Hutto Community Park at Country Estates will soon see new shade structures, a new playground, sidewalk additions and other improvements.

The city of Hutto broke ground on renovations to the park April 23. The project is the first of the city's November 2018 bond-funded improvements. The voter-approved bond allocated $50 million to renovate and improve city park facilities.

“Last November, we asked the residents of Hutto to approve the bond proposition that is making these renovations possible,” Hutto Mayor Doug Gaul said in an April 23 news release. “With that approval, residents told us that improved park facilities were important to them, and we’re listening.”

More parks improvements are on the horizon for Hutto.

“Each park is unique to the other parks in our system,” Hutto Council Member Nate Killough said in the release. “We are starting here at Hutto Community Park, however, all parks throughout the city will be improved.”

Future plans include improvements at Creekside Park. Crews will remove the existing playground and install a new one, improve the walkway to the playground and add a shade structure.

Hutto Lake Park is expected to receive parking improvements, additional lighting features and shade structures over play areas. Renovations are planned for existing trails in addition to the construction of new trails.

Fritz Park will see renovations to youth fields, upgrades to playground equipment and improvements to restroom facilities. Plans for Fritz Park include the addition of a splash pad.

Planned renovations make the city eligible for a $500,000 grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to help improve Creekside and Fritz Parks, according to the release.

“We’ve been recognized as a great place to raise a family, and we’re very proud of that,” Hutto City Manager Odis Jones said in the release. “The City Council is committed to ensuring a high quality of life for our residents, and improved park facilities are a huge part of that.”