Claps and congratulations are heard throughout the room as the Coppell Parks and Recreation Board opened their Monday evening meeting, congratulating two familiar faces taking on chair and vice chair leadership positions.

Former chair Nick Paschal announced his decision to step down, with longtime members Mary Arnold and Jeffrey Roller stepping up to serve as the new chair and vice chair, respectively.

“Mary has been an excellent member of our team, and I feel like she really deserves this role,” Paschal said. “We have to keep new people circulating.”

Members noted Jeffrey Roller’s background would be beneficial in supporting the new chair and helping maintain continuity within the board.

“I’ve been on this board for quite some time now, and I’m really excited about taking on the position of vice chair,” Roller said.

Two new youth advisers, Coppell High School sophomores Gokul Hari and Olivia Rebello, were also introduced during the meeting. The department emphasized the importance of youth involvement and welcomed both advisers to the board. Their roles will focus on bringing younger perspectives into discussions and helping represent youth interests within the community.

The board discussed upcoming projects, most notably an announcement to reopen the Waggin’ Tails Dog Park that had previously been closed. The closure was due to drainage issues on the turf, but the issue was resolved by scraping the turf off completely and letting it regenerate.

“Resolving these drainage issues has been a very big project, and the dog park is going to be a fun new amenity for our community when it is reopened,” member Kori Stolar said.

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