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Sugar Land proclaims July Parks & Recreation Month and celebrates student-made FIFA manhole art
Summary
Mayor Carol McCutcheon proclaimed July 2026 as National Parks and Recreation Month as Parks & Recreation Director Kimberly Terrell highlighted system metrics and resident priorities. The council also recognized Catapult Art Academy students for a four-piece FIFA-themed manhole cover art series in Town Square.
Mayor Carol McCutcheon on Wednesday declared July 2026 National Parks and Recreation Month in Sugar Land, citing parks’ contributions to public health, water quality and community well‑being.
"Whereas the city of Sugar Land is committed to fostering creativity, civic pride, and community engagement through public art initiatives," McCutcheon read as part of the proclamation and later commended the Public Works and Utilities Department and Catapult Art Academy for the Sugar Land Manhole Art Series.
Kimberly Terrell, director of Parks and Recreation, told the council the city has "27 parks here in Sugar Land," more than 1,000 developed acres, nearly 40 miles of trails and "over 4,000,000 park visits per year." Terrell said program offerings grew 42% over the last five years and that 84.4% of residents rated parks positively in the most recent community survey. She listed resident requests including "more trails, more playgrounds, more shade, more indoor space, more senior programming, and more events." The director encouraged residents to review SugarStat, the city’s online data portal, for additional details.
The council also recognized a public-art collaboration with Catapult Art Academy. Trevor Surface, the city’s field operations manager, described the idea of painting manhole lids to add visual interest during FIFA watch‑party events and said the project moved quickly after the initial idea. "It turned to manhole lids, making something that a lot of people drive or walk over, into something that you may wanna take a picture of," Surface said.
Carmen Flores, director of Catapult Art Academy, thanked the city and described the student experience: "Our students paint them for a session around 3 hours nonstop. I'm very proud of them," she said, noting the project provides classroom skills applied in a public setting and leadership development for participating students.
Two of the four covers are currently on display in Town Center — one between the Marriott and Fish City Grill and one at the volunteer center used for the watch party — and staff said the pieces will remain through the final FIFA watch party and possibly a month after while a permanent display location is determined.
Mayor McCutcheon closed the recognition by formally commending the partners and the student artists for contributing to Sugar Land’s public art offerings. The city did not receive any public comments during the meeting.
