The Kyle Parks Department got a shot in the arm last week to the tune of a $500,000 grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) Commission to fund the Plum Creek Preserve and Nature Trail.
"This is huge milestone in the development of the parks system for the city of Kyle," said Kerry Urbanowicz, Kyle Parks and Recreation Department director. "The leisure opportunities that will be possible with this development will greatly enhance the quality of life for all of us here in Kyle."
Currently in the conceptual phase, the preserve is a series of trails and nature amenities that stretch along the Plum Creek watershed on the eastside of IH-35 from Goforth Rd. east to the city limits. The plan will conserve close to 350 acres of open space.
The cash award will primarily purchase a tract of land that Urbanowicz calls "the final piece of the puzzle." Located east of Lehman Road near the intersection of Lehman Road and FM 150, the Nash tract includes one of two lakes. The other is located behind Tobias Elementary School.
With the Nash tract costing $335,000, the rest of the $500,000 will be funneled to a playground, picnic areas, a shade pavilion, horseshoe and washer pitching pits, a wildflower meadow and "fishing nook." The money will also be used to buy park benches and materials for a shade pavilion.
"Since my days on the Planning & Zoning Commission in the 1990s, the concept of connecting all the subdivisions, schools and retail shops with a trail network has been a dream of mine," Urbanowicz said when the grant was still in the works. "How cool would it be to connect everyone in Kyle with trails?"
Work will start soon and Urbanowicz hopes residents will have access to the trails in about two to three years.
One of few water features in the area, Plum Creek begins north of Kyle and winds its way east 52 miles to the Caldwell-Gonzales county line, where it joins with the San Marcos River. Along its journey, Plum Creek accepts runoff from about 397 square miles, according to the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership.
In 2004, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TQEC) declared that Plum Creek was no longer recommended for human contact because of the presence of E. Coli bacteria and harmful levels of nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen. The result of a number of conditions, contaminants enter the creek by way of failing septic systems, runoff from roads and driveways, as well as animal waste and pesticides on lawns.
Urbanowicz thinks preserving the land around Plum Creek will serve to improve the water quality. Moving cattle off of the Nash tract, Urbanowicz said, is another way the preserve will help Plum Creek thrive.
