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For the North Houston District Field Services department, work is ‘a walk in the park.’ Not because it is easy work but because time spent in the park is a significant part of the job for this 20-person brigade.
The team, comprised of full-time and part-time employees as well as contractors, maintains the District’s eight public parks spanning 55 acres and including more than six miles of trails.
The Field Services department handles the landscaping and beautification initiatives that keep our area Clean & Green, along with code enforcement and litter, illegal dumping and graffiti abatement.
Field Services crews have been busy for the last few months preparing park facilities to welcome visitors for Spring and Summer days. Along with mowing, they have been overseeing significant improvement projects, clearing underbrush and pruning trees.
Dylan Park trimmed trees and cleared shrubs
“During the mowing season, which we’re in now, there is a crew somewhere in the District mowing and maintaining our parks and right of ways every day,” said Field Services Director Dru Gutierrez.
Recent Refresh
Park upgrade projects were recently completed at Dylan Park, North Houston Skate Park, Jack Drake Park, and Buckboard Park.
Dylan Park
In the District’s Northwest Quadrant, and adjacent to North Houston Skate Park, Dylan Park’s unique features engage children who are sight-impaired, hearing-impaired, autistic, or use a wheelchair. The playground equipment is accessible to allow families with special needs children to explore its interactive textures and activities.
The playground just received a fresh pour-in-place surface, which utilizes material made of rubber granules that is ideal for play areas. Playground experts favor pour-in-place surfaces for their safety and shock-absorbing qualities. They also require minimal maintenance and comply with ADA guidelines for use by people with special needs. Dylan Park’s new play surface further enhances the experience for all to enjoy this ‘park without limits.’
Fresh Cut
Field Services crews also improved landscaping and pruned 205 trees in the Dylan Park and Skate Park complex. During November and December, teams pruned 258 trees throughout eight park facilities.
Gutierrez pointed out that regularly scheduled tree trimming is an important part of the Field Services beautification work. “When you prune a tree, the tree is going to be healthier, get taller and allow more sunlight to hit the turf underneath. In return, that turf grows nice and thick during the mowing season.”
North Houston Skate Park
The new pour-in-place surface also extends to portions of the adjacent North Houston Skate Park. This major upgrade project was made possible through the ongoing collaboration between the North Houston District and the N. Houston Development Corporation (TIRZ 11). TIRZ 11 plays a key role in developing and maintaining high-quality recreational spaces, while the District partners on beautification and upkeep to ensure the parks remain premier destinations.
Jack Drake Park
Jack Drake Park appeals to walkers, joggers, and nature enthusiasts in the Northeast Quadrant and serves as a trailhead for the Greens Bayou Trail, which links several parks throughout the District.
Due to a land donation to the district, the park nearly doubled in size in 2024. Several new amenities are on the way, the first of which is the renovation of 1,200 linear feet of the park’s decomposed granite loop.
In late February 10-dump truck caravan delivered 190 tons of the weathered granite material to do the job. In April, Field Services crews will also clear underbrush at Jack Drake Park for visual enhancement and public safety.
Buckboard Park
At Buckboard Park, visitors of any age can enjoy an upgraded spinning experience thanks to the refreshed pour-in-place surface and new play mat installed in early February. Located in a highly residential area opposite Black Elementary School, Buckboard Park, with its colorful mosaics, butterfly sculpture, and gazebo, beckons as a popular playground in the Airline Corridor.
“As you can imagine, there’s a lot of torque that happens on that merry-go-round, so we replace that pour-in-place every three to four years,” Gutierrez said. “We also added a play mat layer on top of the pour-in-place to help protect it and give the public that extra cushion.”
DID YOU KNOW – Modern merry-go-rounds have a governor inside that regulates the rotational speed for safety?
Stay tuned for more park updates and join us in thanking our Field Services team! Please slow down for our crews out working hard to keep the District Clean and Green!
