City to have public meeting on parks

Sat, May 17 2008

— By Erik Onstott
The Orange Leader

The city of Orange will hold a public meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the Orange City Council chambers. The purpose of the meeting is to gather public input on the park plan the city is putting together, according to Orange director of planning Jimmie Lewis.
“We’re going to list what we have existing in the parks, and what’s missing. We’d also like to hear the wants and desires of the people that use the parks,” Lewis said. “We would like anyone who uses the parks to attend and give us their feedback.”
The city will take the feedback and incorporate it into a document which will lay out a long-term (8- to 10-year) plan to manage and improve the city’s parks. Officials will also make a list of items to improve in the parks and prioritize the list as part of the management plan.
“We’ll also be sending the plan off to Texas Parks and Wildlife for them to approve and keep on file,” Lewis said. “It’ll give us extra points when we go to apply for indoor and outdoor grants.”
The indoor grants, Lewis said, cover inside recreational activities; one of the indoor priorities in the city of Orange’s case, Lewis said, was improving the public natatorium.
The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the Orange City Council chambers at the Orange Public Library, 220 N. 5th St.
For more information call Orange director of planning Jimmie Lewis at 409-883-1034.

Reach this reporter at 409-883-3571, Ext. 2616 or eonstott@orangeleader.com