DRIPPING SPRINGS – The Dripping Springs Parks and Community Services Department held an open house on Thursday, Jan. 16, to showcase its plans from 2024-34 for the city's parks and open spaces.
According to the city of Dripping Springs, “This project is intended to serve as a guide for: policy decisions; prioritizing and balancing demands; and opportunities and providing a framework for evaluating future land acquisitions, park improvements and other expenditures of public funds for parks and recreational activities.”
The Parks and Community Services Department ran the open house to present its 10-year plan to the community, which includes adding amenities to all the existing parks, while adding two additional parks. This was also to garner feedback from the community.
“Public engagement is the most important thing,” said Parks and Community Services Director Andrew Binz. “This is their opportunity to let us know what they want to see over the next 10 years because this helps us justify, when we go to city council providing these types of amenities and services, we have the backing of the public express that they want these things, that helps us out a lot.”
Boards and informational graphics were available for community education and to receive input on where the funds should be directed and why. For example, since the closure of Dreamland, the local pickleball court, residents brought up concerns that the city lacks a space for the sport. Many community members who showed up for the open house carried their pickleball rackets with them to show support for new courts.
Pictured, a map displays the parks and open spaces in Dripping Springs. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF DRIPPING SPRINGS
“The top four [requests] are probably gonna be pickleball, dog parks, trails and pavilions or gathering spaces,” said Binz.
Nathlie Varley, a senior planner from infrastructure consulting firm Halff, explained that community involvement has multiple benefits for both the city and the residents.
“[The] foundation of all planning efforts is community efforts. We make these plans for the communities that live in them,” said Varley. “If we do the right community engagement, we get buyin for the plans and we get to craft something that the public actually wants and something they're excited about and that's really why we do it.”
Because of the emphasis on community involvement, residents have the opportunity to also give their feedback online at www. drippingspringssurvey. org.
“If we don't hear from the public, this plan won't be any good, or it'll be just a stock standard,” concluded Varley.
For more information about the 10 year plan, visit bit.ly/3Cjf48b.
