‘A plan that will carry us’:
Texarkana, Texas, brings public into creating blueprint for city parks
This article originally appeared in The Texarkana Gazette.
TEXARKANA, Texas — Residents interested in the future of city parks and recreation shared their opinions during a workshop Wednesday evening at Texarkana Convention Center.
Approximately 60 people attended the workshop — the first of three public engagement sessions of the Advance TXK Parks initiative.
Keith Beason, the city’s community engagement and parks project manager, described the initiative as a critical part in creating a blueprint for parks, trails and local recreation.
“It’s a plan that will carry us and direct our department for the next 15 years,” Beason said about the master plan in his opening comments.
The city is working with Dallas-based Norris Design to draft the plan.
A committee of community members has been formed to participate in the planning. The committee includes Robbin Bass, Rhonda Dolberry, Michael Galvan, Nichole Holze, Chase Livingston, Jessica Plant and Lisa Sitterley.
Project Director Rick Leisner, of Norris Design, laid out the purpose of the initial workshop.
“Tonight, we’re just trying to get you warmed up and engaged,” he said.
Using a slide presentation, Leisner highlighted local events he said are unique to Texarkana, including Dine on the Line.
“You can’t do that in many places. It’s really cool,” he said, adding the master plan should capitalize on Texarkana’s distinctiveness as a twin city.
The plan also should include projects that align with trends in how outdoor spaces are used in the Lone Star State, Leisner said.
The top trend is for walking and biking trails, he said after citing the Texas Outdoor Recreation Plan.
Six of the 14 recreational facilities and parks managed by the city have trails, according to the 2024 Parks & Recreation Guide.
The No. 2 trend is pickleball.
“Pickleball is running through this nation rampant,” Leisner said.
The city’s sole pickleball court is at Southwest Center.
Facilities for family gatherings is the third-place trend.
However, Leisner said another important factor must be considered when deciding on what amenities to add.
“You can’t plan and design a facilitate if you can’t maintain it in a quality way,” he said.
Advance TXK Parks also will explore how to expand the service area of city parks. This part of planning process will take cues from Trust for Public Land, “a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors,” according to the organization’s website.
“Trust for Public Land would like to have people within a 10-minute walk of a park,” Leisner said.
He then displayed a slide that showed the current service areas of the city’s three largest parks — Spring Lake, Bringle Lake and Grady T. Wallace.
Bringle Lake and Grady T. Wallace each had a 3-mile-radius service area. Spring Lake Park serves a 4-mile radius.
After his presentation, Leisner gave the audience about 30 minutes to answer 24 questions on what they would like to see happen with city parks and recreation centers. The questions were divided among eight posters that lined a wall of the meeting room.
The prompts asked such things as: Do you feel there is a need for additional park space in Texarkana, Texas? Does Texarkana, Texas, need more tennis/pickleball courts? Would you like to see a pedestrian trail running along State Line Avenue connecting downtown to all neighborhoods up north?
Attendees were given circular stickers to mark their answers — Yes, No, Somewhat or Not Sure.
Question 10 asked, “Are basic needs, for both individuals and families, properly served by the current restrooms, drinking fountains, and other site furnishings at the parks? It gathered a host of No responses.
On the opposite wall, between a spread of drinks and finger foods, the Idea Board gave attendees the opportunity to use sticky notes to post suggestions on how parks could be improved.
Barbara Stoker got straight to the point with her recommendation: more bathrooms, pavilions, lighting and better parking at Beverly Community Center. Stoker is a volunteer at the center, which has served as a hub for recovery efforts for Tropical Storm Beryl.
Brandon Jones said he would like to see attention given to all of the city’s parks, not just the marquee ones. His recommendation is sparked by Beverly Park, which he passes daily as he drives to work on New Boston Road.
Beverly Park has little in the way of facilities, according to Jones.
“I’d to see more amenities at the other parks to make them more equitable,” he said.
Starting around Sept. 30, Advance TXK Parks will conduct an online community survey regarding parks, trails, facilities, capital projects, maintenance and funding. The 30- to 40-question poll will be available for six to eight weeks at txkparks.com.
The upcoming Advance TXK Parks workshops will be 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 5 and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. The meetings will be at Texarkana Convention Center.
Public hearings and the City Council’s vote on the plan are projected for March 2025.
