Cy–Fair sees park, trail system expansions

Partnerships

In late 2012, the Houston–Galveston Area Council was awarded funds for six case studies throughout Houston's 13-county region by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. One of the grants totaling $100,000 has been designated for the continued construction and implementation of the Cypress Creek Greenway, which connects several Cypress- area parks and trails.

"The Cypress Creek Greenway has the potential to provide connected green space in northwest Harris County," said Meredith Dang, H–GAC land use transportation coordinator. "Providing options for residents in northwest Harris County to reach destinations by walking or bicycling along trails can also provide an alternative to driving in congestion."

Prior to the case study funding, several other partnerships and initiatives helped area projects progress. The Cypress Creek Greenway Project—a committee within the Cypress Creek Flood Coalition—was formed in 2004 to advise the county and local municipal utility districts on interconnecting trails and parks for recreational use along Cypress Creek.

Local partnerships developed between municipal and public utility districts, landowners and developers and government entities have helped implement or improve trails and natural floodplains, specifically along the Cypress Creek corridor in Precinct 4, where the Cypress Forest Public Utility District acquired land along Cypresswood Drive to establish a linear park and trail system.

The Cypress Creek Greenway project inquired about possible development of the county-owned land along the corridor in 2004, said Jim Roberston, chairman and board member of the Harris County Flood Control Coalition.

"These projects take several years to put together," Roberston said. "We are very pleased with the progress so far. The plan is for the Flood Control District to finish their work by spring 2013. It is our overall goal to provide park access points every two to three miles along the greenway."

In an attempt to interconnect two of the more popular area parks, Precinct 4 received a $1.5 million match grant from the state and began Phase II of the Spring Creek Greenway project. The greenway now features a $1 million bridge and a paved trail connecting Pundt Park with Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center. The intricate 10-mile trail system also connected the 146-acre Stahl Preserve to the two parks.

Phase II of the Spring Creek greenway also implemented an equestrian trail leading from lower Cypress Creek west to Spring Creek. Precinct 4 is finishing designs to expand the trail—Cypress Creek Trails—to stretch from the Spring Creek Greenway Trail to Cypresswood Drive. The precinct was granted right of way for a fifth tract of land at Commissioners Court Feb. 12 in preparation of the project's final phase. Construction is scheduled to begin later this year and should be complete by 2015.

"[Precinct 4] is seeking additional grants for partnerships with MUDs to interconnect trail and park systems," Cagle said. By working together, we can build a project that otherwise would not have been possible had it been on one of our shoulders."

Park expansions

Several other park expansions and improvements took place throughout 2012, establishing new features throughout Cy-Fair's existing green space.

After decades of utilization primarily for drainage and area flood control, several of Cy–Fair's detention ponds have undergone recent construction projects to double as parks and hike and bike trails.

Bud Hadfield Park off Telge Road in Precinct 3 was initially established as a 53-acre open area park adjacent to a former detention pond. A nearby creek, a man-made nature trail and a frisbee golf course implemented by the Texas Army Trail—a volunteer-run organization—have made the park's features more versatile for residents and visitors.

"Our larger, more popular parks normally come from properties controlled by the flood district developed as detention areas that we have converted into park space," said Mike McMahan, Precinct 3 special activities coordinator.

The Harris County Flood Control District is finishing its year-long project on the detention pond on Barker Cypress. Precinct 3's parks department will step in this year to establish the area as a family and dog park, McMahan said.

In Jersey Village, construction on a park and trail around the Jersey Meadow Stormwater Detention Basin is about 60 percent complete and is scheduled to be done by mid-August. The project was put to bid by Commissioners Court in May.

In February 2011, Jersey Village City Council entered into an agreement with Harris County Flood Control District to fund the expansion of the detention pond and to construct the park and trail area.

A six-foot wide crushed granite hike and bike trail will be the last portion to be completed, at which time the City of Jersey Village will take control of the project. The Harris County Flood Control District is running the project, but Jersey Village was also involved in the bidding process, said Mike Brown, director of the Jersey Village parks and recreation department.

Jersey Village provided $500,000 to fund the 1.6-mile hike and bike trail project.

"We are looking to be completed with this project sometime in mid-August, depending on the weather," Brown said.