An ambitious plan to bring new recreational activities to Houston was outlined last week before a meeting of the Houston City Council.
After months of study, the Houston Parks and Recreation Board asked the council for input on whether the plan should move forward. Jerry Spencer, board chair for the organization that oversees everything from the municipal swimming pool to Saturday sports programs, said the group had concluded that a sports and recreational complex would greatly benefit the community.
“It would help our town and county grow by bringing more families to our community to participate in our sporting programs. This brings more revenue to our community. It we want our town and businesses to grow in our community, we must have activities that appeal to all ages,” said Spencer. “Our programs need to stand out from other towns for families to want to visit and live in our town.”
Spencer sought input from the council after park board members earlier visited with a cross section of the community — ranging from school board members, the chamber and downtown organization and seniors. He said input had been positive.
He explained the lack of facilities was affecting participation and prevented Houston from hosting events that bring dollars to the community. Space would be rentable year-around, he said.
A top priority is finding a site that has at least 50 acres and could accommodate not only a facility, but provide adequate parking and other amentities, such as a lake and walking trails. It is undecided if an indoor pool component might be included. Talks with other communities has drawn information that indicates it likely would be a financial loser.
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The scope of the project has not been finalized. A financial plan — with sources of funding — also is on the planning board, as is architectural drawings that show the project and a video that does the same.
The board’s top pick for a location is property situated at the northwest corner of Airport Road and West Highway 17 — a portion of the tract is already in the city limits. “We believe this would be a good fit for all concerns for school kids and the downtown area by not being located across a major highway,” Spencer said. “This would also increase growth west of town.” The property — which totals about 200 acres but wouldn’t all be needed — is owned by a trust controlled by heirs of Kathleen Kelly Fiquet. Formal negotiations have not been held pending input from the six-member council.
Comments from the council were positive toward additional planning work. Charles “Chalky” Wells, Ward II alderman, encouraged close coordination between groups and the Houston School District, which was slated to discuss its facility needs at a meeting this week. The council’s newest member, Kevin Stilley, saw the possibility of revenue being generated by traveling teams that now skip over the community due to lack of facilities.
The project moves to study by two council committees, public grounds and parks, and the finance committee.
“It would help our town and county grow by bringing more families to our community to participate in our sporting programs. This brings more revenue to our community. It we want our town and businesses to grow in our community, we must have activities that appeal to all ages.”
-JERRY SPENCER, park board president.