Group donates $100K to finish Bringle Lake trails
Money raised from annual Run the Line half-marathon
Partnership for the Pathway donated $100,000 Monday for the completion of the Bringle Lake Wilderness Trail at Bringle Lake Park in Texarkana, Texas.
Texas A&M University-Texarkana partnered with the city of Texarkana, Texas, and Partnership for the Pathway almost three years ago to bring the trails to the park, which opened in 2014.
A&M-Texarkana President Dr. Emily Cutrer for the outpouring of support for the project.
“It is really important for those of us who live here; our students really get a great deal of enjoyment out of the pathways,” she said. “This trail is a seven-mile project that is both about being able to hike in the wilderness, but also it’s educational to learn more about what this environment here is like. And that is such an important lesson.”
The project has also received nearly $400,000 in grants from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Robbie
Robertson, director of parks and recreation for the city, said Phase 2 of the project could be completed as early as June.
John Harrison, who is on the board of Partnership for the Pathway, said the grant funds came solely from the Run the Line half-marathon, which had 585 runners this year from 19 states.
“It couldn’t make us happier to give away that money for the trail system. … It’s a monumental completion for us and for the city and for Texas A&M,” he said.
“It’s going to be great, not just for the citizens and the university students, but it’s going to be great for all of Texarkana. We’re already thinking of ways to tie this into other trails.”
Those include trails on the Arkansas side, as the organization has also joined with the City of Texarkana, Ark., and the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department to complete trails there.
Julie-Ray Harrison, also with Partnership for the Pathway, said this is the largest project the almost 11-year-old organization has completed.
“I can tell you when six citizens of Texarkana sat down on the floor of a living room and said, ‘Let’s have trails in Texarkana’ almost 11 years ago, I don’t think we realized what it was going to come to, but we’re very proud to be a part of it,” she said.
Mayor Bob Bruggeman said he drives by the trails daily and has seen how much the trails are being used.
“I can testify that our park system and our trail system are being heavily utilized in our community,” he said.
“It’s a quality-of-life issue. It’s a health-and-fitness issue, and I see couples out walking. I see families out walking.”
Bringle Lake Park spans 199 acres, 15 of which are preserved wetlands.
Texarkana, Texas, voters approved a 2009 bond issue to create it at a cost of approximately $3 million.