Pflugerville officials eye changes to Old Town Park, historic water tower

Pflugerville officials are eying potential changes to the parkland surrounding the city’s historic water tower, as staff recently presented City Council with a proposed master plan for Old Town Park during an April 22 work session.

The overview

City officials are hoping to reimagine the property surrounding the old water tower on Second Street, which was built in 1935 and decommissioned in 1990.

After conducting a series of community engagement events in recent months, Parks and Recreation Director Shane Mize, as well as consultants with TBG Partners and BRS Architecture, presented City Council with a conceptual design of the proposed park changes. The plan includes the construction of a raised boardwalk area around the water tower, green space, a pavilion, rain garden and play features.

“So in addition to creating fun spaces where people can play and gather, we’ve overlaid an education element to this master plan that helps celebrate and educate people about the importance of water in Pflugerville’s history, its development and its future,” Craig Bouck of BRS Architecture said.

Going forward

At full build-out, the park could cost an estimated $5 million, Mize said, which could come from capital improvement funding, parkland dedication dollars and other funding sources.

The design team believes the project could be built in two or three phases. However, the team will first need to take its design to the Parks and Recreation Commission, as well as the Planning and Zoning Commission, before it can return to City Council for approval.