What can we do as a community? Flower Mound has a population of about 61,000. With more than 28 percent of that population being under age 15, we pride ourselves on being a family-oriented, kid-friendly community. Flower Mound has many nice parks throughout the town, but I think we can do better.
Flower Mound does not have a large natural wooden playground like Kids Kastle in Highland Village or Kid Country in Coppell. A wooden playground is more natural, both from a visual and tactile perspective, than the metal and plastic playgrounds that we currently have. We are also in need of a playground that is wheelchair accessible so that all children can enjoy playing at an outdoor park.
The town of Flower Mound is in the planning stages for deciding how to use the land between the Gerault and Bakersfield ball parks. This includes 80-100 acres of undeveloped land full of trees and a creek. Now is the time for the community to speak up and make their wishes known to give Flower Mound an outstanding wooden playground like those in our nearby communities.
I have been blessed to get a national sponsor, Pantene, to donate $5,000 toward providing educational components throughout the park to help children get connected with nature and the environment. I envision various educational stations scattered through the park. An example of one of these stations might include pictures of local birds with buttons that children can press to hear that bird’s song or 3-D impressions of animal tracts that they might see in the dirt while on a nature trail.
The people I have spoken with in Park Development are excited about the idea, but they need to know that the community is supportive. They also want to know that members of the community are willing to step up and help make the park happen – as they did for Kids Kastle and Kid Country – by donating their time to paint, put down mulch or even sponsor a brick or park bench.
In order to show community interest to the Parks, Arts, and Library Services [PALS] Board, I have started a petition of residents in Flower Mound and surrounding communities to collect signatures of people who want to see a park like this developed in Flower Mound.
If you are interested in this wonderful opportunity and want to get involved, sign the petition, or just have further questions, please contact me at kimchance@tx.rr.com.
This is a huge project and I can’t do it alone, so please help me make this dream come true for the children of Flower Mound. Every signature makes a difference!