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Do you remember the excitement back in November of 2008 when LCRA purchased a 222-acre parcel just off of 281 on the Pedernales River? What about when site cleanup began the following February? Or maybe when a small portion of the Pedernales River Nature Park was opened in May, 2009 for limited day recreational use? Although you may have personally taken advantage of these facilities since that time and secretly hoped further development and discovery of this gem was a long way off, you have probably also wondered, "What’s next? When? Where?"

Members of the community were provided with answers to their questions during LCRA’s public input hearings last Saturday morning and Monday evening. Maps, of-interest photographs, and ‘concepts’ accompanied the presentation by Fran Irwin and David Watley. Saturday morning, LCRA Board Member Ida Carter was available for questions and Monday evening, Frank Morgan, Executive Manager of Community Services, joined in the discussions. Other LCRA team members in attendance were Mitch Hall, Roger Lewis, Rusty Ray and Bobbie Humphrey, as well as resident park host, Bob Kretzinger.

What progress has been made over the past two years? David and Fran explained that this time has been spent in evaluating, planning and analyzing best practices from other LCRA parks to determine how our park can have the most positive impact on Blanco County and to LCRA’s more than 40 parks along the 600-mile Colorado River Trail stretching from the Texas Hill County to Matagorda Bay.

As attendees listened to the plans unfold, they were also encouraged to provide input. According to Fran, "LCRA’s name is on the park, but this is Your park!" While LCRA operates many ‘recreational’ parks, this park is special in that it is a ‘NATURE’ park, one of only four in LCRA’s park system. Of the 222-acres, about 60 acres will be reserved for recreational day use. The remaining acreage will be committed to conservation, reconnecting people to nature and preserving a piece of Texas trails. Even a good neighbor policy is in the design, with overnight facilities located to not encroach upon neighboring property owners’ privacy.

Emphasized during the meeting was the great working partnership that has been developed with the City of Johnson City, represented in both meetings by City Manager, David Dockery. Pointed out was the fact that the City of Johnson City actually owns the 50 foot strip between the LCRA property and the Pedernales River bank as well as the dam. Another community leader showing support at Saturday morning’s meeting was Russ Whitlock, Superintendent of LBJ National Park. On behalf of the LBJ National Historical Park, Russ is also working closely with LCRA to promote the newest area park and working with community leader, Larry Milner, on much-needed signage.

The audience was very pleased to hear of the care put into the planning phase of the park. David Watley noted that the last two years have been resulted in healing of the land evidenced by the return of many of the native grasses. What goes into planning a park? The list is endless. Evacuation plans for our flash floods, preservation of riparian areas, a recessed entry station for traffic control, conservation of water through rainwater harvesting, consideration of placement of solar lighting to balance safety and minimize affect on the night sky, and incorporation of reuse and recycling wherever possible. Both the swimming pool and current building on the property are beyond repair and are being disassembled. Where possible, materials from both will be recycled and reused. Fran explained that the park’s conservation concept includes a look at water, power, energy and the land in each step of the process.

Community members were eager to ask questions and many of the questions asked in Saturday’s meeting were echoed again on Monday. From park safety to handicap concerns to educational programs to fee structures, Fran and David answered each question, emphasizing that all plans are preliminary and public input will shape the final design.

The session was wrapped up with tentative timelines that we can look forward to. The planning phase should be finalized by December 2010 for projected budget requirements, funding then must be secured. If all phases stay on schedule, we can anticipate ground breaking by January 12, 2012.

Monday’s meeting ended with the question, "How open are you to input?" The answer, "Completely."

To view work in progress on this park, go to www.lcra.org/community/parks_under_development/pedernalesnaturepark/index.html. To comment on the park, email pedernalesnaturepark@lcra.org. Comments will be received by Fran and shared with the team in development of the plan.