Kyle moves forward with outdoor recreation projects

Kyle residents can look forward to more outdoor recreation soon.

During its July 20 session, Kyle City Council members discussed several upcoming projects that would expand the city’s parks and walking trails.

Mayor Pro-Tem Rick Koch, along with council members Dex Ellison and Michael Tobias, is part of a task force that will attempt to integrate loan-related capital for the city-wide path system.

Kyle is working with the Great Springs Project and other partners along the IH-35 Corridor to create a network of well-to-well trails from San Antonio to Austin.

City manager Scott Sellers told city council that, given the November 2020 voter-approved Proposal B of $ 10 million, which included a trail dedication, the task force hopes to use those funds and obtain additional outside funding .

The sellers also said the task force is now using some of those dollars for the logistics of the trail, including its width, design, and amenities like benches, dog poop stations and parking lots.

Ellison was a key player in adding a skate park to Gregg-Clarke Park, which was allocated $ 1 million for Proposition B improvements.

Ellison said he was ready to get started on the project and believes that they can do a great job allocating the bond funds for this park and that they shouldn’t be in check with the county about raising dollars.

Councilor Robert Rizo expressed his support, saying he was thrilled with the prospect of having young people in Kyle a place to be outside and skate. Koch added that he would be interested to see what kind of amenities could be added to the park to make it unique to others in the area.

In a motion passed 7-0, Ellison, along with Rizo and Councilor Yvonne Flores-Cale, have been appointed to a task force that will create design plans and include community feedback on park improvements.

Also on the agenda was a city decision to accept and allocate funds for an outdoor fitness center, introduced by Mariana Espinoza, director of Parks and Recreation, and Aimee Garcia, recreational programmer.

Espinoza told the city council that the parks and leisure department has been trying to secure additional funding from outside sources through sponsorship, partnerships and grants so that they can offer more innovative outdoor programs.

Garcia received a $ 25,000 grant from the National Fitness Campaign to be used to install an outdoor fitness center consisting of self-guided and ambassador-led circuit training.

The grant reduced the court’s total cost to $ 105,000; The project includes a mobile app to find seasonal fitness events on the pitch and staff training for ambassador-led workouts. Garcia said these costs should come from the park development fund, and they also work with local sponsors. Additionally, she and Espinoza talked about choosing a court design package that would allow local artists to design the court.

Garcia said they considered both Gregg-Clarke Park and Steeplechase Park as the location for the court, but ultimately chose the parking lot and that within the 13.5-acre parkland between Marketplace Avenue and Burleson Street Fact that there are no amenities there now. The court would also ideally coincide with the city’s walkway system in the area.

While Flores-Cale, Koch, and Councilor Ashlee Bradshaw endorsed the proposed location, Rizo and Mayor Travis Mitchell preferred Steeplechase. Mitchell said that with the court in the originally proposed location, developers should pay the $ 105,000 through PID reimbursements.

Councilors praised Garcia’s success in obtaining a grant, but agreed that questions remained about the exact location, securing sponsorship, and adding costly but necessary amenities like outdoor lighting. Article was still approved 7-0. Garcia said if they stick to the schedule the court could open by the end of this year.

“Bring things like that with grants attached,” said Koch. “We love that, especially when it comes to parks. Obviously this council really loves parks. “

source https://outdoorsportsnews.com/kyle-moves-forward-with-outdoor-recreation-projects/