Manor Texas ~ A Citizen's Master Parks Plan

Manor Country Club

TM

“It began as a 150th Birthday present

It Became A Master Parks Plan” prepared by Robert Battaile • CALEXAS INC begun in June, 2022

Y P O C T s F s A e r g DR o r p n i 023 2 k 0 r 1 d 3wo e s i v e R

robert@manortx.us • robert@austinbocceleague.org

The Manor Country Club is simply us and all of our Parks filled with as much cool things as WE can put in ‘em.

It’s open to City of Manor residents and all of Greater Manor.

Hello and thank you for your interest in our Parks.

The MANOR COUNTRY CLUB is an IDEA. There is no clubhouse currently. And there’s next to nothing in our parks. HOWEVER... Manor has $478,700 in our Park Funds that can ONLY be spent in the parks. It’s non-taxpayer funds. It comes from the Developers when they put in a subdivision, or apartments, or townhomes, etc. at the current rate of $550 per home. I’ve seen receipts for $962,000.

Guess what’s been budgeted for Fiscal Year 22-23... NOTHING! Why is that?

The MANOR COUNTRY CLUB is just US going to our parks that are filled with things to do. It’s the Country Club FOR THE PEOPLE! And it’s FREE. The City Council hasn’t put a park bench in Bell Farms in seven years. They haven’t put even one bench or picnic table in the “Art Park” in three years. The City has over $63,000 for LIGHTS in Timmermann Park and they haven’t put ONE LIGHT in ~ in three years!

Myself and two others once offered to put a 9-hole DISC GOLF Course in Timmermann Park in December FOR FREE; and the Manor’s City Council never even said “thank you” and we still don’t have the Disc Golf course there despite it being in the “approved” master plan from 2016!

Let’s take a collective look in the mirror folks. Despite the Council’s claims, Manor is NOT a “Regional Leader with Exceptional Services...” (and all the rest of the nonsense fluff in the City’s “Vision Statement.”) As everyone plainly knows, Manor is basically pretty ho hum (with HUGE potential).

We have an “under achieving” Council (for years and years) and an apathetic citizenry. When I try to encourage people to go to City Hall and advocate for progress and park improvements, the attitude is “why bother?” Unless we change this dynamic, we are doomed to mediocrity or “slower than molasses” progress. We need to make the leap of faith and become very PRO-ACTIVE! Note to self: Our kids ARE ONLY YOUNG ONCE! What are we waiting on? We could be having soccer games, ping pong tournaments, radio car races, bocce leagues, basketball games, pickle ball... and then ~ our kids have a REASON to get off the couch, and off their VIDEOGAMES and iPhones. They have a MECHANISM that encourages the entire family to get out of the house and INTERACT with their neighbors in a positive, productive and healthy way.

This a chance for people to improve their parenting skills. The “problems” in the schools are not the fault of the teachers - they are mainly the fault of the parents. How do we improve parenting skills?

By giving people a chance to interact and be around good role models. Not by two people saying “hi” at an HEB or Walmart. It has to be repetition as in a 10-week soccer league. Over several years.

(Kids are of course responsible for their own behaviors, and education can always be improved.)

And by the way, parks are NOT JUST FOR KIDS. Adults and seniors benefit greatly. The Bocce Players have made many friends and connections over the last two years. A couple of people have gotten jobs thru the networking. It’s exercise. It’s nature. It’s fresh air. It’s belonging. It’s been transformational for some. Yet the City has been unable to finish the 8’ surrounding the courts in 3 years.

We’ve been LOCKED OUT for 8 MONTHS. CITY CLAIMS its a “Public Health Hazard” TOTAL BS.

The adjacent SWING SET & SLIDE are more dangerous!

It’s ironic because these courts are the ONLY thing that is a Regional Leader in this community; yet we can’t start league play because the City has been unable to give us a fee structure that works.

