A diamond in the rough.You've just purchased your dream home in the heart of suburbia, a community meticulously planned to address the priorities of life: a well planned, safe city with a thriving economy, first-class recreational facilities and "exemplary" rated schools. Your community has the feeling of a small town with the advantages of a nearby metropolitan area. Neighbors take pride in their homes and their neighborhood and place a premium on civic involvement. Life is good, except for the sand pit clearly visible from the bay window in your kitchen. The manicured landscape of Sugar Land, Texas, would likely make the perfect setting for a modern-day Norman Rockwell Noun 1. Norman Rockwell - United States illustrator whose works present a sentimental idealized view of everyday life (1894-1978) Rockwell painting of suburban America. With sprawling master-planned communities, country clubs, oak tree-lined roadways and a shopping mall dotting the landscape, the picturesque setting is more than just skin deep. Residents enjoy a low crime rate, high-performing schools and a thriving economy. These factors, combined with an aggressive capital improvements program, contribute to the City's continued growth. With a population of just over 63,800, the 2000 U.S. Census ranked Sugar Land among the fastest growing cities in Texas List of cities in Texas, arranged in alphabetical order. : Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A
Planned growth through public-private partnerships has been key to the City's ability to provide first-class amenities, including 347 acres of community and neighborhood parks Neighborhood parks, which generally range in size up to 30 acres, serve as a social and recreational focal points for neighborhoods and are the basic units of a park system. Many include a playground. . While Sugar Land is a city of modest size, its master parks plan is representative of what might be found in larger metropolitan cities like its neighbor to the northeast -- the city of Houston. A city survey conducted in 1995 showed that the number one priority of citizens was passive park settings and extensive trail systems. As a result, an Open Space Master Plan was implemented shortly thereafter that resulted in the creation of one of the City's signature park complexes. From Pit to Park Once a barren source of fill dirt Fill dirt is earthy material which is used to fill in a depression or hole in the ground. Fill dirt is usually subsoil (soil from beneath the top soil) and underlying soil parent material which has little soil organic matter or biological activity. bounded by a utility easement easement, in law, the right to use the land of another for a specified purpose, as distinguished from the right to possess that land. If the easement benefits the holder personally and is not associated with any land he owns, it is an easement in gross (e.g. , Oyster Creek Oyster Creek may refer to:
Prior to the creation of the park, residential developers viewed the 110 acres at State Highway 6 and Settlers Way Boulevard as unusable except for excavation purposes, but city park planners saw a diamond in the rough. Nestled amid master-planned residential communities, the transformation of the pit into a signature park facility has exceeded all expectations. The craters left by fill dirt operations served as a start for what is now the facility's focal point focal point n. See focus. , a free-flowing water feature that separates an amphitheater from a massive open area suitable for events on a grand scale, such as the City's annual Red, White and Bluefest, an Independence Day celebration that attracted 50,000 the first year it was held at Oyster Creek Park. Building on the area's natural amenities, the water feature accents the natural undergrowth and forest lining of Oyster Creek and contributes to a dramatic entrance. To access the park, visitors cross a pedestrian bridge spanning the lush vegetation of Oyster Creek and are immediately confronted with the football field-length water feature, which includes lights, water falls and fountains surrounded by stone boulders and river rocks. Events offered at the facility run the gamut from picnics to city-sponsored events like concerts and Easter celebrations. But more importantly, the park has served as an effective bond for the City's diverse community, a fact clearly apparent during last year's "Proud to be Americans" rally that attracted thousands and affirmed the City's decision to build the facility. During the rally songs of freedom and patriotism filled the park, as residents from many backgrounds -- Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Christian -- joined together to mourn mourn v. mourned, mourn·ing, mourns v.intr. 1. To feel or express grief or sorrow. See Synonyms at grieve. 2. victims of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the Pennsylvania countryside. A Public-Private Partnership The success of the facility is the result of a public-private partnership involving a $500,000 grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas. (made possible because the natural habitat along Oyster Creek was left intact) and donations of 91 acres from Sugarland Properties, Inc. (a local developer); 2.5 acres from First Colony Community Services Association; and 17.5 acres from Standard Pacific of Texas, Inc. Construction of the facility was funded by sales taxes collected by the Sugar Land 4B Corporation, a non-profit group created to improve the quality of life in the City. Two Parks in One A unique aspect of the park is a 10-foot wide trail system interconnecting Oyster Creek Park to nearby Lost Creek Lost Creek can refer to several places:
In Texas, it provides service to nearly 1.9 million retail electricity customers, including residential and small business customers and commercial, industrial, HL&P -- facilitates a regional interrelated in·ter·re·late tr. & intr.v. in·ter·re·lat·ed, in·ter·re·lat·ing, in·ter·re·lates To place in or come into mutual relationship. in park system, with Oyster Creek accommodating passive use and citywide events and Lost Creek Park providing more active amenities, including: * an air-conditioned meeting room; * an open-air pavilion with picnic tables; * outdoor grills; * soccer fields; * a playground; and * a concession stand Concession stand is the term used to refer to a place where patrons can purchase snacks or food at a cinema, fair, Stadium, or other entertainment venue. Some events or venues contract out the right to sell food to third parties. . The trail system connecting the two parks is in constant use by joggers, cyclists and walkers who are able to access the parks from the surrounding neighborhoods that comprise the First Colony community. While the term "passive" may describe the official designation of Oyster Creek Park, it's certainly not the way residents view the facility. On a daily basis, the park is bustling with activity. As many as 1,000 people visit the park each day, whether to fish or just enjoy the peaceful surroundings. A resident living near the park probably best describes the facility: "My husband and I use the trail system to enjoy quiet talks in the evening while getting our exercise. When the grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. arrive, it's off to the park for everything from impromptu softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' games to cycling. I can assure you that the trail system connecting Oyster Creek Park to Lost Creek Park was a magnificent idea." Joe Chesser, Sugar Land interim parks and recreation director, has 13 years of municipal government experience as a parks facility planner and project manager. He has a degree in Landscape Architecture from Texas Tech University and has been registered as a Landscape Architect in the state of Texas since 1986. Chesser is currently a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects The American Society of Landscape Architects is the national professional association representing landscape architects, with more than 17,000 members and 48 chapters, representing all 50 American states, US territories, and 42 countries around the world. , National Recreation and Parks Association and Texas Recreation and Parks Society. His article titled "A Diamond in the Rough" begins on page 116. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion