San Marcos City Council approves agreement to fund Purgatory Creek improvements

The San Marcos City Council approved an interlocal agreement Jan. 3 with Hays County for the purchase of easements and right of way for improvements to Purgatory Creek with $2 million of funding to be provided by the county.

The project and funding comes from the November 2020 Hays County bond, which called for $75 million for three projects, including Purgatory Creek improvements.

The improvements are for easement and right of way acquisition for flood mitigation and multiuse trail purposes split into two phases. The first phase is from San Marcos River to Johnson Avenue; the second phase will run from Johnson Avenue to Hunter Road.

With funding falling under county responsibility, the city will be responsible for identifying potential property interests, conduct surveys and other due diligence for property and appraisals in connection with the project and is responsible for contributing at least $3.8 million toward the overall project, according to the contract.

Of the $3.8 million, the city has already spent $2.5 million for preliminary engineering reports and 30% level of design documents for the project, which were all completed in 2021; $1.3 million is allotted for Phase 1 design work and other permitting needs.

The city also has $150,000 from the San Marcos River Foundation for Phase 2 trail needs.

The overall cost of the Purgatory Creek improvements is estimated to be between $55 million and $65 million to connect with other trails in the area for a total of a 19-mile trail system.