WIMBERLEY — A future Blue Hole Nature Center is in the works in the city of Wimberley.
Hays County has executed a diligence funding agreement with the city of Wimberley for the Blue Hole Nature Center, which is a project led by the Wimberley Parks and Recreation Department that will be dedicated to conservation, education and community engagement. A total of $3 million has been allotted for the project as part of the 2020 Hays County Parks and Open Space Bond.
The Blue Hole Nature Center will be dedicated to hands-on learning, ecological preservation and sustainable recreation. It will provide a safe space in nature to showcase everything that the Texas Hill Country has to offer to Wimberley and Hays County residents, according to the Wimberley Parks and Recreation Department. As a designated One Water facility, the center will incorporate innovative water management strategies to maximize conservation and sustainability.
Some features of the center will include:
- Classrooms to be utilized for Blue Hole Nature Camp, as well as for private rentals and events
- Greenhouse, which will be supplied with reclaimed water, to serve as a year-round programming opportunity for local organizations, such as the Texas Master Naturalists and the Wimberley Native Plant Society
- Entry lobby that showcases local ecosystems through interactive displays and nature-based exhibits
- Prairie restoration area
- Wetland interpretation area
- Courtyard as a community gathering space
- Adventure play area
At its March 6 meeting, Wimberley City Council approved the agreement with Hays County for the Blue Hole Nature Center in conjunction with the 2020 Hays County Parks and Open Space Bond.
“This funding agreement is for $3 million for our Blue Hole Nature Center project,” said Richard Shaver, parks director. “This funding agreement was signed and executed by the Hays County Commissioners Court on Tuesday [March 4] and all it’s waiting for is a signature from Wimberley.”
Wimberley City Council member Chris Sheffield asked if there is a funding expectation from the city in the agreement.
Shaver said that there is no funding expectation from the city of Wimberley. However, the total project budget was $4.5 million in 2020, yet construction prices are “significantly different” since then: “We are fully expected to apply for grants and other fundraising opportunities to use that $3 million as match to bring up the budget for this nature center," he explained.
Upon execution of this agreement, the city of Wimberley will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for an architectural firm to refine the concept plans to align with Wimberley’s current needs in 2025 and ensure the project is construction ready, according to Shaver. The selected firm the city hires will also oversee project management throughout the construction phase.
“We had concept drawings created in 2020. Now, expectations, reality, five years is a long time. So, the next step sort of in this process will be to go for an RFP for engineering and construction costs,” Shaver explained. “Now, whatever engineering firm we hire will sort of redo the concept drawings basically starting from scratch … We will work with whoever is selected and we will have public input meetings [and] we will have meetings with the parks board to see what exactly the community wants and needs from this state-of-the-art center.”
The site of the future Blue Hole Nature Center is about seven acres of property and the actual footprint of the building will change depending on the process of the RFP, Shaver said.
For more information, visit www.wimberleyparksandrec.com/blue-hole-nature-center.
