On an ordinary day, between 50 and 100 people use the new playscape behind the Lakeway Activity Center at 105 Cross Creek. That count comes from Andra Bennett, Lakeway's Director of Parks and Recreation, in a Community Impact update on the bond. "Good to know we hit the right chord with the community," she told the outlet.
That playscape was the cheapest item in the 2024 parks bond, which 68% of Lakeway voters approved. It was also the first one finished. The second-smallest project is under construction now in Rough Hollow. Together the two account for about $2.6 million of the roughly $22 million budget, or about 12 percent, based on the city's July 2025 project-budget table. The other 88 percent covers the three places much of Lakeway already uses: City Park, the Swim Center and the Live Oak tennis courts. As of this month, none of those has a construction contract.
Put simply, the bond's first visible results showed up on the edges, and the parks at the center of town will stay largely as they are for a while.
The first project went small and stayed close to home
The Activity Center project had a budget of $508,771. The city held the grand opening and ribbon cutting on September 27, 2025. Community Impact reported that the play space was designed to be all-inclusive, with natural features for a range of ages, new landscaping and picnic areas. The Rotary Club of Lakeway/Lake Travis added a $50,000 donation.
The Activity Center is also where the city holds most of its fall programming. This November that includes the City-Wide Indoor Garage Sale on November 7, Big Band Bash on November 9 and "Arts in the Afternoon – The Nutcracker Suite" on November 15, all at 105 Cross Creek according to the city's November calendar. A small upgrade at a building that already draws regular crowds was a fast way to show results from the bond.
The second project is a park most of Lakeway hasn't visited yet
Butler Rough Hollow Park is the only brand-new park in the bond. It covers about 9.5 acres directly behind Rough Hollow Elementary School, as the Lake Travis View described it before the bond vote. The city scheduled the groundbreaking for July 6, 2026, at 708 Tomichi Trail. Community Impact's preview said Parks and Recreation planned to give away free native Texas tree saplings at the ceremony.
Here is what's planned for the site, based on that same report:
- An amphitheater with limestone block seating built into the hillside, facing a concrete stage
- A mountain bike course
- A ninja course
- A bank shot play court
- A multisports field with a backstop, baseball bases and portable soccer goals
- A playground with built-in shade, roller slides, swings and several levels of play
- A pavilion, a restroom building, picnic tables and benches
City Council approved $430,738 for playground equipment at the November 17, 2025, meeting. On April 20, 2026, after nine bids came in, council awarded the construction contract to Millis Development and Construction for $2,072,196. In September 2026 the city accepted another $50,000 from RH Lakeway Development, LTD for park improvements.
The construction contract and the full project cost are two different numbers. The bond set aside about $2.1 million for Butler. By July 2026, Community Impact put the total project estimate at about $2.6 million. The opening has moved as well. A December 2025 timeline said construction would finish around spring 2027, and the city and Community Impact now both say summer 2027.
Where the other 88 percent stands
Here are the three remaining projects, by bond allocation and current status:
| Project | Bond allocation | Status as of October 2026 | Next milestone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeway City Park | $10,649,452.80 | In design with Dunaway | Design done "by January"; construction bid in fall 2027 |
| Lakeway Swim Center Park | $6,020,532.00 | Looking for an engineering firm | Request for qualifications possibly "by early next year" |
| Live Oak Tennis Courts | $2,720,639.04 | Waiting until larger projects move forward | No published timeline |
City Park makes up nearly half of the bond on its own, and its first construction bid comes about three years after the vote. The project at the top of most people's list also has the longest runway.
City Park keeps its current layout well into 2027
The design work is extensive. In November 2025, council approved a $1.02 million design services contract with Dunaway. According to Community Impact's October 2 report, the concept-level plan includes:
- A full vehicle loop through the park
- A looped pedestrian trail
- A new skate park and pump track
- New pickleball courts
- Lake overlook areas
- A relocated sand volleyball court
- A relocated dog park with separate areas for large and small dogs
The skate and bike features are the newest part of the conversation. On September 15, 2026, the city held a Community Feedback Meeting at City Hall. Residents responded to skate park and bike skills park concepts from Dunaway and Pillar Design Studios. The city's September 18 newsletter pointed residents to the presentation video and a way to send in feedback. It did not report what people said or whether the concepts changed as a result.
City Manager Joseph Molis has said council may face trade-offs. "There may be some choices that council has to make as far as what stays or what gets modified," he told Community Impact in December 2025.
Since the bid goes out in fall 2027, construction can't begin before then. The dog park, volleyball court and trails stay where they are until it does. The city hasn't announced whether City Park will stay fully open once work starts.
The Swim Center and Live Oak are next in line
The Swim Center at 3103 Lakeway Blvd. has its own fall event on the calendar right now. The city's free Floating Pumpkin Patch is Saturday, October 17, from 9 to 10 a.m., with pumpkin decorating and a contest. The bond set aside more than $6 million for improvements there. Bennett told Community Impact the city is looking for a "unique engineering firm" for the swim facility and could issue a request for qualifications by early next year. Choosing an engineer comes before design, and design comes before construction, so Swim Center work is a step behind City Park.
Bennett described the pace to Community Impact this way:
"We're trying to get these [projects] cranked out as fast as we can, and I say that with a caveat of making sure that we're doing quality parks and park projects in the process."
Live Oak Tennis Courts is last. A July 2025 city staff report listed it last among the bond projects, pending progress on the others. Community Impact's December 2025 timeline showed its completion as "TBD," and a September 2026 meeting summary said staff still saw Live Oak as a priority but would take it up after the larger projects advance.
The Live Oak scope also changed during the bond process. An early draft proposed rebuilding five courts and adding one pickleball court. In March 2024, council removed pickleball from the Live Oak plan, as the Lake Travis View reported. The final scope lists replacement tennis courts, one more tennis court, a replacement retaining wall, a practice wall and a sports plaza. Pickleball is now part of the City Park concept, so new courts will most likely arrive with the largest project in the program.
The Activity Center playscape has been open since September 2025. Over the next year, the only park scheduled to open is Butler Rough Hollow Park, in summer 2027. City Park, the Swim Center and the Live Oak courts stay as they are until their own construction bids are awarded.
If you'd like to know where these projects sit relative to your street, or want the updated dates as each one moves from design to bid, Kristen Balke follows these council timelines closely and is happy to talk them through. Let's Connect.
