February 15, 20232 yr First state park closure, ever https://www.kwtx.com/2023/02/15/fairfield-state-park-close-permanently-feb-28/?outputType=amp
February 15, 20232 yr Yeah I saw that. Never made it out there myself. Sucks. I suppose at one time, Vistra/Oncor/TXU intended to build a coal or NG plant there and use the lake for cooling, but the recent environment makes that not feasible or needed, so they're offloading the property. One the one hand, good on them for leasing it to the state, on the other, it might have been nice of them to sell it to someone that would keep the lease. But profit. I wonder how many other state parks are on leased private land.
February 15, 20232 yr Author 6 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said: Yeah I saw that. Never made it out there myself. Sucks. I suppose at one time, Vistra/Oncor/TXU intended to build a coal or NG plant there and use the lake for cooling, but the recent environment makes that not feasible or needed, so they're offloading the property. One the one hand, good on them for leasing it to the state, on the other, it might have been nice of them to sell it to someone that would keep the lease. But profit. I wonder how many other state parks are on leased private land. I think its around 10-15
February 15, 20232 yr I fished that lake a few times. Decent bass fishing with the added bonus of stocked redfish.
February 15, 20232 yr Lake Texana State Park is no longer a state park but it transitioned to a LNRA park so it's still open to the public. https://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20120504a
February 15, 20232 yr 2 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said: I think its around 10-15 That's a list I'd like to see
February 15, 20232 yr 19 minutes ago, deadshank said: One of our Surly thousandaires should buy the joint. I remember fishing and camping there with you and some other crazies many moons ago. Trolling for redfish was really unique for inland freshwater lake.....
February 15, 20232 yr 4 hours ago, TwiceHorn said: Yeah I saw that. Never made it out there myself. Sucks. I suppose at one time, Vistra/Oncor/TXU intended to build a coal or NG plant there and use the lake for cooling, but the recent environment makes that not feasible or needed, so they're offloading the property. One the one hand, good on them for leasing it to the state, on the other, it might have been nice of them to sell it to someone that would keep the lease. But profit. I wonder how many other state parks are on leased private land. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised to see Abbott and his merry band of nincompoops start trying to sell of state owned ones.
February 15, 20232 yr Looks like Dallas developer bought it and has plans for gated community and golf course.....Was listed for 110 million...https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article272507297.html
February 15, 20232 yr Our State Parks are woefully underfunded. A decade or so ago, I read some article on their funding. There was a crazy quote that caught my eye. It said that at current funding, state parks could replace their work trucks every 700 years. Trucks are a lot more expensive now. CHIEF
February 15, 20232 yr They did the same thing to the old county park at Lake Bridgeport. It was built in 1929 by the CCC and had several rock pavilions, covered picnic tables and a big sandy beach. In the mid 70's the Tarrant Regional Water District started building a new dam, closed the park and allowed a little gated community to be built there. Most of them are vacation homes for DFW doctors. Edited February 15, 20232 yr by RPM
February 15, 20232 yr We have three state parks in my area, Cleburne State Park, Meridian State Park, and Dinosaur Valley State Park. Dinosaur Valley is the only one that gets steady traffic. The CCC built them all in the 1930's. My grandfather told me when they were first built, during Prohibition, that's where you went every Saturday night for dancing, and to buy moonshine. There would be hundreds of folks there. After Prohibition was repealed, the state parks just dried up. CHIEF Edited February 15, 20232 yr by CHIEF
February 15, 20232 yr 7 minutes ago, CHIEF said: The CCC built them all in the 1930's. Thank you! I could not remember their name.
February 15, 20232 yr 58 minutes ago, JCHIL said: I remember fishing and camping there with you and some other crazies many moons ago. Trolling for redfish was really unique for inland freshwater lake..... Somebody put alcohol in our whisky and beer.
February 15, 20232 yr Kerrville-Schreiner used to be a state park, was handed over to the city of Kerrville in 2004. It's amazing how underfunded the State Parks are. Was recently looking at Kickapoo Cavern state park, they haven't had hot water at the park since December 1st and are still waiting on the funding to fix the water heater. Strangely that's a common problem that I've experienced at multiple state parks...showers but no hot water.
