Leadership Seguin shows off newly constructed pavilion at city park
3 Jun 2025
Quality of Life
Felicia Frazar | The Seguin Gazette
A class in leadership led a group of community members to take the lead on updating one of Seguin’s parks with a little extra shade.
The Seguin Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Leadership Seguin Class recently cut the ribbon on a pavilion it had built at Manuel C. Castilla Park on the north side of the city.
The group raised about $75,000 to construct the 40-foot by 60-foot shade structure through the help of community partnerships, Leadership Seguin member Jake Pflumm said.
“This was a very concerted effort. It was a partnership,” he said. “It is a really big testament to the Seguin community and just rallying around a good cause.”
Leadership Seguin member Jennifer Coleman said the community’s generosity was mind-blowing.
“I have been blown away by the support of the community, the businesses, individuals, rallying together, helping us raise the funds,” she said. “It was so gratifying to see the extra support. It made our job so much easier and it made this whole thing come together without all of the support, we could never have done it.”
During the course of several months, the class learned about all the city, the businesses that reside within it, as well as the nonprofit organizations.
Each year, the Leadership Seguin class is tasked with a community service project. After visiting with city officials, hearing about residents’ desire for quality-of-life improvements and more recreational activities spurred the group to action, Seguin City Manager Steve Parker said.
The work the team put into raising the funds and constructing the pavilion is commendable, Parker said.
“It is just a great project and effort put into this,” he said. “People took time out of their day from their 9-to-5 job to come and do this, to come and make Seguin better. It really fills your heart.”
While city officials, chamber staff and community members officially welcomed the new structure with a ribbon cutting last Thursday, a local elementary school was able to put it to use prior to big day.
Patlan Elementary School Principal Annalisa Rangel said a group of her students hosted another group at the park and used the pavilion.
“Last week, my first graders were pen paling with a school in San Antonio,” she said. “They met them for lunch and they got to enjoy the pavilion and the park and the playground.”
While the structure is complete, upgrades and updates to the park will continue, Seguin Parks and Recreation Director Jack Jones said.
Those include new playground equipment, more trees and an irrigation system.
“Over the course of the next several months, you’re going to see more improvements that this pavilion really spearheaded this effort,” he said. “They had a vision and it took a leap of faith that we could do it, we could make it happen.”
More Topics
