Park Master Plan Open House set for Tuesday
Glynis Crawford Smith/The Highlander
A skater catches some air at the Falls Creek Skate Park at Yett Street and Buena Vista Drive on Nov. 11. The park attracts four-wheel action from all ages at all times of day. It may be one feature of Marble Falls Parks & Recreation that will be looking for a new site when downtown development of a hotel and conference center takes shape. Citizens are asked to share their ideas on a parks master plan at an open house 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, at Lakeside Pavilion, 307 Buena Vista Drive.
On Tuesday, Nov. 29 anyone who lives, works or plays in Marble Falls is invited to an open house from 6-9 p.m. at Lakeside Pavilion, 307 Buena Vista Drive.
It will allow the final public input into the update of the City of Marble Falls Park, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan, slated for council approval in January.
One of the most important components of the update process has been assessing wants and needs of the community.
The Tuesday night meeting will add to public participation begun with an online survey.
More than 40 citizens, or stakeholders, have met with staff of the city and Halff Associates, the company contracted to develop to revise the plan.
Among stakeholders are those that have been most intensely involved in the $6.2 million hotel-conference center project, which will call for added new recreation features and the moving or remodeling others. They include city staff and council, downtown businesses and Novak Cobalt Partners, the developer chosen to partner on the project, the board of the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) and Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z), along with the driving force in the project, the Marble Falls Economic Development Corporation (EDC).
Other stakeholders are civic groups that make some of the heaviest use of parks for events: Granite Country Youth Soccer Association (GCYSA), Marble Falls Youth Baseball/Softball Association (MFYBSA), Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), Boys & Girls Clubs of the Highland Lakes, Marble Falls Independent School District (MFISD), Falls on the Colorado Museum, Howdy-Roo organizers and members of the Highland Lakes Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists and Native Plant Society.
Stakeholder meetings fed into review by the Park Advisory Committee (PAC), which includes the Parks & Recreation Commission, which advises the city council on park acquisition, maintenance, operation and use. Their guidance and direction have gone into approval of a final plan draft. The purpose of the Park and Recreation Master Plan is creation of a clear set of objectives and a direction for development and enhancement of the city parks and recreation system for the short-, mid- and long-term.
At the Tuesday night open house, the public is being asked for feedback on master plan recommendations, modified plan concepts, the PAC direction and guidance, and survey results.
For more information concerning the Park, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan Update, refer to www.marblefallstx.gov; or contact Parks & Recreation Director Robert Moss, at rmoss@marblefallstx.gov or 830-798-6250.
