Environment
Development
BY JAMES T. NORMAN
BY JAMES T. NORMAN
Kemah completes rst 2 of 9 possible phases of 57-acre, $4M nature park
Funding expected soon for Clear Creek, Dickinson Bayou ood study
2017
Looking ahead
Hurricane Harvey hits Houston
Local o cials begin working toward watershed study
2019
Saldaña said the project has nine phases ostensibly planned, which leaves seven left to carry out. The plan is to complete one phase per year with an annual budget of $500,000. However, some factors could change that. A possible $750,000 grant from the city could speed up work, but future leaders on the Kemah Community Development Corporation could also opt against certain phases. In the meantime, the current plan calls for several additional amenities, according to Kemah’s website. Those include: • A boardwalk over the wetlands • No-mow wildflower mix and native grasses • Wildlife and learning features “I think it will be the No. 1 nature park in Galveston County,” Saldaña said.
First phase wraps up
2022
June - O cials receive support from USACE to carry out phase 2 Fall - Cities approve funding for second phase
It took less than a year to build out its rst two phases, but Kemah City Council member Isaac Saldaña said the city’s new 57-acre nature park was two decades in the making. O cials cut the ribbon in July on the rst two of nine planned phases for the area, which o cials hope will help promote ecotourism, Community Impact previously reported. Saldaña said he wants it to serve as a place for locals to escape to nature. “We spent a lot of time on the wildlife, the plants, the insects,” Saldaña said. “How can we enhance the area? It was a very detailed, involved process.” The rst two phases broke ground in September 2024 and cost around $1 million, Saldaña said.
Dugie said he expects to come from any number of the 23 counties and cities that have voiced support for it. Dugie said he thinks the need and widespread support will help with future federal and state funding. “I think the math is going to show it’s the right decision,” Dugie said. What’s next? Dugie said o cials should be ready in 2026 to begin discussions with the federal and state govern- ments. A formal request could come in 2027. The study should be wrapped up by 2028, he said, but when construction could begin isn’t known. “They’ve said it takes a long time,” Dugie said. “Since the [1970s], we’ve worked on getting a federal project in our part of the coast. We’re further than we’ve ever been before.”
A number of cities and counties could soon pitch in a total of between $3 million-$5 million for the second phase of a study related to ood projects. If approved in the coming weeks and months, the funding will come a couple of months after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave the go-ahead for the study to move forward, Galveston County Commis- sioner Hank Dugie said. The gist The Lower Clear Creek and Dickinson Bayou Water Study completed its rst phase in 2022. While the rst phase was mostly related to creating a list of potential projects and shoring up data, phase two is to research and justify said projects, Dugie said. The cost The study could cost up to $5 million, which
$500K budgeted annually
9 phases with 7 to go
57 acres
2025
2026
Preliminary request is made to state and federal governments
2027
Formal request is made to state and federal governments
2028
Study expected to wrap up
$5M potential total cost for study
Roughly 3 years to carry out study
518 518
KEMAH OAKS DR.
146
PARK OAKS ST.
The park will have a welcome pavilion. (Courtesy city of Kemah)
23 cities and counties support study
11.5K structures possibly impacted in potential ood
BAY OAKS DR.
N
SOURCE: CITY OF KEMAH COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCES: MULTIPLE CITIES COMMUNITY IMPACT
BAY AREA 1033 Bay Area Blvd (281) 486-9558
KEMAH 243 FM 2094 (281) 538-9095 SEABROOK 3126 Nasa Pkwy (281) 326-5127
LEAGUE CITY 196 Gulf Fwy S (281) 316-2140
Powered by FlippingBook