Parks and Recreation Advisory CommitteeWednesday, March 11, 2026 · 5:30 PM · City Hall 1201 Leopard St. Basement Training Room.

Context: Vice Chair Cronnon volunteered to draft the resolution at the 2026-04-08 meeting, and after 4 appearances since 2026-03-11 it passed second reading unanimously with no documented legal review in the record.

Recommended: Pull the legislative history behind City Code Section 10.1.6(B) before Council votes on this — the resolution language was drafted by PRAC's own Vice Chair, not staff or legal counsel, and would carve this committee out of the citywide rule that blocks boards from recommending their own replacements.

Context: May 13, 2026 minutes state PARD Staff would respond by the June 10 second reading; the June 10, 2026 minutes record 'no official response' from Parks & Recreation Leadership despite noting they support the Resolution.

Recommended: File a records request for internal Parks and Recreation Department correspondence on this item — the committee was told a formal PARD Staff response would be delivered for the June 10 second reading, but the minutes instead note 'no official response' while claiming staff support.

Context: Assistant Director Sergio Gonzalez told the committee on January 14, 2026 that grant requirements mandate construction be initiated by August of this year.

Recommended: Pull the underlying grant agreement to find the forfeiture or extension clause — as of the April 8, 2026 meeting the design was still only 90% complete with lighting maintenance and bollard placement unresolved, leaving little room before the stated construction-start deadline.

Context: The committee discussed this at the January 14, March 11, and April 8, 2026 meetings, recording 'no action was taken' each time it was noted, while the grant's construction-start deadline is August of this year.

Recommended: Contact PARD directly for the current construction timeline — this item has now gone before the advisory committee three times without a single vote, and the last public update left lighting maintenance ownership and bollard placement undecided just months before the funding deadline.

Context: Jay Gardner reported April 8, 2026 that design plans were 90% complete and pointed to the upcoming Flour Bluff Citizens Council meeting as a venue for input, while Sergio Gonzalez set the August construction-start deadline on January 14, 2026.

Recommended: Raise any desired changes to lighting, bollard placement, or the parking lot layout with Assistant Director Sergio Gonzalez or through the Flour Bluff Citizens Council immediately — design was already 90% complete on April 8 and the grant's August construction deadline will force final sign-off within weeks.

Context: At the April 8, 2026 meeting, committee members discussed trail lighting placement, who will maintain it (possibly AEP), bollard concerns, and changes to the existing parking lot, with Jay Gardner noting the design was 90% complete.

Recommended: Contact PARD now about where trail lighting and bollards will be placed near your property, and how the existing parking lot will change — these were still open questions as of April 8 and the design is nearly finalized.

Context: Staff stated on 2026-04-08 that the plan was adopted in 2022, that a mid-way review must occur in 2027 per the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, and that the grading system is being reviewed because some park grades may need reevaluation.

Recommended: Request the adopted 2022 Parks and Recreation 10-Year Master Plan and any written Texas Parks and Wildlife Department guidance the department is relying on for the five-year mid-point review, then ask in writing what the review requires and whether a rescoring of individual park grades must occur before or as part of it. Without that source text you cannot tell whether the grade changes staff described are discretionary or tied to a state condition affecting grant eligibility.

Context: Staff told the Committee on 2026-04-08 that the department's top three priorities are shade structures, playgrounds and trails because those are the areas where grant funding is most available.

Recommended: Scope any park-adjacent improvement offer, dedication credit negotiation, or partnership proposal around shade structures, playgrounds, and trails rather than buildings or courts, and ask the Parks and Recreation Department which grant programs it is chasing for each. Proposals outside those three categories are far less likely to attract the matching outside money the department says is available.

Context: The same master plan item appeared before the Committee on 2026-03-11 as 'To Be Introduced,' again on 2026-04-08 with a substantive staff briefing, and again on 2026-05-13, with minutes recording 'No action was taken on this item' each time.

Recommended: Request the staff presentation and any written materials behind the March 11, April 8, and May 13 committee discussions, and ask the Parks and Recreation Department which specific park grades are being reevaluated and in which direction. The April meeting produced a detailed staff briefing while the May meeting record shows no substance at all — that gap is the story.

Context: Staff told the Committee on 2026-04-08 that the department is focusing on parks within each Council District that could benefit from minor improvements and is reviewing the master plan grading system because some park grades may need to be reevaluated.

Recommended: Look up how your nearest park is graded in the adopted 2022 master plan and tell the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee what small fixes matter to you, because staff is picking parks in each Council District for minor improvements and is simultaneously reconsidering some park grades. A lowered or unchallenged grade can decide whether your park lands on the shade, playground, or trail list.