The first phase of the renovation project is estimated at $11.2 million, and it will include upgrading the parking lot and playable areas as well as updating the restrooms, fencing, dugouts and site amenities, according to the agenda. The full renovation project, including a second phase, is estimated at $17.8 million, according to information from the township.
The details
The first phase of the project is expected to start construction in February and finish around March 2027, according to the timeline presented by John McGowan, the director of The Woodlands Township Parks & Recreation Department.
The project is divided into phases due to budget constraints, he said.
Phase 1 will include these projects:
- 203 additional parking spaces
- Restroom at the multipurpose field
- A pavilion
- A playground
- Second entrance and exit to the park at the intersection of Twinvale Drive and Hwy. 242
- Field 3 conversion from a small grass field to a “championship field” with all-weather turf, bleachers and scoreboard
- New grass field to the south of Fields 1 and 2
- New full-sized artificial field south of the softball and baseball fields
- Additional bleachers, benches and awnings
Aside from the facility's community garden and baseball fields, Alden Bridge Sports Park will be completely closed during construction, McGowan said. This means groups that use the fields will have to find another location, he said.
"We will work with them and do what we can with that," McGowan said.
Phase 1 of the project does not include the installation of an all-weather turf on the softball and baseball fields or additional parking along the western edge of the park.
Phase 2 has not yet been funded, and the parks and recreation department will request funding for the remainder of the project during budget discussions in August, Chief Operating Officer Chris Nunes told Community Impact.
The background
In 2022, The Woodlands Township Parks & Recreation Department initiated a needs assessment to determine future services and facilities it could develop for parks, pathways, trails and athletics. The assessment focused on the community's changing demographics, and the result was a recommendation to renovate Alden Bridge Sports Park, among other projects, Community Impact previously reported.
The parks and recreation department has spent the last year developing renovation plans for Alden Bridge Sports Park and has obtained input from the patrons who visit the park, McGowan said at the meeting.
