Summary: The original blog "Happy Trails to you, Willow Park" hosted on WHWP, generated quite a few good questions about the Willow Park Master Trail Plan - about financing, use, and other Willow Park infrastructure. WPC has gleaned answers. / Willow Park is at the center of an exciting project for a new East Parker County Trail (EPCoT) system that is planned to reach from Weatherford to Aledo, and someday from Mineral Wells to Dallas.
Latest Update: Wednesday, 15 February, 2023
The original blog "Happy Trails to you, Willow Park" (included below) hosted on WHWP, generated quite a few questions about the Willow Park Master Trail Plan - about financing, use, and other Willow Park infrastructure. WPC has gleaned answers and is providing a long version and a short version of the answers. [Full EPCoT map below.)
Actually, the long version is shorter:
Many of the questions were answered during the Willow Park Parks Board meetings and City Council Meetings, when there were "presentations by Larry Colvin, Weatherford Mountain Biking Association President [and a designer with Baird, Hampton & Brown (BHB)] on details of Willow Park Trail System and the larger East Parker County Trail (EPCoT).” There are detailed exhibits and meeting video and audio files at the these Willow Park Civic Blog links.
Here are the short answers.
• Finance and funding of the trails
During the presentations, Larry Colvin mentions that the Weatherford Mountain Biking Association does much of the trail work with the bike club’s volunteer members.
During the 07 February 2023 Parks Board Meeting, the Board discussed funding opportunities for trails, with the main goal to minimize costs for Willow Park tax payers.
Business partners
Business funding opportunities
Sponsorships
Grants
Private fund raising events. Example: Wilks Development and Weatherford Bike club have been in talks to host a Weatherford Bike Club festival in the new, Willow Park North amphitheater.
Trails organization to accept charitable contributions.
Developer planning. The city is planning to include new commercial and residential developers in planning some of the new trails; developers will be asked to include new trails or trail easements in the development plans. Example: Currently meeting with Trinity Christian Academy and Wilks Development to include trails in their future development
Reserving portion of future street debt for parks and trails funds. Example: Debit funding for current street improvement project is covering hike and bike lanes of three (3) feet on either side of Crown Road, which is currently under construction.
• Use of the trails
As of the current trail plans, these trails will NOT be for horses.
During the 07 February 2023 Parks Board Meeting, the Board discussed motorized vehicles on the EPCoT system, including public trails in Willow Park. A current article in The Community News indicated no motorized vehicles on EPCoT, however class one, e-bikes will be allowed. The Board had a lengthy discussion about e-bikes. A class 1 e-bike does not have “a throttle mode and runs with only pedal-assist mode with a maximum speed of 20 MPH.” In addition, “the motor wattage of a class 1 e-bike is no more than 750 [and] a class 1 e-bike may be ridden in a general bicycle lane without any obligation.”
• Other Willow Park Infrastructure
Not to worry, Willow Park has detailed plans for upgrading the city’s infrastructure — streets, drainage, wastewater treatment plant. Many of these infrastructure project have already begun implementation. For plans and updates, consider the following:
Willow Park Capital Improvement Plan at Willow Park Civics.
During the 14 February 2023 Council Meeting, the council received updates on water, wastewater, streets, drainage projects. In addition, Willow Park Civics has journals of each these Willow Park infrastructure projects.
Willow Park has had water from Fort Worth for over a year and is just finishing the El Chico tank so Fort Worth water may be blended with Willow Park well water. This project, with Hudson Oaks, has tripled the amount of water to Willow Park. Willow Park Civics Blog > Water for Willow Park
Most of the public transportation — especially for those commuting east — is managed by TxDOT. Willow Park already has plans — and is implementing those plans — to improve the Willow Park main artery roads. Willow Park Civics Blog > Street Improvement Projects
Originally published Monday, 06 February, 2023
Happy Trails to you, Willow Park
Driven by the Willow Park Parks Board and led by Lea Young, City Council Place 4 and Parks Board Ex-Officio – Place 1, Willow Park is at the center of an exciting project for a new East Parker County Trail (EPCoT) system that is planned to reach from Weatherford to Aledo -- and someday from Minerals Wells to Dallas.
During the 01 August 2022 Parks Board Meeting and the 13 September 2022 Council Meeting, there was a "detailed presentation by Larry Colvin, Weatherford Mountain Biking Association President [and a designer with Baird, Hampton & Brown (BHB)] on details of Willow Park Trail System and the larger East Parker County Trail (EPCoT).
Current East Parker County Trail (EPCoT) Map Select to enlarge or visit the map in .pdf and in .jpeg.
"Larry Colvin, Weatherford Mountain Biking Club President, presented a preliminary trail plan to the Board and explained the one-year history in working with Mayor Pro Tem, Lea Young, for development of a trail system within the City of Willow Park. He also spoke of his proposal for the NCTCOG's Veloweb to realign through Willow Park instead of along the railroad in Aledo. Colvin shared his/WMBC's progress of conversations with key personnel in surrounding cities and the Parker County Judge with regard to his vision of the East Parker County Trail (EPCoT).
(Video files, audio files and additional documents and WPC research are available at the Meeting blogs above.)
• Council approves amending trail plan, The Community News, 03 February 2023
At its recent meeting on Jan. 24, the Willow Park City Council approved an amendment to the city’s 2019 parks and trails master plan.
“We had a plan in there, but it was just generic. It was just a concept,” said Toni Fisher, Willow Park Planning and Development Director. “We planned on having trails, but we weren’t sure where they were going to go.”
The council has been working with Larry Colvin, Senior Designer for Civil, Landscape, and Trails for Baird, Hampton & Brown, Inc (BHB). He is also the president of the Weatherford Mountain Bike Club (WMBC). WMBC will manage the trails and maintain, along with being involved in the designing and building.
Colvin was instrumental in the design and implementation of the Parks of Aledo Trail system and has spent many uncompensated hours for the past year and a half working with Willow Park Mayor Doyle Moss, Mayor Pro Tem Lea Young, and city staff with designing a single-track trail plan for the City of Willow Park.
BHB and the WMBC are working hand-in-hand on the project, which will be more than 25 miles when complete. This will include up to nine miles for Willow Park, which will also serve as a centerpiece between Weatherford and Aledo.
The overall trail will be a combination of single track and concrete designed for hiking/biking and walking/running. No motorized vehicles will be allowed, not even electric bikes, Fisher said.
“It’s not going to be a bunch of dirt bikes riding in front of your house,” Fisher said. “It’s green space. This is family friendly.”
Goals of the amendment include:
Identify areas on public and private lands that are suitable for trail development within the city limits and extra territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of Willow Park.
Establish a framework of cooperation between the City of Willow Park, trail steward nonprofits, private property owners and land developers to create single track trails and bikeways.
Provide land developers with a concept plan for public/private trail development partnerships.
Identify bikeways within the city that connect single track trail networks with one another.
Create a forum to educate the public on the stewardship responsibilities of single track trail sustainability.
Partner with municipalities adjacent to Willow Park and the North Central Texas Council Of Governments to create a cohesive trail network in Eastern Parker County.
Along with Willow Park, nearby cities and communities such as Hudson Oaks, both Annettas, Aledo, and Weatherford will benefit, Fisher said. “Everybody can plug a piece into this and be a part,” she said, noting that when the dots are connected it will be the East Parker County Trail.
In fact, Fisher said there is a hope that someday there will be a trail that runs from Dallas to Mineral Wells that will include this trail.
“Larry dreams this stuff up in his sleep. He’s incredible,” she said.