(I’ve started three bocce leagues. The one in Santa Rosa CA begun in 2009, now has over 600 people playing five nights a week on five courts and having a blast. Many have become close friends and are still involved 13 years later! It has changed people lives for the better. The City there charged us NOTHING for the first two years. They wanted people to use the parks.)

Please read bit.ly/boccefutures to learn more about the second most played sport in the world (after soccer). See the antique Bocce paintings from the 1800’s at end Page 64.

On the FUN side of things: Sit down with the kids and go thru this. Talk about the different sports. Talk about the Parks. Most people have NO IDEA that we even have all these parks. We have a one-mile Nature Trail that is fantastic! (Sorry, half our parks aren’t even on the City website - how would you know about them?)

Talk about the Berry Patch and the Community Gardens and the dog runs. (Yes, separate ones for BIG and for small dogs. No bullying allowed. Small dogs can play in peace. That’s a relief.)

A Tennis Court that’s also a Pickleball Court that’s also a Volleyball Court that’s also a Badminton Court... at Bell Farms Park. (or elsewhere) I’d suggest you get the kids Membership Cards too. If the 8-year says “wow” and the 12-year old says “yawn”... the 8-year old gets a card now with a low number. In two years, the 14-year old changes his mind and his membership is much higher. Oh well. I think that’s fun. And it’s an on-gonig meaningful conversation.

It also gets them (and yourselves) more involved in the civic discussion. “How do we these things done Mom?” “Good question, son?” you say. “it works like this...” And so on. But it has practical results. If a goodly number of us start becoming more involved - especially with easy “no-brainers” like improving the parks... we will become a Regional Leader. We will have “things to do.” We will meet and get to know our neighbors. We will FEEL that sense of belonging and community.

Our blood pressure will go down, stress will be vented - and our happiness and quality of life WILL GO UP UP UP! p.s. Do I have to join? No. Not really. The parks are open to the public. It’s all about having fun, improving our lives and BECOMING ADVOCATES for the Parks. We can add whatever value we want.

For instance, you might get an email saying “the blackberries at the Timmermann Park Berry Patch are really juicy right now. Bring the kids and pick a few.”

Or, “Hey the Radio Car Club is having Dragster Races this afternoon. Check it out. Carriage Hills.”

It’s on US... so let’s it do it right. Let’s become the Manor that our destiny deserves!

We’ve had $63,000 for LIGHTS in Timmermann Park for almost THREE YEARS. What are we waiting on? Why are we depriving our children AND ourselves?

NOTE: When looking at the site plan maps, Please go “full-screen”

and then use the slider at the lower RIGHT of your screen to ZOOM way in.

Table of Contents Introduction I. Art Park 6 Concept Plan 7 North and South Parts 8 SITE PLAN and Detail 9 Art Park Goodies 10 II. Timmermann Park 12 2016 Site Plan 13 Empty Park Pix 14 SITE PLAN proposed 15 Detail of Site Plan entrance 16 Detail North of Ring Road 17 Mini-Golf and Gocce 18 Lights 19 Bocce Manority Rules! Poster 20 Bocce Most Innovative Courts in World 21 Historic Bocce Scenes 22 Disc Golf course proposed - 9-hole 23 Disc Golf Tee Site Views 24 Berry Patch & Multi-Fruit Trees 25 Addtl Sports and Other Amenities include:

Junior Soccer, 8 Washers, 2 Ping Pong Tables,

Drone Flying, Large and Small Dog Runs,

Multi-fruit Trees, Berry Patch,

benches, picnic tables, grills, lights...

