Tomball developing 10-year plan to improve city parks

The city of Tomball is working on its first comprehensive master plan for parks and recreational facilities as it looks to bring more amenities and walkability to the community over the next decade.

During an open house this week at the Tomball Community Center, residents were invited to give input regarding what they would like to see included in the plan.

People in attendance were given paper tokens to place in one of multiple categories, indicating the type of projects they believe city council should allocate funds toward. Drew Huffman, public works director, said that the city does not currently have a budget for the plan, but this helps decided where money should be used.

One of the categories, walkability, is currently the biggest focus for the city’s future parks and rec priorities, Huffman said. People are also looking for improvements to trails, sidewalks and bike paths for walking, hiking and biking, he said.

The plan will guide development and enhancements to park facilities for the next 10 years, explains a survey asking for residents’ input. The survey, which was available at the open house, may also be accessed online and will close in two weeks, Huffman said.

A draft of the master plan based on the feedback received will be presented to city council in June, according to Huffman. Council may consider approving a final version in July or August.

“Once council adopts that master plan then that puts us in action to act upon the master plan to build new parks, build new trails, add new sporting components to the parks and other types of amenities,” Huffman said.

While the master plan looks 10 years into the future, he said it will be updated in five years and can change based on population growth or demographics.

The community feedback he’s heard so far indicates people appreciate how the city takes care of its parks, according to Huffman. During the open house, several residents showed interest in adding more pickleball facilities in Tomball.

“Pickleball is a very active sport across the nation. …We have two pickle-ball courts at Juergens Park and if you go right now (around 6:30 p.m.) there’ll be almost 50 people if not more playing pickleball. That’s just this evening and then there’s another large group that plays in the morning,” he said.

Earlier this year, the city started a $2.3 million project to upgrade Jerry Matheson Park. This will include a new play structure, splash pad, pickle-ball courts and more.

“Take our survey and come and enjoy our parks,” Huffman said. “The weather’s great and come enjoy everything there is to do with Tomball with our events, our parks and our downtown area.” raphael.green@chron.com