Renovations to Shadowbend Park should be complete by June 6—in time for swimming season. The Woodlands Township board of directors has approved HouScape—a Houston-based construction firm—to perform the renovations.

Chris Nunes, township director of parks and recreation, said the project would cost about $1.2 million. The firm is completing paperwork for the project, which could begin construction this month. Nunes said some or all of the park should be completed by the first week of June.

The township board selected HouScape—the least expensive bid—at the Dec. 12 meeting from the four bids submitted to the township by the Oct. 29 deadline. Another $74,000 was budgeted from money left over from 2013 for professional services to White Oak Studios, the designer of the renovations.

"The pool is going to be the biggest change in overall look and functionality," said John Powers, assistant general manager of community services.

Powers said the new-look pool will feature a spray ground, and the diving board will be removed and replaced with a climbing feature. The pool house and restrooms will also receive a facelift, while a seating area with shade will be added. The park will also see some improvements, he said, including new playground equipment, enhancements to the picnic pavilion, and additional parking and lighting to the tennis area.

Shadowbend Park opened in 1983 in the Village of Cochran's Crossing. It is the second village park to receive significant renovations in recent years. Township Chairman Bruce Tough said the township completed about $1.5 million in renovations to Sawmill Park in 2012.

Tough said the township originally implemented a policy several years ago to update aging village parks throughout the community for roughly $500,000 per park, Tough said. However, during the planning process for Sawmill Park, it was discovered that the budgeted amount was not enough money to provide the updates needed at the park.

"What has evolved is a commitment to continue that type of investment of capitol into our neighborhood parks," Tough said.