Sugar Land Mayor Joe Zimmerman announced that several city amenities have begun a phased reopening in a video message May 22.

Zimmerman said the reopening of the city’s parks and facilities is being done in accordance with Gov. Greg Abbott’s Open Texas Plan, which outlines how businesses and public places can begin operations after closing because of the coronavirus pandemic as well as recommendations from health professionals.

“We’ve been working closely with our health authorities, including Sugar Land’s own health authority, Dr. Joe Anzaldua, to weigh each of our reopening decisions along the way to ensure we have all the facts and make decisions based on sound advice,” Zimmerman said.

The facility reopenings and changes in operation Zimmerman announced include:

The Imperial Park Recreation Center opened for limited use May 18. The recreation center is operating at a reduced capacity of 25% for open gym and scheduled exercise classes. Among other social distancing and safety guidelines, customers must pass a wellness screening, bring and wear gloves, and provide their own equipment for open sports play. Open gym is limited to pickle ball, badminton and singles table tennis. Facility reservations are still not available, and the IPRC has modified hours—Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and closed Sunday—due to the coronavirus pandemic.



Park benches and picnic tables that are not under a pavilion or next to a playground have reopened to the public.

The skate park at City Park and Pawm Springs Dog Park at Memorial Park also reopened the week of May 18. There are new hand sanitizer stations at the dog park, according to the mayor’s update.

Zimmerman said residents can look forward to upcoming reopenings, which will include:

  • park restrooms;
  • the pool located in City Park, which Zimmerman said will reopen at reduced capacity once lifeguards are trained and available; and
  • sports leagues.

“As new phases of the governor’s Open Texas Plan are announced, the city will revisit reopening additional facilities and programs in line with the governor’s orders,” Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman said as new phases of the governor’s plan are available, the city will revisit opening currently closed or suspended programs and amenities, including sports that involve more than four people, pavilion and building reservations, day camps, sports camps, special events, the T.E Harman Senior Center, playgrounds, splash pads and drinking fountains.