Early last year, Sen. Mario Gallegos and I were proud to help secure a $400,000 grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife to acquire, develop and improve land around Sims Woods Park, Sims Wood Conservation Area, and the Harris County Flood Control District along Sims Bayou. This week the Houston Parks Board announced it was using those funds to purchase "a 27.2-acre site on Sims Bayou for a public park that will be a key link in a chain of parks connected by a 14-mile hike-and-bike trail." Below is an article from the Houston Chronicle on the purchase, along with a press release Sen. Gallegos' and my office on the funds.

Houston buys 27.2 acres for Sims Bayou project

It'll be the center park of a 14-mile chain of seven

By MIKE SNYDER

Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

The Houston Parks Board has purchased a 27.2-acre site on Sims Bayou for a public park that will be a key link in a chain of parks connected by a 14-mile hike-and-bike trail.

The acquisition, announced this week, reflects a strategy by local park advocates of developing parks on flood-prone land along bayous and linking them with trails.

The new Robert C. Stuart Park in south-central Houston will be flanked by three existing city parks upstream and three others downstream.

The city of Houston and private organizations are working on plans for a trail linking all seven parks, mostly on right of way controlled by the Harris County Flood Control District.

Using a state grant and private funds, the Parks Board purchased the property for about $950,000, said its executive director, Roksan Okan-Vick. The seller, Francita Stuart Ulmer, donated about half the property's value in exchange for naming the park in honor of her father, the late Robert C. Stuart.

The land will be transferred to Houston's Parks and Recreation Department in the next few months, Okan-Vick said.

The city has received a $400,000 state grant to help pay for improvements including trails and recreation facilities and eventually a canoe and kayak-launching area.

The park also will serve as an outdoor classroom for nearby Hartman Middle School and other schools, Okan-Vick said.

The Stuart Park acquisition is particularly significant because the tract is one of the few remaining streamside forests in Houston, with an abundance of plants and wildlife, said Evelyn Merz, a co-founder of the Sims Bayou Coalition.

SENATOR MARIO GALLEGOS AND REP. GARNET COLEMAN ANNOUNCE AWARDING OF $400,000 FOR SIMS WOOD PARK

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

(Austin)-- State Senator Mario Gallegos, Jr. (Houston) and State Representative Garnet F. Coleman (Houston) announced the awarding of $400,000 for Sims Woods Park in southeast Houston. The funds, granted by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, will assist the City of Houston to acquire, develop, and improve land around Sims Woods Park, Sims Woods Conservation Area, and the Harris County Flood Control District along Sims Bayou.

"This park is essential for the people in the Southeast area of Houston," State Senator Gallegos said. "It will provide families with opportunities to enjoy the outdoors in first-class amenities while preserving the environment that is unique to Houston."

The $400,000 in matching funds will help develop nature trails, benches and picnic tables throughout the park, native landscaping, and numerous wildlife stations.

"These funds will help improve the quality of life for our community," Rep. Coleman said. "Increasing the green space in Houston gives our families an opportunity to come together to enjoy the outdoors."

The awarding of matching funds comes as a result of years of effort and work done by advocates for Houston's parks.

"These dollars will make a tremendous difference towards education the students in the area," Evelyn Merz, President of Sims Bayou Coalition. "There are ten elementary and middle schools within three miles of Sims Woods, and these parks will give those students in the community an opportunity to study in a natural area in their own neighborhood. This will be a wonderful natural area for the community."

Senator Gallegos Contact: Ruben Longoria (512) 463-0106

Rep. Coleman Contact: Ryan Goodland (713) 520-5355