A new water operations building and a trail extension were among the items discussed during an update on the fiscal year 2026-27’s capital improvement program, or CIP, for parks and facilities at Pearland City Council’s Oct. 26 special meeting.
What you need to know
As part of the city's FY 2026-27 CIP budgeting process, parks and facilities staff presented the first in a series of workshops focused on capital projects, ongoing maintenance needs and future funding allocations, according to city documents.
The city currently has 161 active CIP projects, with 24 related to parks and facilities, including a water operations building along Alice Street and the Hickory Slough Sportsplex.
Of the 161 projects, the current statuses include:
14% in negotiation phase
20% in bidding and construction
32% in design or study phase
34% are unfunded future projects
Diving in deeper
From FY 2027-31, nearly $108.5 million is allocated for facilities projects through the city's five-year capital improvement program, city documents show.
The division is working through $20.7 million in historical projects, including the nearly $5 million water operations building along Alice Street, which is expected to be completed by December, city documents show.
Other future or unfunded projects include Fire Station No. 7 along Bailey Road, a public safety training complex and an operational lighting and paging system for the West Pearland Library, documents show.
In addition to capital projects, the facilities division manages and maintains:
58 city buildings
59 additional structures
Around 1,400 work orders annually
Around 1,600 service requests annually
Also of note
Nearly $62.3 million is allocated for parks capital improvement projects from FY 2027-31. The division is also working through $16.3 million in historical initiatives across six projects, including the Clear Creek Trail extension from the Barry Rose Water Reclamation Facility to the University of Houston-Clear Lake Pearland campus, construction on which is anticipated to begin in May 2027.
Council also received an update on the city's parks master plan, which is about 90% complete and includes stakeholder engagement, data collection, a park conditions assessment and a tree survey. Adoption is anticipated in early FY 2027, according to city documents.
The plan has identified nine potential park sites on properties owned by the city or school district, as well as privately owned properties that could be acquired. All nine sites are east of Hwy. 288, as the city does not own additional parkland west of the highway, Director of Parks and Recreation Carry Capers said at the meeting.
Council member Rushi Patel said the city should explore opportunities to acquire private land for additional parks west of Hwy. 288 to serve residents in that area.
Looking ahead
City Council is scheduled to receive updates on water and wastewater capital projects at its Dec. 12 meeting, city documents show.
