The Woodlands Township is adding artificial turf to its renovation plan of Falconwing Park similar Gosling Sports fields at Gosling Road and Marisco Place in The Woodlands.

The Woodlands Township is adding artificial turf to its renovation plan of Falconwing Park.

The move comes after the board approved a $1.6 million plan to update the park including pool upgrades, additional parking, pickleball courts, improved drainage and restrooms. The board approved several other options including a decomposed granite loop track, volleyball courts, and additional pool upgrades.

The turf will add $1.8 million to the project cost. According to information from the township, $340,000 of that $1.8 is already in the $1.6 million, bringing the net impact to add the turf to $1.4 million.

On yourcouriernews.com: The Woodlands Township to begin $1.6M upgrades to Falconwing Park

According to Director of Parks and Recreation Chris Nunes there are nine parks in the township’s system. He noted they have been well received and have reduced both maintenance and water costs.

“It’s not going to get any cheaper,” said Board member Bruce Reiser, noting the board should move forward with the turf.

Board member Jason Nelson said he was concerned about not having grass fields available.

“In a perfect world, I’d like to see some grass,” he said. “The wear and tear of the field is an issue but the wear and tear of the body is another issue. For athletes, all turf all the time can be a little dangerous.”

Nunes said there are many studies supporting both natural and artificial turf but said the users of the parks understand that concern but also want the reliability of the artificial turf.

Claudia Walker, director of Landscape Architecture from Burditt Consultants, presented the plan and cost to the township board in February. In January 2020 the board approved a request for proposal for the renovation of the park. However, due to the pandemic, the project was delayed. In May 2021, Burditt Consultants was selected.

According to information from the township, one of the most significant improvements needed is the update of the pool equipment to be current with the Texas Administrative Code, Title 25, which is the pool code, which has been revised twice since the pool was built. Those improvements include upgrading the pool circulation and removal of the diving board that is out of compliance.

The plan will also address drainage issues by reconfiguring the multipurpose field to allow additional drainage that would be redirected to various bio-swales and structures.

The project is expected to be complete by early 2023.

Catherine Dominguez is a reporter at the Conroe Courier.