February 15, 20232 yr 1 hour ago, stc said: It's amazing how underfunded the State Parks are. Was recently looking at Kickapoo Cavern state park, they haven't had hot water at the park since December 1st and are still waiting on the funding to fix the water heater. Strangely that's a common problem that I've experienced at multiple state parks...showers but no hot water. Makes you wonder what they are doing with all the fees they collect. Can't get hot water but they are driving a 2023 Yukon towing a $150K boat.
February 15, 20232 yr In one of the articles I read, TPW started getting a slice of sales tax that might have actually made it feasible to buy Fairfield SP, had it occurred earlier.
February 15, 20232 yr 2 hours ago, CHIEF said: Our State Parks are woefully underfunded. A decade or so ago, I read some article on their funding. There was a crazy quote that caught my eye. It said that at current funding, state parks could replace their work trucks every 700 years. Trucks are a lot more expensive now. CHIEF Shocking this state would underfund a public good
February 15, 20232 yr 40 minutes ago, RPM said: Makes you wonder what they are doing with all the fees they collect. Can't get hot water but they are driving a 2023 Yukon towing a $150K boat. To be fair, the boat was a good investment.
February 15, 20232 yr Yea I can sadly say i visited very few state parks growing up but as I got older it's been a thing with my friends. We love it and visit more than a few every year. Sucks to lose one and yes I agree the funding is fucked
February 16, 20232 yr Author Fairfield lake was my 49th state park that I have visited with the fam since Covid. Was just there 8 months ago. Damn shame
February 16, 20232 yr 10 hours ago, CHIEF said: We have three state parks in my area, Cleburne State Park, Meridian State Park, and Dinosaur Valley State Park. Dinosaur Valley is the only one that gets steady traffic. The CCC built them all in the 1930's. My grandfather told me when they were first built, during Prohibition, that's where you went every Saturday night for dancing, and to buy moonshine. There would be hundreds of folks there. After Prohibition was repealed, the state parks just dried up. CHIEF Love all 3 of those. Meridian and Cleburne are part of those classic lake parks. Edited February 16, 20232 yr by SimonBolivar
February 16, 20232 yr Reminds me of the old El Rancho Cima Boy Scout camp that was damaged in the Wimberley/Blanco floods of 2015 (?). Beautiful land. Some was bought out by the Nature Conservancy, I think, but the rest is getting divided up and sold for development. Still, looks like they saved the best parts... https://republicranches.com/properties/texas/hill-country/el-rancho-cima/ https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Boy-Scout-nature-area-in-Hays-County-17192770.php Not sure I fully appreciated going to Boy Scout Camp back then but it was a pretty magical location.
February 16, 20232 yr At least we are getting a new on this year.https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2022-10-14/we-need-more-places-for-texans-to-go-palo-pinto-highlights-state-efforts-to-invest-in-new-parks
February 16, 20232 yr On 2/15/2023 at 10:31 AM, Macanudo said: At this point, I wouldn't be surprised to see Abbott and his merry band of nincompoops start trying to sell of state owned ones. Some homes on Enchanted Rock could fetch good money.
February 16, 20232 yr On 2/15/2023 at 10:31 AM, JCHIL said: Looks like Dallas developer bought it and has plans for gated community and golf course.....Was listed for 110 million...https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article272507297.html I was going to buy it and Boone Pickens ranch in Pampa last year had I hit that $2bn lottery. Would've had some serious water rights.
February 20, 20232 yr Didn’t they sell a state forest or park in The Woodlands to developers a few years back? Damn shame. I camped up there as a scout.
February 20, 20232 yr 28 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said: Didn’t they sell a state forest or park in The Woodlands to developers a few years back? Damn shame. I camped up there as a scout. That was the Strake Boy Scout camp.
February 20, 20232 yr The State of Texas got the place for free for 50 years. Apparently got a notice 2 years ago about the lease termination. Incompetence? FAFO.
