BUDA — In a presentation to Buda City Council at its March 3 meeting, Parks and Recreation director Tony Host highlighted new safety measures and aesthetic improvements to the Buda Amphitheater & City Park coming this year.
The first phase of improvements to the park was completed in 2024, according to the Buda Bonds website. Now, city staff are proceeding with phase II. Improvements include a new east parking lot, stage backdrop, lighting, security cameras, bridge and split rail fencing.
Phase II’s total budget is set at $1.4 million. Funding for the project was included in the fiscal year 2026 Capital Improvement Plan and will be collected from a city bond initiative.
According to the agenda item report, an additional $850,000 has been allocated for the city park playground replacement, a separate, but complementary project that will also be paid for with bond funds.
Host noted during his presentation, “We have the request for proposal [for the playground] back and we’re working on grading it. If we can get the contractor to sign we can have the plan ready by the next council meeting in March." Otherwise, the playground plan will be ready in April.
Of the improvements presented, the parking lot will be the most costly, budgeted at $725,000. The budget for other improvements ranges from $68,000 to $173,000.
For the parking lot, city staff recently received back contract bids and is reviewing those, so that construction can begin soon.
“Hopefully, at the next meeting we’ll come back with a bid winner,” stated Host.
The park director added that substantial completion is expected by June and final completion — striping and marking — will be done in July, as long as there are no rain delays. During the substantial completion period, Host said that spaces “might not be marked, but at least people can park on it and we can use it.”
To improve amphitheater aesthetics, he introduced two new backdrop options: custom imaging or a simple, single color design. The council agreed upon a dark green or black backdrop for simplicity and timeliness.
The presentation included designs for a new ADA-compliant bridge to improve ease of pedestrian travel. The bridge is set to be constructed along a common walking pathway: “We just need someone to design and bid on it — hopefully less than $100,000 — and have it done by June,” Host notes.
Around the park, Host presented a new lighting design featuring off and dim settings. With these changes, the lights can be switched off to prevent interference during a concert at the amphitheater, but can be turned back on for people to safely navigate to their cars and exit.
Council member Matt Smith emphasized, “I want to make sure we remain sensitive to the performance aspect. I think the key will be to have that dimmer control aspect.”
Ideally, the new lights will be powered by solar, according to Host.
“The sun is always shining on this side, so you wouldn't have to worry about trees taking the shade and not providing power,” the director stated.
Other safety features include additional security cameras and split rail fencing around the perimeter. The park currently has one camera on the stage and none elsewhere. Host argues that more cameras will “add safety and give us eyes in the sky.”
Pushing for a balance between aesthetics and safety, Smith said, “Folks are in the park to relax and have a good time and the last thing you want them to do is look up and see 10 cameras pointed at you.”
He also showed concern regarding the potential for third parties to see the footage, as the licensing fee for cameras could give distributors access.
The city does not typically place cameras outside of city hall because of such concerns.
City manager Micah Grau commented, “We’re going to need a policy from council on what they want to see in terms of records retention and access to data.”
For the split rail fencing, Host proposed a 1552 square-foot design surrounding the park, with gaps for entry and exit. The fences will take 60 days to manufacture and two weeks to install. Host says that the process will move forward within the next two weeks.
Additional fencing creates a protective barrier between recreational and parking areas.
“You’re supposed to have a fence separating parking and driving areas from playgrounds and that’s a deficiency we have at city parks,” added Grau.
Council member Evan Ture liked the idea of separating the playground from parking spaces, as, “It’s a sad place we’re in where we have to think about this as a deterrent for bad actors,” but agreed that those measures were necessary.
The fencing also creates strategic points to drive in and out of the park to avoid congestion and ease the flow of traffic. Mayor Lee Urbanovsky noted, “It’s like scattering ants when the events are over,” agreeing with the need for some sort of border.
Moving forward, Host and the city's parks team will continue their review of construction bids and implementation strategies, taking the council’s safety concerns into account. No action was proposed or necessary from the council at this stage.
Local Legend
In addition to the construction presentation, council chose the city’s annual Local Legend recipient. After considering eight nominees, Dr. T.C. McCormick and his wife, Geraldine McCormick, were selected.
T.C. served as the city’s primary physician and helped desegregate local schools. He also served on the Buda School Board and as mayor from 1976 to 1982. Urbanovsky said, “As the story goes, [T.C.’s] house was on the hill on RM 967 heading out of town… that was a hospital.”
His wife served as parent teacher association president and postmaster. The late couple’s “lifelong service helped shape Buda’s growth and strengthened the community for generations,” the agenda item report stated.
The motion was brought forth by council member Monica Davidson, where it passed 7-0. According to the city, the Local Legend award will be presented April 11 at Buda’s Birthday Music Festival.
Buda City Council will meet next Tuesday, March 17.
