Updated Pfluger Park opens to the public
Pflugerville celebrated the return of one of its most beloved parks with a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 18.
Portions of the 20-year-old Pfluger Park had been closed since March for the construction of a new playground, gazebo and site furnishings.
Part of renovations involved removing a large American elm tree to prevent falling limbs, according to a city news release.
Mayor Victor Gonzales said the park, which he has enjoyed since childhood, has come a long way.
“Pflugerville is about having fun and I think the new equipment that we incorporated here is really state-ofthe-art equipment that we’ve never had before,” he said.
“From our perspective, a playground is probably one of the most basic things you can have in a park, but it’s also one of the most important,” said City Parks and Recreation Director James Hemenes. “They’re for child development; they’re for education. Kids learn about risk and reward, they learn balance, they learn all different things.”
The playground can accommodate 134 children, city staff said, whereas the previous playground could handle 98 children at a time. The playground also includes new features for children 2 to 5 years old.
Inspectors hired by the city recommended replacing the playground based on new Consumer Product Safety Commission Guidelines for Playground Safety, city staff said.
Funding for the project came from the Parks and Recreation’s annual operations and maintenance budget and a $90,000 grant from the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation.
Amy Madison, city corporation executive director, said the park’s playground equipment had aged and needed to be replaced to meet the needs of a larger community.
“It was time for us to upgrade it to match what was going on in this community,” she said, “and to be able to have more people have access to it and more children to be able to play.”
Christie Crouch, chairwoman for the Parks and Recreation Commission and a teacher, brought her second-grade class from Brookhollow Elementary School to try out the new park.
“We’ve been working on getting a new playground in here for years,” she said. “It’s fantastic. It’s different kinds of play and kids can be so creative.”
City staff said additional work on the playground, including a shade structure and sidewalks, will be completed later.