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Park Board
It
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Meeting
Town Hall
3D
7:00 pm
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Martin
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Parks and
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Luther
King, Jr.
Trails Master
Plan Meeting
Day
(Closed)
7:00 p.m.
Town Hall
3 rd Floor
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Or'
Of saecial note ....
Bob Jones Nature
Center Welcomed as
Newest Community
Services Group
The Bob Jones Nature
Center recently joined the
ranks as the newest
member of volunteer service
groups to be formerly
partnered with the city
through a Community
Services Agreement
Old ranch road on Tucker property
approved by the Park Board
and City Council. As a
condition of the approval,
the Council required
completion of the group's
paperwork to be recognized
as a 501.c.3 certified non-
profit entity, and that filing
became official a few weeks
ago. But what's next?
To begin, a brief history is in
order. The discussions of a
proposed Nature Center in
Southlake have percolated
throughout the community in
some form or fashion for the
better part of the past
decade. Many of the efforts
stemmed from the city's
purchase of the former West
Beach Addition on far North
Photo credit: Suzanne Tuttle
White Chapel near Bob
Jones Road in the mid -
1990s for use as park land.
Subsequently, additional
large tracts were purchased
in the area from the Tucker
and Farhat families,
(See Bob Jones Nature Center, page 3)
Side notes ...
Footnotes ...
Parks and Trails
Phone Survey
Results
The city is currently updating
its Parks and Trails Master
Plans. In advance of this
effort, as is customary, a
random sampling of
residents were surveyed to
get their opinions regarding
the city's parks, recreation,
open space, and trail system
needs. To follow is a
summary of the results of
the phone survey. It is also
available on the home page
of the city's web site and on
the Parks and Recreation
Department's page.
Current Utilization
The majority of Southlake
residents utilize at least
some aspect of the park or
trail systems. In the past 12
months, 80% visited a city
park or park facility, 74%
participated in a city event,
56% visited an athletic field
or gym; 54% utilized bike or
pedestrian paths. High
utilization is influenced by
three interdependent
factors: age, children, and
area of Southlake.
Younger residents and
those with children are more
likely to take advantage of
Southlake's parks, trails,
and recreation services.
Area 3 (southern) residents,
in general, have higher
utilization levels compared
to other residents. They also
tend to be younger and
more likely to have children
at home.
Overall Satisfaction
Almost 9 in 10 Southlake
residents report satisfaction
with the quality of parks and
recreation. Areas of highest
satisfaction include park
safety and maintenance,
and quality of athletic and
recreation facilities and
programs. The Southlake
trail system represents the
greatest opportunity for
improvement. Residents
report only moderate
satisfaction with the quality
and availability of hike and
bike trails. Almost 2 out of 5
residents report that no trails
are available in their
neighborhood. Area 3
(southern) residents report
the greatest access to trails.
Park Preferences
Southlake residents are
quite satisfied with the parks
system. However, they
indicated opportunities for
improvement: increase
availability of park facilities,
including athletic fields and
gyms; and focus new park
development to include
multi -use trails, playgrounds,
and open grassy areas. A
proposed recreation center
is a more popular idea than
neighborhood park
development; however,
support is not overwhelming.
Almost half of residents
prefer a proposed recreation
center, but over one -third
are more interested in the
completion of neighborhood
parks. Almost 1 out of 5
residents care for neither
option or have no opinion.
Overall, Southlake residents
consider a proposed
recreation center to be the
highest priority in park
development. This is
particularly true for the
following segments:
residents living in Areas 1
(north) and 3 (south); those
with children; and females.
Residents more likely to
prefer the completion of
neighborhood parks include:
residents living in Area 2
(south of Highway 114 but
north of FM 1709); those
with no children living at
home; residents age 56 or
older; and males.
Trail Preferences
Trail access is limited.
Almost 2 out of 5 Southlake
residents report no access
to neighborhood trails and
dissatisfaction with trail
quality and availability. Area
3 (southern) residents report
the greatest access to
neighborhood trails.
Trail development is a top
priority, with residents
naming trails and sidewalks
as their top need. Residents
expect new trails to be
accessible from their
neighborhood to local areas
such as parks, schools, and
shopping. Scenic trails
through nature areas or
along city creeks are also
highly desirable.
Consultant's
Recommendations:
• Continue the improved
work in maintaining
facilities and programs
• Develop new trails,
particularly in Areas 1
and 2
• Increase or complete
trails from
neighborhoods to local
destinations such as
schools and parks, and
in nature areas such as
parks or along city
creeks
• Conduct separate Park
and Trail Master Plan
meetings for each of the
three areas to gauge
differences
Bob Jones Nature Center
(continued)
collectively forming a city park area with an
incredible variety of existing or planned
activities. But perhaps the single most
impressive aspect of this northern city park is
its stands of native Texas Cross Timbers
habitat both in city -owned and city - leased
areas. This collection of native hardwoods,
grasses, stream systems and understory trees
and shrubs has been surveyed by Texas
Parks and Wildlife experts and deemed to be
among the best examples that exist.
But an overriding question lingered about
what exactly constituted a "nature center." The
Park Board recommended, and Council
approved, the establishment of the Nature
Center Development Committee (NCDC) in
January of 2002. In October of that year, the
NCDC reported its findings, which included
exhaustive study of nature center operations
and curriculum, and more than several visits
to centers widely regarded as exemplary
organizations. That report contained the
blueprint for the establishment of such a
center in Southlake, and its most conclusive
recommendation was for the center to be
located in the Bob Jones Park area near the
leased Corps of Engineers property. The
dynamic group brought together by their
experience on the NCDC also formed the
basis of what is now officially the Bob Jones
Nature Center (BJNC) community services
group.
In the interim between the NCDC report in late
2002 and the BJNC community services
agreement approval last month, the group has
held a number of meetings at the homes of
members, held nature hikes in and around the
east side of Bob Jones Park, partnered with
local equestrian groups for entertaining and
educational activities, pioneered the up -and-
coming hobby of "geocaching" in the area,
and otherwise performed a stellar publicity
campaign to promote public awareness. One
of the most successful and rewarding
campaigns put on by the group was the Bob
Jones Photo Contest, in which park visitors
could contribute shots of nature for donated
prizes. Many of the 60 -plus entries were
absolutely outstanding, and staff is in the
process of trying to obtain permissions to use
some of the photos in the layout of the 2004-
2005 update of the Parks, Recreation, and
Open Space Master Plan.
In the FY 04 -05 SPDC budget, their work was
rewarded with $70,000 in funds to renovate
the former Tucker ranch house for use as at
least an interim facility. The architectural
review is currently underway and staff
anticipates bringing forward an award of bid
for the renovation plans perhaps in March of
2005.
The City of Southlake Community Services
Department wishes to thank the hard work of
those involved in the Bob Jones Nature
Center group development and welcome them
to the fold. Spring of 2005 looks to indeed be
coming up green for nature enthusiasts in
Southlake.
Blackjack Oaks in Tucker pasture Photo credit: Suzanne Tuttle
Kirkwood Branch in spring Photo credit: Suzanne Tuttle