Coppell Parks & Recreation announced January 17, 2023, that it has become Coppell Community Experiences. The name change and rebranding reflects the department's desire to reimagine the way they serve the Coppell community and continue to meet both current needs and demands of the future.
After nearly 20 years as Parks and Recreation, the department has experienced explosive growth of the parks and trails system, and expanded its scope to include a recreation and aquatics center, a tennis center, a senior and community center, a biodiversity education center, playgrounds, new ball fields, community gardens, a farmers market, a cemetery, massive growth in special event offerings, the addition of a marketing and community engagement team, a dog park, an arts center, a library, pickleball courts and thousands of camps, classes, programs, sports leagues and services.
Prior to becoming Parks and Recreation, in 1985 the parks team was just a few employees under the Public Works Department who mowed grass in public areas. As Coppell grew, the demand for more parks and facilities grew which led to the formation of the Leisure Services Department in 1996. In 2003, Leisure Services became Parks and Recreation.
In 2009 the department began to diversify services with the addition of a municipal cemetery, then an arts center in 2020. In 2022, Coppell Parks and Recreation and the Cozby Library and Community Commons integrated as one team. The library, along with all the facilities and services of parks and recreation contribute to a high level of quality of life to the community. The integration proved a great way to share resources, support, and to collaborate on educating and serving the Coppell community in an intentional way.
“We offer such a wide variety of services to the community - greatly expanding the purview of traditional parks and recreation,” noted Jessica Carpenter, Director of Coppell Community Experiences. “Several industries are now joined together working toward the same goal: to provide exceptional experiences to the Coppell community.”