Smaller Houston-area parks in line for much-needed funding
While big-ticket projects inside the Loop tend to grab headlines, smaller neighborhood parks in the Houston area are also improving.
Some of those efforts got a boost with a new round of outdoor recreation grants from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission using federal and state funds. Statewide, more than $15 million in grants were awarded to 30 local government entities to create and enhance amenities such as nature trails, native gardens, playgrounds, splash pads, dog parks and sports fields.
Harris County’s James Drive All-Inclusive Park in the East Aldine area was the biggest Houston area winner, promised $1.5 million for an expansion project that is to include a playground, splash pad, exercise equipment, native landscaping, interpretive signage, picnic facilities, a multipurpose ball field, a pavilion, site furnishings, horseshoe and washer pits, lawn games, trails, a parking lot and other support facilities for park users.
The Clear Lake City Water Authority will receive a $750,000 grant for Exploration Green, a 200-acre nature preserve within neighborhoods near the Johnson Space Center. Proposed developments there include bike trails and facilities, dedicated open space, native landscaping, habitat restoration, interpretive signage and a parking lot.
“This grant is the ‘final’ building block that funds our trails for all five sections of the project, so we are extremely grateful for it and for all the other grants and donations we have received,.” said Exploration Green Conservancy chairman Frank Weary.
The group hopes to secure additional funding for a grand entry plaza and would eventually like to install a community meeting and education building. “We also need public support for operating costs and for the installation of irrigation systems,” Weary said.
The city of Bayou Vista, just north of Galveston, received a $140,000 grant to renovate a swimming pool and upgrade its Bayscape Park project.