Several parks in Allen will see upgrades coming soon, including new playgrounds and shade structures.

1. Quail Run Park: Quail Run Park will see a new playground and shade structure. Allen City Council approved spending $399,347 with WeBuildFun, Inc. for Quail Run Park improvements at a January meeting. Funding comes from the Allen Community Development Corporation, per city documents.

2. Ford Park: Allen’s Ford Park renovation project will now include an additional playground. Texas Parks and Wildlife awarded a $750,000 grant to the Allen Parks and Recreation Department in January. The city plans to use this money to add a playground to the north section of Ford Park, Director of Parks and Recreation Kate Meacham said.

3. Bradford Crossing Park
Allen City Council approved spending $600,000 with WeBuildFun Inc. for a new playground and shade structure at a January meeting. Funding comes from the Allen Community Development Corp., per city documents.

Several businesses opened or are opening soon in Allen. Keep reading for the latest business and restaurant updates from Community Impact.

1. Opus Music School: The business offers piano, violin, cello and vocal lessons, per its website. Students can take private or group lessons, the website states. Opus Music School has an existing location in Plano.

• Opening April 18

• 107B N. Greenville Ave., Allen

2. Shoe Palace: The store opened its new location at the Allen Premium Outlets in mid-March, a company representative said. The business offers a variety of footwear for men, women and children, per its website. It also offers apparel and accessories.

• Opened March 13

• 820 Stacy Road, Ste. 224, Allen

Ticketing enhancements in Terminal D and Terminal F and Skylink Station work on Terminal F, were among the items approved at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport board meeting April 2.

Zooming in: Next+, the construction company working on new Terminal F, worked with the airport staff for a revised execution plan for the change of gate capacity from 15 to 31. That new approach will still enable Terminal F to have 10 gates open in May 2027, with an additional five gates by the end of the year.

A phased approach will happen for the remaining 16 gates, according to board documents.

The details: Terminal D, used for international flights, will see ticket enhancements, part of a $470,378 contract with Swinerton Builders of Dallas.

Board documents stated that international travel continues to grow and that upgrades are needed to the check-in and security screening areas.

Check out five trending stories from Community Impact’s Dallas-Fort Worth coverage areas, including business updates and a proposed sports complex. 

1. Richardson ISD proposes cuts to staffing, administration

2. Check out 18 business updates from Grapevine, Colleyville, Southlake, Trophy Club

3. Martha’s Mexican Cocina closes in north Fort Worth following eviction notice

4. McKinney to enter negotiations with Parkhill for proposed sports complex

5. Raising Cane’s support office relocation, Custer Frontier Marketplace: See 5 of the latest permits filed in the DFW area

Texas education officials are currently overhauling the state’s social studies curriculum standards, with policymakers, teachers, parents and historians clashing over how students should be taught about the history of Texas, the U.S. and the world.

The overview: The State Board of Education reviews standards for all curriculum areas every 15-20 years, dictating what Texas' 5.5 million public school students should learn at each grade level.

As written, the plan would reduce how much time students spend learning about world history and cultures in favor of more Texas-focused subjects. Critics of the proposal have pushed to include a more diverse set of perspectives to ensure all students feel represented in the curriculum, while those who support it said students’ education should be centered around American exceptionalism, state history and Christianity.

Next steps: The SBOE, which has the final say on the curriculum changes, was taking an initial vote on the plan as of press time and is scheduled to adopt the final standards in June. The new requirements would be rolled out to classrooms in 2030.