III. Manor’s Secret 200-acre Park & one-mile Howdy Way Nature Trail 26 Near Trailhead and Explorer 27 Aerial View Howdy Way Trail 28 Amenities 29 ShadowGlen New & Now Phases

30

IV. Jennie Lane Park 31 Lexington View and Sports 32 SITE PLAN 33 V. Bell Farms Parks 34 Empty park pix 35 SITE PLAN 36 Entire Park Potential 37 VI. Carriage Hills 38 Entire Site 39 7-Base Baseball Camp and Radio Control Car Central 40 7-Base Baseball 41 Radio Control Vehicle Tracks 42 Trails and Trolls 43 VII. OLD MANOR Town Square and the Visitor Center 44 SITE PLAN 45 Harriet Tubman by Michael Rosato 46 LBJ “Two Teachers” Mural 47 Sister Rosetta Tharpe 48 Rosetta Music Links and Parsons Street pic 49v

Art Park.

Here is my Concept Plan for Art Park.

(Most of it is currently a dirt lot with nothing in it.)

With the addition of a big stage with a “railroad themed” canopy, the Art Park can be a often used space for concerts, meetings, presentations and plays. The benches, tables and amenities are designed for fun AND business. During SXSW, the space would be rented almost every night and generate on-going revenue.

It has a chalk garden for kids, dart boards, stylish benches and shade; plus high-tables for laptops. When a group rents this space, they will take their breaks and have activities at our nearby parks; including: 1) Timmermann Park - with its Bocce Courts and Disc Golf Course; 2) Jennie Lane Park with its Pickleball and Sand Volleyball Courts; and 3) Manor’s Woodlands Park with its one-mile Howdy Way Nature Trail We have very nice toll roads that can shuttle bus loads of eager conventioneers from all over Austin and the nearby cities. When it’s not rented... we use the space for poetry readings, local band concerts, high school theater...etc. etc.

Remember: We have some $800,000+ for Parks; (nontaxpayer funds that MUST be spent on Parks) We also have over $700,000 in H.O.T. Funds. These Hotel Occupancy Funds are designed to bring overnight stays at our local hotels. The railroad themed canopy should be built with these funds. We could put a visitor center here.

Let’s put a bunch of unusual trees in here.

ALISON BAYLIS, Regional Urban Ecologist I, Urban & Community Forestry Texas A&M Forest Service sent me these links to CENTRAL TEXAS Fruit and Nut trees. WOW. We have a lot of variety to choose from.

I’d like to plant 150 trees in our city as a present for our 150th B-day.

Front: https://austinenergy.com/.../fruitAndNutGrowingGuide.pdf...

Back: https://www.austintexas.gov/.../2_8_12_fruit_nut_tree...

Fruit Trees for Art Park Mexican Plum Jujube Kumquat Che Escarpment Black Cherry Loquat Pawpaw Mulberry

Let’s Play Bocce • Juguemos Bocce

I don’t see a single disc basket. Three people in the community have offered to donate an entire 9-hole Disc Golf course which they have re-desgned for free (inc all the baskets and concrete tee-sites). These gentlemen are Zach from mintdiscs.com and James from reloaddisccs.com - both are Manor companies. I was going to do all the signage for the cost of materials. Watch the video at http://bit.ly/ManorDisc

Timmermann Park Upper Section - North of Ring Road

NOTE: For some unknown reason, the City has added a CENTER TURN lane on RING ROAD. The result of this is that we LOST some 50 parking places for the Park!?!? What’s the point of having a park that NO ONE can go to... this MUST be changed.

This will give you a better idea of how the mini-golf suggested for the upper part of Timmermann Park (north of Ring Rd) would look. It’s free for everyone to play unless it’s rented out by the City for parties or events.

Most cities like to have parks that can generate revenue to help with maintenance costs especially.

Perhaps, we’ll just have a couple of dozen old putters and a basket of colored balls there for people to use. Otherwise, bring your own from home.

The buildings will be 2-3’ tall replicas of our local landmarks. The “fairways” will have bends and angles; plus hills, humps and valleys.

Lights are solar powered “smart lights” that have motion detectors and timers. The yellow circles are bollard lights (short ones) for walkways. The orange colored elements are multi-fruit trees, or other trees.

