Bryan, College Station Consider Buying Park Land

[dazed2010]

The Eagle:

Bryan and College Station's elected officials soon will decide whether to invest in a massive regional park in Grimes County. It's an economic development opportunity described as "once in a lifetime," but one that could have a $9 million price tag.

The idea to purchase 10,000 acres off of Texas 30 for development as a wildlife preserve and campground first came up about five years ago. It recently resurfaced because of three new variables: A portion of the land will be available to purchase next year; an offer was made by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to operate the park; and a matching federal grant has been announced as a possible funding method.

Ultimately, the Bryan and College Station city councils will decide whether to buy the land in Grimes County from the Texas Municipal Power Agency. The cities together allocated about $1 million a few years ago from Brazos Valley Solid Waste Management Agency utility funds as seed money for the project. But few of the council members that made that decision are still around, and there are concerns among some of the members that the project may not be feasible.

The vision for the land is to highlight its 1,500 acres of water by offering fishing, canoeing and kayaking activities. Camping, hiking and horseback riding also could be available on the site, officials have said.

"It's such a rich area," said College Station Councilman John Crompton, a Texas A&M University professor of recreation, parks and tourism sciences. "You're never going to get this kind of land in one parcel in Texas again. All our land is subdivided. Everyone recognizes this is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Recently retired College Station Parks and Recreation Director Steve Beachy also has touted the benefit of the park, encouraging elected officials to find a way to pay for the land.

"Putting that deal together is the single best opportunity for outdoor recreation in our region," he said in a recent interview with The Eagle.

Although the land is in Grimes County, part of the park is in College Station's extraterritorial jurisdiction, a 3.5-mile swath of land around the city limits -- and it's only about 15 minutes from the heart of Bryan. It's also close to Houston.

"The economic impact, particularly so close to Houston, is enormous," Councilman Crompton said.

This could be really big for BCS....any thoughts?

[nativehou]

There wasn't a map with the online article, so I e-mailed the writer yesterday to ask if there was one available. No response yet. I'd like to have a better idea where this is going to be.

[aggie0083]

Humm.. sounds good. I really want to know where this is.