Don’t miss these upcoming Parks and Rec events Movie in the Park at Heritage Park, March 25, 7 to 10 p.m. Easter Egg Scramble at Jake’s Hilltop Park, April 8, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Underwater Easter Egg Hunt at the CAC indoor pool, April 15, 10 to 11:20 a.m. 18th Annual Father-Daughter Prom at the Senior Center, April 22, 6 to 9 p.m. The Summer Concert Series in Heritage Park each Friday night throughout the month of May KidFish at Rheudasil Park, May 6, 9 a.m. to noon
Pictured, L to R: Joshua Brown, park services supervisor; Kari Biddix, parks development manager; Gary Sims, executive director of community services; Clayton Litton, parks superintendent and Chuck Jennings, parks and recreation director.
option is to build a second location to better serve those on the west side of town. WHAT THEY ALREADY LOVE High on the list of brags this year was the opening of the Hound Mound dog park. “We knew that people wanted it, but there are often times more people at the dog park than any other park,” says Sims. “We have a lot of pride in how it turned out.” Shade structures over the seating areas will be erected this month. New playgrounds were installed in Staton Oak Park, Timber Creek Park and Shadow Ridge Park, which now have full A.D.A. accessibility. The Twin Coves RV park renovation project was delayed by the spring 2016 floods, however, it is scheduled to open in early summer with 18 high-end RV parking slips (equipped with full hookups), a playground, a disc golf course, 19 furnished cabins, fire pits and one of the longest boat ramps on fm STYLE Magazine
Grapevine Lake. The park will also provide two picnic pavilions, a combo kayak launch/fishing pier, a grass volleyball court, scenic overlook and access to beautiful nature trails. The parks department recently completed renovations at Rheudasil, Post Oak and Heritage Parks and is designing the new park at Canyon Falls. Also new was the stocking of trout to ponds at Rheudasil Park and the new pond at Heritage Park, curtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife. “Not long after we stocked the ponds, I went by Heritage Park and people were fishing nearly shoulder to shoulder,” Sims says. “That really makes you feel like what you do adds value to the community.” Another gem in the town is the Senior Center. The Seniors in Motion program began at the CAC with about 67 participants and quickly outgrew the space. Now with a dedicated building on West Windsor Drive, the program has nearly 2,500 paid memberships. The annual $10 fee helps offset a portion of the cost of the program as well as determine how many people use the facility. “The Senior Center occupies a special place in my heart because it gives people a reason to get up, get out of the house and be around other people,” Sims says. In addition, caregivers are provided a much-needed break and can relax in an adjoining room while their friend or family member enjoys lunch, games, crafts or an outing. The building also offers computer access, a lending library, recreation—indoor and outdoor— and helpful programs such as money management and medical care. MAR 17 • 15