Grapevine residents made it clear Thursday night — they wanted their voices heard regarding Nash Farm's future.

About 80 people, including residents and City Council members, attended a public meeting seeking input on development plans for 5.2-acres of Nash Farm, a historic site on Ball Street.

Displays showed plans to move historic buildings Estill Cottage and Soil Conservation Office to the farm or adding a new building to accommodate staff offices, an information center and a resource library. Plans also included the addition of parking, limiting hours and installing fencing around the farm if plans to add livestock moved forward.

Following a presentation by Nash Farm's manager Jim Lauderdale, facilitator Chris Westfall asked people on each table to discuss the options for about 30 minutes and appoint one person to report their group's opinions.

But some residents raised questions about how the options arose.

"We want to know what the suggestions were of these people who studied these issues are, before we discuss them here," one man said.

Ross Bannister, a donor and volunteer at the farm, asked whether the public's opinions mattered. He told the crowd a decision had already been made to purchase $15,000 of antique furniture this weekend, before Thursday's meeting.

Another man asked, "Are we going to expand the educational program of the farm in looking at all the options for it, or has that decision already been made?"

Pam McCain, chairwoman of a three-person subcommittee on fencing, told the crowd their role on the committee was not to make recommendations, but to identify "pros and cons" and provide options. McCain explained the changes to the farm would educate visitors to show what farming was like back then.

"We have to remember that these options being presented to you tonight are options, they are just that, they are options," she said. "You are here to present your ideas and please do it, let the staff, let all of us know, what you want to see at Nash Farm, because that's what this is about."

Tim Anderson's group of five all said no to new buildings, furniture purchases, limited hours and the addition of parking spaces.

"There shouldn't be any changes to the parking right now," he said. "We have plenty of parking there that will support the activities there at the farm."

Rahim Quazi, who lives across from Nash Farm on Ball Street, said his group opposed the additional parking, new buildings and limited hours.

"The hours 10 to 5 is not appropriate for most people, especially citizens of Grapevine," he said. "Dawn to dusk would be a suggestion. No fee would be a suggestion, would be a hope, because not everybody has extra money these days to do something lovely and beautiful like go to Nash Farm."

Quazi's group did not want fencing, but were open if it was needed.

Mary Rossman's group of eight all agreed the chosen fence needs to be appropriate to the time period and provide security to animals and visitors. They also wanted both the Estill Cottage and Soil Conservation buildings to blend in with the farm.

"As long as it is camouflaged, and I think there is plenty of the trees and forests there where it can be hidden," she said. "The idea is when it is put together it looks like it belongs on the farm."

Grapevine Heritage Foundation board chairman Curtis Ratliff thanked the crowd for sharing their opinions.

"We are invested in this just like you are, so I really appreciate everything you said and we will take into consideration when we have our meeting," Ratliff said.

The board and Nash Farm subcommittees are scheduled to consider the public comments during their special meeting April 18. The board members hope to make a recommendation to the council next month.

The City Council heard a briefing in February about proposed developments at Nash Farm. More than a dozen residents spoke against a formal wrought iron fence surrounding the farm.

Mayor pro tem Shane Wilbanks on Thursday night told the crowd the council wanted the Grapevine Heritage Foundation's board of directors to come to an agreement on Nash Farm.

"We asked the Heritage Foundation Board to have a meeting to get all of the input that is possible and try to come back to the council with a unified concept of really what the citizens of our community want to have," he said. "I only say this tonight so that you know your voice has been heard."