The Woodlands Township board voted on July 24 to approve construction design for a $4.3 million expansion of the Parks and Recreation Department and Environmental Services campus.

The details

The PARDES master plan includes an additional 4,500 square feet of office space, adding to the current 11,400 square feet available at the facility.

John McGowan, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said there are 112 full-time employees and 350 seasonal employees who move through the facility. McGowan said there are five departments housed within the PARDES campus including:

• Environmental services
• Aquatics
• Park operations
• Parks planning/construction
• Streetscapes

McGowan said the township already allocated $1.74 million to the project, and the department is seeking the remaining funding for the project during the August budget workshops for the township. However, McGowan requested $396,510.25 to allow Halff Associates to proceed with the bidding process, which township members approved unanimously.

In their words

“The renovation plan for here is not to move any staff from parks campus,” Chief Operating Officer Chris Nunes said. “It means basically, we're actually giving the staff space, and [it] allows some growth before staff over the next five to 10 years.”

Stay tuned

The renovation is expected to take 12-16 months, McGowan said during the meeting; Halff Associates provided an estimate for construction documents to be prepared in six months.

The remaining funding for the construction of the new facility will be discussed during the upcoming budget workshops scheduled to begin Aug. 19.