The Hays County Commissioners Court approved the sale of 77.5 acres of Five Mile Dam Park to the city of San Marcos on Nov. 19. There will be no cost to the city other than half of the closing expenses, according to agenda documents.
What you need to know
The properties purchased—Dudley Connaly Park, Randall Wade Vetter Park and the Five Mile Dam soccer fields—are owned by the county but maintained by the city. City Manager Stephanie Reyes said the city of San Marcos had been in discussion with the county about taking ownership of the soccer fields for a long time; however, the county told them that it would be a “package deal” with Five Mile Dam.
“It’s not necessarily that we were jumping up and down to have Five Mile Dam because maintaining a dam is not always the easiest thing,” Reyes said. “But this is really about us making sure that we are securing those soccer fields for our youth to have going forward.”
Although the sale has been approved, the park will continue to be patrolled and maintained by the county until Oct. 1. This will give the city time to compute any additional costs, which will be worked into the next fiscal year budget. The properties will also continue to be used in the same recreational park and open space manner, according to agenda documents.
What else?
The county supplied the city with a 2016 dam evaluation report—which showed that it was overall in good condition, Assistant City Manager Rodney Gonzales said.
The Commissioners Court approved an agreement with engineering consultant Freese and Nichols on Nov. 19 for re-inspection of the dam and to be provided with an updated written inspection report.
Next steps
The properties will be annexed into the city at a future council meeting, which means they will be formally zoned as parkland, Parks and Recreation Director Jamie Lee Case told Community Impact.
“What this is going to mean is that city of San Marcos park rules are going to apply. Just like the park rules at Rio Vista or at City Park or any of our other riverfront parks, they're going to apply to this area now,” Case said.
