By Bill Hanna

billhanna@star-telegram.com

Residents in Strawn are hoping the long-planned Palo Pinto Mountains State Park will eventually provide a boost to the small town’s economy.

Outdoor enthusiasts, meanwhile, are looking forward to the day they’ll have a new state park about an hour west of Fort Worth.

Both groups, however, are likely going to have to wait a few years for the the 4,390-acre park to open its gates.

While a public hearing is scheduled for Thursday to discuss where to locate trails and place bathhouses, there is no clear time line when the park, which straddles Palo Pinto and Stephens counties, will be completed. Strawn’s website says the tentative date for an opening is 2018.

“A lot of that is going to depend on the funding allocated to Parks and Wildlife to build a park,” said Chris Beckcom, a Texas Parks and Wildlife park planner. “We can do the planning, but to fund the development — we’re talking millions of dollars.”

The meeting in Strawn will provide the first look at the proposed facilities and recreational uses for the park. The state agency will also take feedback about its plans for the park.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/08/03/6015984/new-state-park-west-of-fort-worth.html#storylink=cpy

snip:
“If you’re raising $260 million, and you’re using 25 percent of that for its intended purpose, and then you’re back-loading to certify the budget the balance of it — Well, then you’re leaving your parks out.”

The situation was even worse for parks a few years back when the department’s budget was slashed along with those of most other state agencies.

This year, lawmakers restored much of that money, but came nowhere close to providing enough for park upgrades, to say nothing of acquiring more parkland.

http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2013/11/25/the-future-of-texas-state-parks-its-all-about-the-money/

JEH, Thanks for the up dates on this project and others. You are the only voice as far as I can tell doing your best to keep us informed. Do you have a location where this acreage is?

Rep. Larson sees an opportunity for just that in the next year’s statewide elections.

“Talk to the folks that are running for office, and talk to them about parks,” Larson said. “Are they committed to stopping the diversion of the sporting good tax?”

Gonna be a Fun November Yet at the Ballot Box

Do you have a location where this acreage is?