Commissioners on April 22 began early conversations regarding the use of a property in Comfort near the Guadalupe River that could potentially be used for a park featuring sport fields and a walking trail.
While no action was taken on the item and all planning is preliminary, commissioners showed support for the creation of a space with fields, whether it be the Comfort property or another county property.
The details
Commissioner Chad Carpenter said the property would be beneficial to the county, since organizations and residents have to use the fields in the city of Boerne. This leads to stress on the city when it comes to maintaining and managing parks.
“We haven’t had enough park space for years,” Carpenter said. “I think out in Comfort is a good place for this.”
Brad Harrell, president of the Comfort Youth Baseball Association, said there are fields in Comfort, but no room for growth, creating a need for additional space.
“We have our own fields that we utilize, but we are landlocked and cannot expand anymore,” he said.
According to the agenda, the master plan would consist of possible baseball fields, soccer fields, football fields and pickle-ball courts. It will also include a walking/jogging path along the Guadalupe River. This plan is not official and is subject to change.
What they’re saying
Judge Shane Stolarczyk was in favor of exploring options for Proposition A properties, but said discussions should be encompassing of all properties rather than trying to piecemeal individual plans.
Alongside these concerns, Stolarczyk said the county has other projects in the works that should be prioritized.
“We have a lot of priorities going on in the county that take precedence over developing the Prop A properties,” he said.
Projects mentioned included a Blanco building, Burdick Center and two floors of the county courthouse.
Commissioner Richard Chapman said while he is in favor of the area being used as a park, the engineering department should be part of the process from the start since the land is located in the floodplain.
Looking ahead
No official decision was made on the use of the property, and further discussions about plans for Proposition A property uses are planned in the future.
When considering the land use and plans going forward, county staff and commissioners encouraged the exploration of grant funds to help form park development, which would help alleviate the funding pressure on the county.
