Georgetown residents can expect to see continued improvements and additions to area parks through the second half of 2019 and into next year. Kimberley Garrett, director of parks and recreation, updated City Council on current and future projects June 25.

Current projects

San Gabriel Park Phase 2 and trail The grand opening of the San Gabriel Park project Phase 1 and the groundbreaking of Phase 2 was last September. “We are still working on Phase 2 and hoping to complete as much as possible by the Fourth of July,” Garrett said.  New amenities include pavilions, a playground, swings, a basketball court, parking, accessible routes, signage, a restroom and spring restoration—there are three natural springs in San Gabriel Park.  Included in Phase 2 was a trail extension to link the park to nearby Katy Crossing subdivision. The city is waiting on $200,000 in approved state funding to come through, Garrett said, adding the extension will take about 90 days to complete once construction begins.  The International Order of Odd Fellows columbarium The columbarium – a structure containing niches for funeral urns – was completed earlier this spring. It contains 144 niches with room for expansion. As of June 25, three niches had been sold so far. VFW softball complex parking lot addition Work on additional parking at the VFW softball complex on Second Street was completed in March with 53 more spaces added for a total of 150. The additional spaces make parking a lot more organized and keep the area safer in that part of town, Garrett said. Golden Bear Park The city is developing a 2.7-acre lot in Berry Creek to become Golden Bear Park. A public input meeting was held May 21 where residents listed a playground as their No. 1 priority, followed by trails and adult exercise equipment. Due to limited parking, residents did not want any large attraction that would draw extra traffic. The purchase of playground equipment for Golden Bear Park was approved at the June 25 meeting, and a rendering of the equipment was provided:

Proposed 2020 projects

Design for San Gabriel Park Phase 3 As the city wraps up Phase 2, it would like move right into designing what Phase 3 will consist of, Garrett said. It will likely incorporate a large central green area, new entrance signage, a barbecue pit, a pavilion and restroom updates, creating some kind of water feature and more.  “The plan would be to design Phase 3 in 2020 and move forward with the construction in 2021,” Garrett said.  Updating the parks master plan The city’s current parks master plan was last updated in 2009, and many of the top priorities have since been accomplished, Garrett said.  “We’re continuing to develop neighborhood parks and work on trails extensions,” she said. “But we’ve also grown substantially in the last 10 years, so we need to reach out to the community and re-figure out priorities.” A master plan also gives the parks and recreation department a timeline for future possible bonds and more opportunities for grants.  “For many grants you must show you are engaged with the community in the planning process,” Garrett said.  Demolish pool at the tennis center  The pool, which was built in 1978, is no longer worth the cost of upkeep, according to Garrett. It would cost about $450,000 to bring it up to code, and considering there are two other similar, traditional-style pools within a 3-mile radius, this would not be a good use of funds, Garrett said.  Rather than closing it and letting it sit idle and become a possible safety hazard, she said parks staff recommended demolishing it for about $70,000.  Redevelop Heritage Community Gardens  The 19-acre Heritage Community Gardens is located in southeast Georgetown, an area that has seen a lot of recent growth, Garrett said. The park has minimal support facilities, and parks staff think the site could be redeveloped as an educational garden and also provide other recreational activities. The 2020 plans were presented for informational and discussion purposes only; action on approvals for funding will be brought to council later this summer. A breakdown of funding for future proposed projects was also provided, click to zoom: