(Seguin) — More major upgrades are coming to Seguin’s Manuel Castilla Park.
The park, located at the corner of Guadalupe and Martindale streets, recently received a new large pavilion — thanks to the Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class.
Parks and Recreation Director Jack Jones says that partnership with the leadership class has sparked some additional improvements to be made soon by the city.
Jones says the park will get a totally new playground, which will replace an outdated and undersized playscape currently in place.
“What’s out there now is not our standards today. It’s 23 years old. It’s got pea gravel that needs to go. We have been working with recreation consultant Jeff Mankins with Play & Park Structures of Southern Texas, the same folks that did Bauer Park, the same folks that did Starke Park recently –very good company. And I said, I just want something different this time. I need something that’s really going to pop and stand out because now with Castilla Park, if you look at the map, it is almost dead center of Seguin. A lot of people go there to play tackle football, jog on the track, cheerlead, picnics, you name it. A lot of stuff happens out there at the park, so I want it special,” said Jones.
Jeff Mankins, a recreation consultant with Play & Park Structures in San Antonio, helped to come up with the new design.
“We’re actually bringing in a GFRC tree. GFRC simply stands for glass fiber reinforced concrete. So, it’s a hand painted tree trunk that handles an eight-foot deck. And within that, we have a painted squirrel. We have a little owl. So, there’s some cute things for your kiddos to find,” said Mankins.
Mankins says the new playground will be all-inclusive and it will be much larger than what’s currently in Manuel Castilla Park.
“We wanted kind of the fort look — kind of an outdoor, just kind of all natural look. So, you have the eight foot deck with a fort. It has a 2 to 5 (year-old) play space and a 5 to 12 (year-old space). And then as we’ve, implemented per your request, inclusive play components and ramp structure so that all can play and be a part of the community and play,” said Mankins.
Mankins says much of the structure will be shaded and it will also have some other fun unique features, that will enhance the overall experience for children at the playground.
This marks a major investment in Castilla Park.
The new playground will cost approximately $714,000.
Mankins says once the equipment is ordered, it will take a few months for the project to get started.
Typically, equipment can ship out in about 6 to 8 weeks. And so, we obviously have the foundation that we have to do. We have to come in and bring some sidewalks and different things. If we place the order sooner than later, I would say three months – a three-to-four-month window. It would be kind of probably be a month long install once we get the equipment here,” said Mankins.
The purchase of the equipment for the new playground was approved during a recent meeting of the Seguin City Council.