by WES FERGUSON
Buda residents can feel the hot Texas sun bearing down, and they know just what their city’s parks and open spaces need: more shade.
Officials and consultants are listening to residents’ preferences as they develop a plan for the future of parks and open spaces in the city. In surveys conducted through the mail and online, residents listed more trees and shade as their top priorities.
“A lot of people use our parks, but the Texas heat and drought from last year are really on people’s minds,” said Jack Jones, the city’s parks and recreation director. “City Park has some shade cover on the playground, but other parks have playgrounds that become almost unusable during the day in the summer because it’s so hot.”
Coming in a close second, Buda residents also say they want more walking trails that connect neighborhoods, parks and the downtown area. That’s not a new request: Trails also topped the No. 1 activity for Buda residents a decade ago, the last time the city put together a parks master plan.
Buda has developed a few trails since then, but they are short, scattered around the city and not connected to each other. Officials now want to create a “spine network” that links them all together, including a walking trail along Onion Creek and connections between the east and west sides of Interstate 35.
“We’re looking to connect all of these pieces either on sidewalks or crushed granite trail systems, so folks can go from one side of the city to the other without having to get in their car,” Jones said. “There are ways to build trails without a significant cost to our citizens, but you have to have a trails master plan to know where you’re going.”
Once the city has approved a parks and open spaces master plan it is expected to tackle a second master plan that focuses only on trails, Jones said. The larger parks plan, being developed by Halff Associates, will also address the need for neighborhood parks, larger community parks, field lighting at the Buda Sportsplex, parkland acquisition and other issues.
City officials say they’ll hold another public gathering this summer to present the draft master plan and receive feedback. The City Council will vote on the final draft afterward.
Buda has 36.8 acres of city-owned parkland per 1,000 residents and one mile of trails for every 877 residents, both among the best ratios in the area, Jones said.
“For a city our size and population, we do have a lot of park acreage,” he said.
Top 5 park amenities to add or provide
Buda residents who responded to a mail-out questionnaire say:
1. More trees/shade 95%
2. Trails 91%
3. Shade structures over existing playgrounds 87%
4. More preserved open space 84%
5. Field lighting at Buda Sportsplex 72%
Buda residents who responded to an online questionnaire say:
1. More trees/shade 96%
2. Trails 96%
3. Shade structures over existing playgrounds 92%
4. Pavilions for group activities/picnics 90%
5. More preserved open space 88%
What people like about parks in Buda
Trails
Trees
Size of parks
Close to where they live
Beauty
Ponds
Playgrounds/things for kids
What people do not like about parks in Buda
Restrooms are in poor condition at City Park/dirty
Looks bare/needs more landscaping
Need more trees
No parking at Bradfield or City Park
No disc golf, swimming pool
Need shade structures over playgrounds
Source: Buda City Council agenda packet May 1
