Kennedale park board weighs new amenities but staff says budget likely delays upgrades

At a recent Kennedale Park and Recreation Board meeting, board members and staff reviewed potential park improvements — pavilion or shade at Rogers Farm, a retaining wall, chess and checkers tables in Town Center, solar charging benches and two pickleball courts — but staff said the items are unlikely to be funded in the current year.

The staff member responsible for parks updates said, “The only update I have based on the last session... we are looking into getting some pricing from vendors for some of the items,” and told the board that some items previously requested by members are not feasible. On kayaking at Sonora, the staff member said local officials told them the lake is too shallow and that building a ramp would be costly: “...that's not gonna happen in such a small lake, and it's too shallow,” the staff member said.

Board members discussed lower-cost, behavior-focused options for games: one member proposed installing permanent concrete chess/checker tables in Town Center for older residents. The Chair and others talked through size and usage questions and whether game pieces should be provided; the staff member said the city could provide the table but players might bring pieces themselves. One participant suggested painting board squares on the table surface to reduce theft.

Members also raised power and charging needs at busy park sites after citing a tournament that used charging benches. The staff member said staff is exploring solar charging stations and estimated an informal per-unit cost, while noting the city has limited funds: “We don't have money... unless the devil wants to donate, we could take that,” the staff member said, characterizing the funding constraint.

For larger capital items, the staff member said the retaining wall and similar projects are unlikely to be included in the current year budget and would, at best, be programmed for the next fiscal year if approved: the staff member said such projects would likely wait until “after October” unless grant funds or other special funding sources are secured. As a concrete example of scale, the staff member said bids for two adjacent pickleball courts came back at about $84,000.

A motion to approve the June 9, 2026 meeting minutes was made and seconded during the consent portion of the meeting; the transcript records the motion and second but does not record a vote tally or the motion's formal disposition. Near the end of the meeting a staff member moved to adjourn and the meeting concluded.

The board did not adopt any funding commitments during the session; staff will seek vendor pricing, report back on potential grants, and return with additional information at a future meeting.