The McKinney Parks & Recreation Department recently secured unanimous approval for $5.5 million in funding from McKinney Community Development Corp.

Board members of McKinney Community Development Corp. (MCDC) met on July 27 and approved the department’s request for new funds, which are to be split between Towne Lake Park and McKinney Greens.

Towne Lake Park, located east of Central Expressway and south of McKinney High School, boasts a 22-acre lake, baseball fields, horseshoe courts, and a disc golf course.

The improvements sought by the city’s parks department amount to $6 million, with $3.5 million now covered by the MCDC funds. They include:

  • A raised boardwalk paired with a treehouse structure.
  • Illuminated walking trails.
  • An outdoor amphitheater for community events.
  • A splash pad for kids and families.

McKinney Greens is set to receive $2 million from the MCDC to build a system of hiking and bike trails. The project will cost a total of $3 million, with a grant from Collin County contributing the rest.

The system will run from Highway 5 to Eldorado Parkway, connecting Towne Lake Park and Bonnie Wenk Park.

“This is a huge and important connection to make to access a whole bunch of other trail networks,” explained MCDC Board Member David Kelly during the meeting, reported Community Impact.

During the MCDC meeting, it was also decided to reallocate leftover taxpayer dollars from completed park projects to new ones.

For instance, $48,000 remaining from the Parks Master Plan initiative will now be used to ensure that McKinney parks comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This entails ensuring that parks have been outfitted with accessible parking spaces and restroom facilities.

Alongside such endeavors to improve McKinney’s recreational offerings, the MCDC board also voted to decommission the over-water obstacle course at the Apex Centre fitness and aquatic facility.

As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the course was built in 2021 and had two skill levels, easy and difficult, giving swimmers the chance to test themselves.

Ultimately, the course’s upkeep proved too difficult and expensive to maintain.

“In fact, [the course] has not been down in the water since December, and not a single member of the Apex Centre has asked why,” explained Parks & Recreation Director Michael Kowski, according to Community Impact.