Travis County Commissioners Court
January 17, 2006
Item 11
11. Consider and take appropriate action regarding adoption of park rules for milton reimers ranch park and pogue springs preserve.
>> joe gieselman and charles berg with t.n.r. The county Commissioners court adopted rules for parks several years ago. What we are asking is that these rules as adopted apply to the newly acquired milton reimers ranch park as well as to pogue springs preserve. The only action of the court that we need to do applying as a blanket to the park would be to apply the special rules to the pogue springs preserve. That would include no pets, no fires, no swimming in the creek. So that would be three rules that we -- that currently applying to other preserves in the county system. But we need to be applied to the pogue springs to bring them kind of into conformance. We will manage the pogue springs the same way we would hamilton pool. The only communications that I have had on this today are from an adjoining property owner who would like us to stress basically enforcement of the -- of the -- of the leash law for dogs as well as to inform the investors where the property lines are so there's no trespass on properties adjoining the park. In particular across the pedernales river. The river is a boundary with the park and just ask that we inform our visitors that the river is the boundaries, don't come across the street and start trespassing on private property.
>> that's really no different than the situation at mcgregger, more properly known as hippie hollow. There is a property line that needs to be respected, we have neighbors, fine to be on our property, but not fine to be on somebody else's. They need to be just as aggressive as we are in other places where we are sharing a boundary.
>> we have many parks in the system with the same type of operational issue. It's really an operational day to day issue that -- you know bob wentz park is an issue involving a boundary and an easement. Educating the users to come into the park to be cognizant of the separation between our property and our adjacent neighbor.
>> how is that done? The educational piece?
>> it's done at the entry station.
>> so when they come in, here's what the rules are, blah blah blah.
>> that's correct.
>> okay.
>> tell me why -- why the -- [indiscernible] goes back in '93, about the no pets, the reasoning, if they are on a leash in case I’m asked.
>> in the preserves, it really kind of -- the way we operate the preserves, kind of a unique facility, hamilton pool and usually in situations where we have endangered species or potential I think dangerred species we keep pets out. That's -- we run that same policy for hamilton pool, hippie hollow because it does have habitat in the upper areas. There are parks in the system that do allow off the leash, webberville is one of them, pace bend is one of them. You can go there and as long as your dog is not harassing, you know, the general public and there's not a potential conflict there, we allow people to run their dogs off the leash at those two facilities.
>> so we operate reimers like a park and the pogue like a preserve.
>> that's correct.
>> so you can have pets on leash at reimers.
>> correct.
>> but not at pogue.
>> that's correct.
>> at pogue no swimming anywhere.
>> anywhere.
>> in the canyon. In the canyon.
>> okay. All right. Now, pogue preserve, no swimming in -- it says pools, creeks or springs.
>> that's correct.
>> that would apply to the canyon. The sensitive environmental features of the canyon. We would not anticipate and we haven't gotten to the master plan rose for that tract, but I would imagine that when we get through the master plan process it's possible, it would be possible for you to go down the shoreline of the pedernales and go into the pedernales from -- from the shoreline. But we have not gotten to to that point right now. Currently the way we are operating pogue is by guided towers and until we complete the master plan process, we will continue that operational procedure.
>> that's the river I mean you just talked about pedernales river. Talking about river.
>> that's correct.
>> so this says pogue hollow preserve. Should we say in the canyon of --
>> > we could do that.
>> I mean not that I know the difference, but somebody might. So if we are saying you can -- you really can swim in the preserve but not in the canyon, then if you know where the canyon is, I guess anywhere else is all right in the preserve.
>> we -- we could clarify that.
>> the other thing is no fires period, which means camp fires, grills, any -- no fires in the preserve period.
>> period.
>> that's not only during dry conditions, but year round until further notice.
>> that's correct.
>> all right. So what we tried to do in these rules really is to be consistent with park rules and other county parks and preserve rules in other county preserves.
>> the standardization of the rules helps the staff manage it. And it helps us educate the public. So that they know what the -- what to anticipate when they come into any of the county parks.
>> okay. With three exceptions, fires, swimming and pets. At the pogue reserve -- pogue preserve.
>> correct.
>> all right.
>> when do we think that we will have the -- the plan of what we are going to do with the preserve. So that people can enter the preserve other than just a guided tour.
>> we will be initiating that process probably this month. We will get all of the stakeholders together, a lot of interest and participation in that process depending on what level of involvement people have, take several months to come out with the master plan to the Commissioners court for adoption. We will probably do that internally. We will use our staff and then the formal committee, then start talking through the various activities that will be anticipated within the park. We will also drive capital I capimprovements within the park. Once we get settled down, we would like to get those designed just ismmented as soon as possible. That's -- that's -- have to do the planning first, go build -- build within the park. We spent probably three, four months as I recall on the east metro park when we do this process. A lot of community involved in it. We looked for the same type of process on milton reimers park.
>> would we anticipate [indiscernible] may?
>> probably.
>> I could certainly see may, June.
>> okay.
>> I move that we adopt the proposed rules for -- for milton reimers park and the pogue preserve. Discussion? All in favor? That passes by unanimous vote. Thank you all very much.
>> thank you.
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Last Modified:
Wednesday, January 18, 2006 8:13 AM