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Lone Star Recreation unveils 24,000‑sq‑ft Midtown Park playground; Mayor Johnson pledges salary
Summary
At an Oct. 7 Bryan City workshop, Lone Star Recreation presented a 24,000‑sq‑ft Midtown Park playground design emphasizing accessibility and shade; Doug and Carol French donated $2 million and Mayor Johnson said he will donate his next two years' mayoral salary to the project.
Lone Star Recreation presented a 24,000‑square‑foot design for the Midtown Park playground at an Oct. 7 Bryan City workshop, highlighting accessible ramps and surfacing, extensive shade and a cluster of play features intended to serve children of all abilities. Mayor Johnson announced philanthropic support from Doug and Carol French and said he will contribute his next two years' salary to the project.
Austin, a North Side sales representative for Lone Star Recreation, walked council through renderings that show an all‑accessible entrance and pour‑in‑place (PIP) surfacing. "This will be an all accessible, entrance for children in of all abilities, wheelchairs, walkers, or just my 2 year old trying to crawl up the, the ramp as well," Austin said, describing ramps, integrated shade and a molded‑bucket accessible zip‑line seat. The design also features two zip lines, multiple slides, four turf‑covered berms for toddler play, five swing bays with integrated shade and several pavilions for gatherings.
Eric Edwards of Lone Star Recreation framed the build as a regional draw and said the firm represents Landscape Structures in Southeast Texas. Edwards described company materials and warranties, saying the firm expects long service life and onsite maintenance support: "the warranties on the steel structures are 100 years," he said, and added that some plastic components carry shorter warranties. Edwards also said the company installs its own projects, trains city staff in maintenance, and can provide ongoing service if parks staff capacity is limited.
Mayor Johnson credited a $2,000,000 gift from Doug and Carol French that "started this project off" and said he intends to donate his next two years' mayoral salary to the effort. Council members praised the emphasis on shade and accessibility; staff and Lone Star said restrooms and certain amenities are currently scoped for a later phase but could be added as funding or sponsorships allow.
Next steps identified during the workshop included refinement of pavilion and seating placement in coordination with parks staff and continued work toward Phase 1 construction; council discussed sponsorship opportunities and a potential Phase 2 expansion.
