 3B and a pedestrian bridge tie-in are close to completion; and Moody Park repairs are underway after an unmapped service line delayed work. Staff reported playground-structure permitting is complete and installation may begin in early December for prioritized sites.

Board members thanked staff for the awards and work on the master plan and park projects. The board recessed to executive session earlier in the meeting and later approved several motions upon return.

The board adjourned at 7:58 p.m.