Mayor Neal Linnartz
Congratulations to the City of New Braunfels Parks and Recreation Department for earning the National Recreation and Parks Association’s (NRPA) highest honor, the National Gold Medal Award at their annual conference held Oct. 9th in Atlanta, Georgia. This award honors excellence in long-range planning, resource management, and innovative approaches to delivering park and recreation services with fiscally sound practices. New Braunfels was one of four agencies in our population category that were selected to be finalists, and this is the first year that New Braunfels has earned the Gold Medal Award.
Along with the accolades, the City’s Parks and Recreation Department is hard at work updating the Parks Master Plan, which will provide a roadmap for the next 5 to 10 years, focusing on capital planning, upgrades to current parks, maintenance operations, programming, and staffing. BerryDunn, a consulting agency that headed up the City’s Strategic Plan, is now leading the efforts to survey the community about the programs and resources needed in New Braunfels for the foreseeable future. That includes:
Enhanced Recreational Facilities: This includes upgraded playgrounds, sports fields, and fitness areas to provide more opportunities for physical activity.
Sustainable Practices: We are committed to environmentally friendly practices, including native plant landscaping and improved water management systems.
Community Engagement: Your feedback is crucial. We invite you to participate in upcoming public meetings and surveys to share your thoughts and ideas.
Safety and Accessibility: Improvements will prioritize safe access to all parks, ensuring they are welcoming to every resident.
Programming and Events: We will introduce new events and programs that celebrate our community’s diversity and promote healthy lifestyles.
Vibrant parks enhance the quality of life in our community, and the City is dedicated to making them accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Your support and involvement will help us realize this vision.
Meanwhile, the Parks and Recreation team is also working with our Transportation and Capital Improvements (TCI) Department on multiple large park projects:
- The Zipp Family Sports Park is under construction at the corner of Klein Road and FM 1044. Phase 1 of that 150-acre park will include baseball, softball, and soccer fields and is tentatively scheduled for a Fall 2025 opening.
- The 10-acre Mission Hill Park on Independence Drive, which sits atop the highest elevation property in the city, is currently in the design phase for Phase 2. The voter-approved enhancements include a three-story building at the top of the property which will offer spectacular views of the city along with paved and natural trails around the property.
- Also, if you haven’t heard yet, the City - with the support of the Economic Development Council - recently purchased 131 acres property off FM 1102 and Conrads Lane. That property will eventually become New Braunfels’ largest park! Efforts are currently underway to finalize the scope of services for a master plan for that park. As a bonus, that new park property is connected to Alligator Creek and the new trail system that, when completed, will offer trails connecting neighboring subdivisions both east and west of I-35.
Our parks are not just places to play; they are vital to our community’s health, well-being, and social connections. That’s why, over the next few years, the City’s parks system will also receive some much-needed work on current facilities. The Parks Department has a list of upgrades to current parks that includes new picnic tables, trash cans, BBQ pits, fencing, concrete paths, pavilions, benches, landscaping, and park signage. Work on this list is already underway and will take about two years to complete.
There are many chances in the coming weeks and months for you to participate in the process of enhancing our parks system. In early October, over 100 residents attended an outreach event at Neighborhood Park on Coll Street. That event gave residents who live close to that park a chance to voice their opinions on the kinds of amenities and renovations they’d like to see. More of those events are in the works, along with surveys, polls, and community events designed to get your input about the future of parks in New Braunfels. If you would like to share your thoughts and help shape our Parks Master Plan, please visit www.newbraunfels.gov/parksplan. I encourage you take the time to participate…and to go out to your nearest park with friends and family!
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Mayor Neal Linnartz