• Agenda Items: Elect Parks Board Chairperson & Co-Chairperson; progress and plans for Kings Gate Park, Cross Timber Park, Memorial Park, Deer Park; Presentation Westwood Master Plan Update; Video & Presentation Willow Park's "The Trinity Trail" and Beginner Skills Area in Kings Gate Park; Parker County Master Gardeners Report.
• Location and Time: El Chico City Hall, 120 El Chico, Suite A, Willow Park, Texas 76087, 6PM
Meeting Page (agenda packet [in.pdf], minutes)
Latest Update: updated 02 August 2024 minutes; posted 21 May 2024
Tags: #Parks
Public Comments
• Catherine Weber, 616 Royal View Ct., Willow Park; long time Willow Park resident, concerned with walk/bike trails coming through neighborhoods.
Agenda Items
3. Discussion & Action: Elect Parks Board Chairperson & Co-Chairperson.
• Background:
Lea Young, Ex-Officio Member – Place 1
Corey Tucker – Place 2 (appointment renewed)
James McKibbin – Place 3
Ever Gomez – Place 4 (appointment renewed)
David Wagner – Place 5
Cynthia White – Place 6 (appointment renewed)
Barry Noggle – Alternate (new appointment)
Nominations will be accepted prior to the meeting, and Chairperson and Co-Chairperson will be voted on at the meeting. The 2023 Chairperson was Corey Tucker.
4. Discuss past progress and future plans for Kings Gate Park.
• [No background page.]
• [Exhibits included.]
• Spiars Land and Title Survey in .pdf
• Final Plat in .pdf
• Minutes: Toni Fisher, Planning & Development Director, introduced Jakob Cooper as the new Parks Superintendent, who is a Public Works employee now shared part-time with the Parks Department for the City of Willow Park. She informed Parks Board of the conveyance of Kings Gate Park from Wilks Development in December 2023, and explained the involvement by Dorothy Witmeyer of Westwood Professional Services to help with the programming of Kings Gate Park, a proposal which is being presented to City Council next week. Lastly, Ms. Fisher informed the Board of the upcoming start of the Willow park Trail system at Kings Gate Park by the Weatherford Mountain Bike Club.
5. Presentation by Dorothy Witmeyer, Westwood Professional Services, regarding Kings Gate Park programming proposal. [Updating existing parks and trails master plan.]
• [No background page.]
• [Exhibits included.]
• Westwood, Professional & Concept Landscape Architecture Services, 2024 Parks Master Plan Addendum & Concept in .pdf
• Westwood Professional Services, Inc. is pleased to submit this proposal to provide professional landscape architecture services relating to the referenced project. It is our understanding the project consists of an amendment to the existing parks and trails master plan, to include Kings Gate Park, approximately 30 acres, as well as a conceptual master plan for Kings Gate Park, using the parks and trails master plan to inform programming.
• Basic & Special Services
A. Project Management & Coordination / $3,000.00
B. Conceptual Plan Services / $20,000.00
C. Strategic Planning Services / $7,200.00
D. Public Presentation Services / $2,200.00
TOTAL / $32,400.00
• Minutes: Dorothy Witmeyer of Westwood Professional Services presented her proposal to the Board, explaining the desire for the City to fully plan the amenities for the park and their placement before making any decisions. This project will be based on the input from residents and the community during the creation of the Parks & Trails Master Plan completed in 2019.
• Willow Park Civics Notes: addendum to Parks Master plan and in context of the Parks Master Plan survey; make Kings Gate Park eligible for grants and other funds
• Willow Park Civics Research
• Including Kings Gate Park in the City's Parks Master Plan, Willow Park Civics Blog, posted 21 May 2024
(Yes, bathrooms for Kings Gate Park were mentioned.) Along with the Trails Master Plan Addendum, Kings Gate Park will now be programmed into the City of Willow Park's Parks Master Plan. "Before improvements are chosen, city officials decided it best to formally program the park, rather than choose random projects and placement."
6. Video & Presentation by Larry Colvin, President of Weatherford Mountain Bike Club, regarding Willow Park's "The Trinity Trail" and Beginner Skills Area in Kings Gate Park. Trail Video: Transform your community with trails | Gary Vernon | TED
• Minutes:
Trail Video: www.youtube.com/watch? v = yXJkWIeNP6g
Larry Colvin, President of Weatherford Mountain Bike Club, announced that the WMBC did a fundraiser for the Kings Gate Park trail, raising $19,050, most of which was from Willow Park businesses and residents. He shared that WMBC and Shadow Johns of Shadow Trail Design are pinning the location of the single-track trail and kiosk locations on Saturday, May 18, 2024.
