"The biggest plus has, of course, been the ability to still practice and play games within close proximity of high-impact rain events," David Miller, Southlake's director of community services, told Community Impact this month. He was talking about the turf already installed at Bob Jones Park and Bicentennial Park. The fences, netting and torn-up fields at North Park this fall come from the same plan. North Park is the last stop. When the work wraps up in early 2027, all seven of the city's partner athletic associations will have access to turf fields, and a hard rain will no longer clear the schedule.
So the construction is about more than a nicer surface at one park. It finishes a field system that the city has been building in stages since 2023.
The Last Grass Holdout
Southlake split its turf conversion into two contracts. The first covered the two large ballpark sites. The second, now underway, covers North Park's three main game fields. The city's capital plan calls this Phase 2 of the Athletic Fields Turf Conversion project.
| First contract | North Park contract | |
|---|---|---|
| Fields | Bob Jones Park softball fields 3 through 6 and multipurpose fields 4 through 6, plus Bicentennial Park baseball fields | North Park's three main game fields |
| Approved | Oct. 17, 2023 | Sept. 1, 2026 |
| Contractor | GeoSurfaces | North Rock Construction |
| Amount | $11.6 million agreement | Not to exceed $6,355,000 |
| Status | Wrapped up in fall 2024 | Construction began Sept. 21, 2026; completion expected early 2027 |
Community Impact reported that the city paid cash for the first project, which was built with the Southlake Girls Softball Association, Dragon Youth Baseball Association, Grapevine-Southlake Soccer Association and Miracle League. SGSA was already using the new Bob Jones field when it hosted its All-Star Tournament on Nov. 2 and 3, 2024. The North Park contract went to North Rock Construction on the consent agenda at the Sept. 1, 2026 Southlake City Council meeting. The city had budgeted $6.4 million for the project.
Mayor Shawn McCaskill called North Park "one of Southlake's most heavily used parks" in comments to Community Impact in June. That explains why it went last. It is the hardest park to take offline.
Why Turf Changes the Calendar More Than the Look
Turf also changes who can use a field and when. Miller said every field with artificial turf is now designated multi-use, which "has significantly increased the amount of practice and game space available to teams."
On grass, each field usually belongs to one sport and needs time off after heavy use or a storm. Turf takes away both limits. The same field can host lacrosse practice one evening and flag football the next morning, and it can be playable soon after a storm that would have turned grass into mud. Once North Park joins Bob Jones and Bicentennial, the city can shift teams across three turf sites instead of rescheduling around wet fields.
The North Park build adds a few upgrades the reports spell out:
- Drainage under the fields, so water moves out instead of pooling.
- A shock pad under the turf. City documents say the new fields will be softer and absorb impact better than the NFL turf standard.
- New chain-link fencing around the fields, with safety netting above the north and south ends.
The shock pad matters most to parents whose kids spend weekends on these fields. The city's turf conversion project page tracks the broader program.
This Fall Turned Out Milder Than the June Warning
When the project went out for bid in June, the city didn't know if North Park would stay open during construction. Communications director Pilar Schank told Community Impact that large portions of the park could close, and named Lady Dragons Lacrosse, Southlake Carroll Lacrosse Association and Dragon Youth Football among the groups that might need other fields.
About a month into construction, the disruption is narrower than that:
- Open: North Park itself, which stays open to the public during construction.
- Closed: the fields, plus certain areas and portions of the sidewalk loop.
- Moved: Lady Dragon Lacrosse is playing some fall games and practices at the Southlake Sports Complex, and City Flag Football is running at Bob Jones Park.
The timing explains it. Miller said fall usage of the fields is typically low, so the city started construction in the quietest part of North Park's year. The city has not said which stretches of the sidewalk loop are closed, so walkers should expect detours that may change as crews move around the site.
If your family's fall outdoor time was built around North Park, the Bob Jones Nature Center has a full program calendar this season. Cross Timbers Nature Club runs Oct. 21 through Dec. 16, 2026, and Parent and Me Play Day runs Oct. 5 through Dec. 7, 2026. Both are listed on the city's Experience Southlake registration site.
Spring Is the Season to Watch
The light fall schedule bought the city time, but early 2027 overlaps with the start of spring seasons. Miller said the city is working with affected organizations and will provide updates on potential spring impacts.
If the fields finish late in that window, more spring games and practices would have to fit at Bob Jones Park and the Southlake Sports Complex. Families in lacrosse or youth football should watch their association's spring registration emails. The city's Athletic Associations page lists the seven partner groups that share these fields.
The Parking Lot Is Quietly the Biggest Change
Anyone who has circled North Park before a Saturday game will notice the parking first. A new lot adds 152 spaces, bringing the park to 286. That takes it from 134 spaces to more than double. The existing lots are also getting better drainage, more lighting and landscaping, and the project includes accessibility improvements.
The parking ties back to the turf. Multi-use fields that stay playable after rain will be busier more often, and a lot sized for grass-field schedules would fill up faster once those fields can host back-to-back games across sports.
"These proposed improvements are focused on making the park work better for the people who use it most, whether that's through improved parking, expanded field availability or greater flexibility for athletic programs." Mayor Shawn McCaskill, via Community Impact
What Is Funded and What Is Still a Wish List
The money comes through the Southlake Parks Development Corp., from the fiscal year 2024-25 and 2025-26 capital improvement programs. In June, the city put a high-end estimate of $8.2 million on the version with every possible element, against the $6.4 million budget. Items that could be added if funding allows include LED field lighting, irrigation improvements and work on the dumpster enclosures.
The city's FY 2026 parks capital plan lists a longer future scope for North Park. It includes a potential fourth athletic field, more trail connections and distance markers, a water bottle refill station, a shade structure, more public art and other park amenities. Those are planning ideas. They are not part of this contract. The same document says that starting with the FY 2027 plan, the city will fund park projects by specific amenity across the whole system, not by finishing one park at a time. The turf fields and the new lot are what's being built now. The rest depends on future budgets.
When the fences come down at North Park, Southlake will have three turf sites, a parking lot more than twice its old size, and a field schedule that holds up through a North Texas storm. A well-run park system is part of what buyers see in a Southlake address. If you want to know how improvements like this show up in your home's value, Sarah Gunnip can put together a complimentary home valuation and a marketing plan built for your neighborhood.
