Hutto Lake Project
Overview
Last July the Hutto City Council approved a resolution to apply for grant funds totaling more than $400,000 from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to develop city-owned parkland known as Hutto Lake, a 36 acre tract of land. On Thursday, January 24 the Texas Parks and Wildlife Board of Commissioners approved the awarding of these grant funds to Hutto.
The $400,000 grant will be used towards development of the parkland to be used as a passive-use park with multiple activity locations, interpretive areas, wildflowers and bird watching areas and trail. The City will now match this with an additional $400,000 towards the project.
Development
The development of Hutto Lake will enable the Parks and Recreation Department to expand its park system with amenities that are not in any of the current city parks. In addition to the grant application, local developer Rick Jenkins with HM456 Development has pledged to donate additional land for trails that will connect the Hutto Lake park site to the Park at Brushy Creek and the Riverwalk subdivisions.
Hutto Parks and Recreation Director Mike Hemker stated the development of the Hutto Lake property was a top priority item in the adopted Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Trails Master Plan, which was adopted by City Council in January of 2007. The proposed project will expand the existing park and trail system by a total of more than an additional seventy acres.
Hutto Lake Public Input through 5/21/09
On Tuesday, May 19, the City of Hutto Parks & Recreation Department and the BWM Group (Landscape Architect Firm: http://www.bwmgrp.com/news.html) worked with Principal Janet Reichardt at Ray Elementary School to have nineteen (19) third and fourth graders attend a half day design workshop for Hutto Lake Park. The children along with staff planned different activities and locations for future amenities in the park. The three hour workshop comprised of a free play/discovery period of the park's potential. Next was a dreamworking session where children were asked to draw their desired park amenities, activities and what they thought the park would look like or put these thoughts into words in sentence form. Lastly, these students were asked to place flags with four different amenities around the park where they thought the item would fit best. These items included 1) bird watching, 2) playscape, 3) children's garden, and 4) a fishing pier. These flags were then GPS marked and taken pictures of in the location for future reference. (Please follow this link to the BWM website and link to the GPS pictures: http://www.bwmgrp.com/RG/hutto/map.htm) This was a most unique and awesome experience for both the children and the staff involved.
On the night of the 19th the BWM Group and Hutto Parks & Recreation met with the Lakeside Estates HOA members at the pool facility to also gain their input on the park. Residents brought up concerns about lighting, parking, potential traffic, the ability to fish in the pond (but have it be catch & release), but in general everyone was excited about the opportunity to finally see the park develop. The list of concerns and desires for the park were written down an included in the input session. Desired items included an outdoor basketball court, sand volleyball, fishing/water access and a potential dog park.
On Wednesday, May 20, the Parks Advisory Board held an input session which was another chance for the public to express their concerns and/or desires for the park development. The Board used information gathered from both the earlier input sessions and then tweaked the presented design before making a recommendation to City Council to approve the schematic design. The original grant application items must be included in the project along with planning some of the newly desired elements. A few potentially final locations were made for bird watching, aquatic access and the potential dog park were among these changes.
On Thursday, May 21, Mayor Begier and the City Council heard a presenatation from BWM and Parks & Recreation Department Director, Mike Hemker about Hutto Lake Park. A few of the students who participated in the design workshop attended this presentation and were presented with a certificte for their unique and valuable input. City Council approved the Schematic Design Concept for Hutto Lake Park, 6-0. The following presentation was given to City Council on Thursday November 19, 2009 and placed on the Hutto Lake Park web page for those who may not have attended the meeting.
Hutto Lake Park Plan as of 5/21/09
Hutto Park Plan Images 05/21/09
Hutto Lake Park Plan Updated 05/21/09
Hutto Lake Design Progress Update
The following presentation was given to City Council on Thursday November 19, 2009 and placed on the Hutto Lake Park web page for those who may not have attended the meeting. Please click here.
View Proposed Project Plans Per TPWD Grant Application
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