The Kings Gate Park trail is expected to provide three kiosks: one near the parking lot and one at each bridge crossing the Trinity. Once single-track is completed, WMBC will call out mountain bikers to "burn in" the trail by riding on it. Once WMBC is content with the design, they will begin to add elements of interest to the trail (rocks, bridges, etc.). The final phase of the project will then be determined, which is "the hub", an elevated portion of trail on which [kids] can meet and ride.
Mr. Colvin's closing thought: "Where can we build trails next?". This project is only related to the Kings Gate Park, which is city-owned property. Future trail expansion relies on existing and future hike and bike trail easements, which can be on public or private land, and some of which is already designated.
7. Discuss past progress and future plans for Cross Timbers Park.
• [No background page.]
• Minutes: Ms. Fisher informed the Board that Jakob Cooper weeded the Cross Timbers Park flower beds and refreshed them with about 66 bags of new mulch. She said that the Parker County Master Gardeners tend to the Demonstration Garden and they do a great job that is much appreciated. She also said that Jakob is also available to assist them to complete projects, as necessary, and that he will also maintain the schedule for the sprinkler system, as adjustments are needed.
8. Report from Cynthia White for Parker County Master Gardeners.
• [No background page.]
• Minutes:
Cynthia White, Parks Board Member and lead for the Willow Park crew of the Parker County Master Gardeners, provided a brief report to the Board.
She indicated that the gardeners missed all work days in April due to rain, and provided goals for this year. The gardeners' goals are to try to get plants labeled for the Demonstration Garden to provide the educational opportunity for which it was intended. Ms. White also said that the gardeners intend to replace flowers, which their association pays for, while the City provides the mulch and water for their survival.
Ex-Officio Board Member, Lea Young mentioned that the help of the lawn maintenance crew for the beds, as well, but White said they used herbicides to kill the weeds which also killed some of the flowers, so she'd asked them to not use it again. Ms. Fisher stated that Cooper could assist them a couple of times per year to help to pull weeds. The Master Gardeners are scheduled for a workday this coming Thursday from 9-11, and Cooper is scheduled to stop by to meet them.
Ms. White also mentioned that, as was requested by Fisher, she intended to fill out an application for Master Gardeners Design Committee to create a flowerbed design for the Memorial Park and meet with City for expectations for fall plantings.
9. Discuss past progress and future plans for Memorial Park.
• [No background page.]
• Minutes:
Ms. Fisher presented to the Board that the City is looking at different ideas for Memorial Park, its potential relocation, and the investment we're wanting to make on it. Ex-Officio Ms. Young expanded on the conversation, addressing the issue of no longer having water for the sprinklers at this park now that the old City Hall has been demolished. As to what will happen to 516 Ranch House Rd site: at this time, the City intends to retain the property, including the park, and noted that designated parkland must be taken to the voters to be sold.
Ms. Young proceeded to tell the Board that the City purchased the existing City Hall [in July 2023] and the acreage in front (to the south), and stated that Dorothy Witmeyer at Westwood Professional Services is also helping us design the expansion of the parking lot. When discussing the options for Memorial Park, it was proposed that Memorial Park could be relocated to the southwest corner of the City Hall frontage property, and the City has also contracted with Westwood for this possibly. Ms. Young stated that Staff would seek feedback from the Parks Board for fundraising ideas. She indicated that the park's visibility from the frontage road would gain more passer-by attention and be a striking and purposeful entrance for our City Hall and create a more formal, planned, and cohesive memorial park that will blend with the City Hall building. Because of this, it was recommended by Board member White that the Master Gardeners delay providing landscaping design suggestions for existing Memorial Park as its installation might then have to be removed.
Board member Wagner asked if Parker County ESD1 was [still] interested in the old City Hall site, and if the City was interested in selling any of its frontage since it was "prime real estate". Ms. Young stated that, although 516 Ranch House was a purchase consideration for the ESD, they have expressed that they are very happy with use of the Public Safety Building [they lease their space from the City], but if that ever did materialize, they liked the park and were not interested in taking it away. As to the frontage, Ms. Young stated that we will retain this land as it is required for the building's parking requirement. She also mentioned that TXDOT is planning on moving the exit entrance east, to Tricia Trail, and once the exit moves, it could open a possibility of adding another entrance to City Hall from the frontage.
10. Discuss past progress and future plans for Deer Park.
• [No background page.]
• Minutes:
Ms. Fisher stated that Mayor Moss asked if we could allow for more parking at Deer (Naturescape) Park, and that she spoke to Ms. Witmeyer about that. It was discussed that, to avoid blocking the City's well, parking would need to be added to the park side or the entrance could be shifted to the east, but either scenario would require trees to be removed. There are no plans to do any improvements at this time.
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