NACOGDOCHES, Texas (East Texas News) – The Nacogdoches Department of Parks and Recreation is entering the final stage of transforming the city’s playgrounds, marking a significant investment in community spaces. This ambitious project, financed by a voter-approved bond measure, is renewing parks across neighborhoods throughout the city.
Mill Pond Park is midway through the installation of new playground equipment, the first major addition to the site in more than 30 years.
“It’s the first new playground we’ve had here, probably in at least 30 years,” said Jessica Sowell, Director of Community Services for Nacogdoches.
The new play structures will include four slides, one of them standing about 12 feet tall. Swings and benches are slated to be installed before the week’s end, after which the safety surfacing will be laid once construction crews have completed their work.
The Parks and Recreation Department made deliberate design choices for the new playground, choosing colors and materials that complement the surrounding natural environment.
“We drew inspiration from the wooded setting of the neighborhood park. We selected many blues, greens, and browns so it blends with this beautiful neighborhood and this beautiful park, which is fun and vibrant,” Sowell explained.
Safety enhancements are also part of the plan, including added signage and fencing to keep young children away from nearby roadways.
The department plans to collect feedback from Mill Pond Park visitors to inform future playground designs. Officials will also discuss design plans for Lake Nacogdoches West Park, with construction expected to begin later this year.
“We tend to test the new playgrounds we install to see which features we like, whether we’re missing any features that the playground manufacturer offers or that are new, or simply something we believe is missing and could be added,” Sowell noted.
The playground improvements are part of a broader park-improvement initiative. The Parks Department received $2.2 million in funding through a voter-approved bond measure in 2024. Each of the three new playgrounds under construction costs $240,000, and the Mill Pond Park playground opened last summer. “We have beautiful parks here in Nacogdoches, and we’re glad they’re getting attention, especially the playground areas,” Sowell said.
Visitors are advised to avoid using the Mill Pond Park playground equipment until the caution tape is removed. The play area is expected to be fully open to the public by February 2026.
