By Gene Ballew, Assistant Director of Parks & Recreation
Parks are central to many of our experiences and memories, and park and recreation professionals play a crucial role in making them happen.
The dynamic College Station Parks and Recreation Department has something to offer everyone, but that wasn’t always the case. As we begin National Parks and Recreation Month, let’s look at how far we’ve come.
Not long after College Station was incorporated with about 2,000 residents in 1938, the first city council created a board to manage public parks and grounds. In 1947, the city purchased land on Dexter Drive from F.B. Clark and Hershel Burgess for $2,000 to establish our first municipal park.
Initially known as Dexter Park, it was renamed Brison Park in 1980 in honor of Fred Brison. He served as College Station’s mayor pro tem from 1971-1974 and was a faculty member in Texas A&M’s Department of Horticultural Sciences for 43 years.
Parks and Recreation became a city department in 1971 and has grown into one of only 30 nationally accredited municipal park agencies in Texas, with 72 full-time employees and over 175 part-time and seasonal staff.
Today, we manage 56 developed and nine undeveloped parks that span nearly 1,971 acres, in addition to various recreational facilities and programs. Our parks feature 42 miles of walking trails, 65 exercise stations, 85 play units, 26 swing sets, 7 fishing ponds, seven rentable pavilions, three dog parks, two pools, two splash pads, a skate park, and an all-abilities playground.
In 2024, a total of more than 700 people participated in our youth and adult programs, and 394 teams competed in our adult sports leagues.
If that isn’t impressive enough, we also operate an amphitheater and festival site, three senior centers, a full-service recreation center, two cemeteries, and a nature center. Our extensive inventory of flat and diamond fields enables us to host numerous state and national tournaments in various sports.
The National Recreation and Park Association‘s mission is to advance parks, recreation, and environmental conservation efforts to enhance everyone’s quality of life. Since 1985, the United States has observed July as Parks and Recreation Month, an observance mandated by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2009.
We’re eager to see how our community is strengthened, made more vibrant, and becomes more resilient because of our parks and recreation programs and facilities. Celebrate Park and Recreation Month by sharing your photos on social media. Tag us or use #CSTXparks.
For more information, go to cstx.gov/parks or contact us at parks@cstx.gov or 979-764-3486.
About the Blogger
Gene Ballew has been with the Parks and Recreation Department for over 17 years and is in his first year as assistant director. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sport management from Texas A&M in 2008.
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