At Tuesday’s meeting, Buda City Council heard a presentation from city staff about ideas for the future John D. and Byrd Mims Garison Memorial Park to be built on land acquired by the city with funds from the 2014 bond.

The 40-acre piece of land, located at the end of Garison Road, was purchased by the city for $1.1 million in February. The money came from Proposition 5, which allocates about $8 million to go toward park and trail improvements. All five propositions from the November 2014 bond total about $55 million.

According to a presentation by city staff and Design Workshop, proposed ideas for the park include trails, a kayak and canoe launching site, a zip-line, climbing boulders, a ropes course and a nature center. Place 6 Council Member Bobby Lane asked about the possibility of rustic trails and an area for equestrian activities.

City staff said there is a possibility of charging admission to the park or a swimming hole on-site to help offset the cost of maintenance and operations, but Mayor Todd Ruge suggested that Buda residents either pay a reduced fee or nothing at all.

“That‘s one thing that’s important to me, because it’s taxpayer dollars that are paying for this,” Ruge said. “[An admission fee] on top of that might not be a big deal to some, but for others, it’s prohibitive to others who are citizens who are already paying taxes. I want to avoid that situation.”

A recommendation for final approval of the Garison Park plan will go back to council in December.