Gocce is bocce played on a miniature golf course. You get extra points or half-points if a ball goes into the cup. Patent pending.

Note that the Zip Line would be an outside vendor. I’d give them the same 50% sales tax rebate that Manor is giving other developers for 10-20 years to recoup their upfront costs. Imagine being up on the platform looking down on 290 crawling slowly below. And then... ZOOM you’re soaring out over the park for half a mile. You can weigh up to 250 pounds and still partake.

Here’s my plan for LIGHTS: We’ve had over $100,000 specifically for lights in Timmermann Park for THREE YEARS!! and not ONE light has been put in. Of course, that’s just as well since they wouldn’t have known where to put them; and they probably would have been “old school” hard-wired dumb lights. These lights are solar powered smart lights with dimmers and motion detection. They’re $4,000 each for the more decorative ones and $3000 for the plain vanilla. When the development around the north end of the park is finished - that total available will be $161,000.

If you haven’t enjoyed playing sports under the lights on a cool evening ~ or even taken a nice brisk walk... you don’t know what you’re missing!

Watch the Video at bit.ly/ManorDisc

These are examples of Multi-fruit trees. 3-4 different varieties are GRAFTED onto the “root stock.”

Manor’s Secret Park

It’s beautiful. Take the kids. Take the dawg. Woodlands Park. The real deal.

The sign has been changed thanks to my urging. Noone should be in this park after dark. New hours are “til dusk.”

This is a City Park. It’s not a “Nature Preserve” as many would have you believe. Yes, we want to protect it. But, we also want to USE IT! These same people would have you believe there’s no parking on the streets in ShadowGlen. Per Manor Police Chief, Ryan Phipps - these are PUBLIC ROADS. Anyone who doesn’t own a house in SG can park anywhere they want! Of course, don’t block any of the driveways, park in the direction of traffic, and keep your tires within 18” of the curb.

I’d like to put a small parking lot just inside the City Limits which would provide for Handicap Access parking as well as for the buses of school kids that should be having field trips to learn about nature and human’s place in it.

It’s a mulch trail which is not so great for wheelchairs, but note that wheelchairs only account for about 20% of all Handicap Placards on vehicles. The balance includes people with high blood pressure, heart conditions, blindness, deafness, Alzheimers, Dimentia, knee problems, etc.

It’s genuine nature which means there are rattlesnakes, and other varmints. Flash flooding is a risk. These and other noteworthy issues need to be displayed prominenty near the entrance to the Howdy Way one-mile Nature Trail. This is part of the learning experience... it’s quiet. You can hear the birds. You can hear the wind in the trees. Take a breath. Take a deep breath.

We need many benches. A few picnic tables and maybe some exercise points along the trail. I’d like to add some dinosaur bones for kids to uncover, and a Tribal Meadow for drum circles. How about a challenging dirt bike trail to go along with the other approx. 5 miles of trails promised since 2003. (with adequate parking & entry access.)

Note: SG residents aren’t allowed to park on the streets there. They will have to park at the SG Elementary School one-half mile away until we get the parking lot done.

Nice Place for a NEW DOWNTOWN? - Manor Crossing includes Home Depot and HEB. City gave $20,000,000 of 380 Incentives over 20 YRS. ~ Monarch Ranch also required by Codes to have PLAZA.

It took me a year to get this sign changed. New sign includes “City of Manor” Park and improved hours. It’s only open until dusk now... for obvious safety reasons!

This is a nice little park. Lion’s Club built the Gazebo and Canopy along with the Water Fountain. Veteran’s Wall has been installed.

The lawn is nice, but rarely used. How about: 1. Pickleball 2. Shuffleboard

3. Sand Volleyball 4. Kiddie Playground in place 5. Canopy & Picnic Tables (more) 6. Grills 7. Restroom Sidewalk for ADA 8. Farmers Market 9. Washers Pits and Benches 10. Balls and Paddles, Shuffleboard eqpt Gets “checked out” from nearby City Hall

Robert at Veterans Wall.

Psst. Zoom way, way in.

Note all the street names.

Anybody see any benches? I don’t. With the exception of the half-basketball court for some people, why would your kids want to come here as it is now?

I only just realized that every street in Bell Farms is named after a Bell. Therefore, I think we need to have some bells and musical sculpture that is interactive. No, we don’t want louds bells all day and night - but we (kids and adults) can still have fun with sound and wind and mallets.

Also: Splash Pad w shade, Community Garden w shed, Horshoes, Big and small Dog Run, benches, lights, fruit trees.

The City of Manor owns all the land inside this blue outline. The North end could be a great spot for tennis courts, including volleyball, badminton and pickleball by using an adjustable net. Due to the proximaty of the neighbors, I think no lights. The lighted pickleball courts for night time play would be at Jennie Lane Park.

6 Horshoe Pits

City of Manor owns both sections.

It’s funny how things can evolve... I started this out as batting cages, But they’re kinda expensive so I thought “hey, let’s do a manual version.” You hit the balls and then you go gather them up... as long as we’re practicing - let’s add some bases and pitchers mound. Let’s add a fence so we don’t have to chase the balls!

And hey, why not make it for little leagues, women’s fast pitch softball and major leaguers too! It only takes up about 1/4 of the space of a full-size baseball field. Since we got a fence, let’s put markings on it to be targets for doubles, triples and home runs.

Well, why don’t we create a game to use all these bases... (drum roll please)

So I invented “7-Base Baseball” and filed for a patent.

You get extra points for touching extra bases. Teams are 7 people. 3 balls = a walk. 4 outs in an inning. A home run could be 7 runs PLUS a point for each base tagged over the normal four bases.

Players can run diagonally. Imagine the four-person infield trying to cope with all these base runners.

It would be nice to have this gorgeous painted fence, or even a fence with L.E.D. lights, but simple outlines could work too. We can use rain gutters to funnel the balls to certain areas for pickup. We could even turn this into a GOLF driving range.

Radio Control vehicles teach lots of STEM skills and bring people together!

Track is Manor City Roads!

Radio Controlled Boats can be used at Bell Farms South Park pond; or at Timmermann Park North End pond.

Alternately, this space could be used for Soccer, Lacrosse, Field Hockey & Rugby.

Trails, Tolls & Trolls

OLD

MANOR

Note: The property owner has not bought into this plan. It’s included herein to spark your imagination. Much of the “open air Convention Center” ideas can still work via inclusion in the Art Park.

Meanwhile, I’ve started talking with AT&T about putting the Harriet Tubman Mural there, along with a little plaza seating area. They own the red brick building a block to the east.

“Two Teachers” by Robert Battaile

Sister Rosetta Tharpe I only heard about this woman about 10 months ago. As a professional musician and guitarist for 40 years, seems like I should have heard of her. She is a monster. In a good way. Fearless. Over the top. Copied by everyone from Chuck Berry to BB King to Stevie Ray to Scotty Moore (Elvis) to Jimi you-know-who and Eric Clapton and Keith Somebody, etc. How come no one told me?

That’s why I want to make it up to her with this mural and a performance stage. Easy lights, sound and cameras and streaming live to the planet... from small town Manor. I like that idea. Let’s do it.

How ‘bout this? Lower right. Recognize those American Music Icons? a) Rosetta loud and proud. 2) Spellbound at the piano: Duke Ellington. 2) Spellbound at the right: Cab Calloway. Jammin’ baby. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gELe5Rj_tXU&list=RDEMca4C9EfYPWaUC0eV3I9ndg&index=2 youtube.com/watch?v=JeaBNAXfHfQ&list=RDEMca4C9EfYPWaUC0eV3I9ndg&start_radio=1&rv=Qj3fpujjFis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2mVcofbhuk&list=RDEMca4C9EfYPWaUC0eV3I9ndg&index=5