February 20, 20232 yr 23 minutes ago, DalTxHornFan said: The State of Texas got the place for free for 50 years. Apparently got a notice 2 years ago about the lease termination. Incompetence? FAFO. TPW didn't have the money to purchase the property at the time of the notice. They tried to negotiate a lease of some of the property with the buyer but no dice and a carveout from the sale with Vistra, and, again, no dice. https://www.textise.net/showText.aspx?strURL=https%3A//www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article272507297.html This is making the news now because negotiations terminated and the lease has been formally terminated.
February 20, 20232 yr 7 hours ago, deadshank said: That was the Strake Boy Scout camp. Damn. I camped at both El Rancho Cima and Strake growing up. el rancho always flooded like a motherfucker so I guess I’m not surprised to hear it was blown out by floods. I remember camping there and having about an inch of water in my tent before our troop called it quits and pulled out for the weekend on Saturday morning. Did merit badge summer camp at Strake and weekend camped there a few other times. I think the summer camp was called trail to eagle. Sad times. The scouts seem to be pretty fucked too with their funding. Heard they had to mortgage Philmont.
February 20, 20232 yr On 2/16/2023 at 2:44 AM, SimonBolivar said: On 2/15/2023 at 4:43 PM, CHIEF said: We have three state parks in my area, Cleburne State Park, Meridian State Park, and Dinosaur Valley State Park. Dinosaur Valley is the only one that gets steady traffic. The CCC built them all in the 1930's. My grandfather told me when they were first built, during Prohibition, that's where you went every Saturday night for dancing, and to buy moonshine. There would be hundreds of folks there. After Prohibition was repealed, the state parks just dried up. CHIEF Love all 3 of those. Meridian and Cleburne are part of those classic lake parks. Have been to Cleburne and Dinosour Valley State Parks several times as a boy. Not sure about Meridian. I was pretty young on some of those outings. Grandparents lived in Cleburne and we'd visit them from Dallas, often going to the parks on those visits. Have returned to both parks since then as an adult, with Cleburne Sate Park getting the lion's share. Good primitive camping and love to run the trails which have plenty of ups, downs and curves to navigate. While not part of the hill country, you might think you were there running parts of those trails.
February 20, 20232 yr On 2/16/2023 at 8:14 AM, texasdago said: Reminds me of the old El Rancho Cima Boy Scout camp that was damaged in the Wimberley/Blanco floods of 2015 (?). Beautiful land. Some was bought out by the Nature Conservancy, I think, but the rest is getting divided up and sold for development. Still, looks like they saved the best parts... https://republicranches.com/properties/texas/hill-country/el-rancho-cima/ https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Boy-Scout-nature-area-in-Hays-County-17192770.php Not sure I fully appreciated going to Boy Scout Camp back then but it was a pretty magical location. They didn't even publicize selling Leonard in 2001. Fort Worth's Longhorn Council has sold two properties to developers in recent years, collectively garnering about $8 million. The council's 2001 sale of the Leonard Scout Camp � land donated years earlier � drew protests from volunteers who criticized the council for not publicizing the sale, nor seeking a buyer to preserve the land. https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/legacy-sites-sell-for-millions-589975.php
February 20, 20232 yr 17 hours ago, DalTxHornFan said: The State of Texas got the place for free for 50 years. Apparently got a notice 2 years ago about the lease termination. Incompetence? FAFO. State got the first notice over 4 years ago when Vistra closed the coal plant in 2018. Vistra extended the lease in 2020 for two more years to the fall of 2022 (contingent on the land being sold), to which they invited the state to submit an offer in 2021, but the state never did. FAFO is right. Edited February 20, 20232 yr by UTexasFight
February 20, 20232 yr On 2/15/2023 at 8:48 AM, cactusflinthead said: That's a list I'd like to see I don’t know the full list but Vistra themselves have 2 others: Vistra also leases land to the state at Martin Creek Lake State Park, in Rusk County, and at Lake Colorado City State Park, in Mitchell County. It also leases more than 1,000 acres for public hunting in Robertson County.
March 13, 20232 yr Looks like the park will reopen again temporarily starting Tuesday. I know they're trying to make a way to get it back again somehow.
May 25, 20232 yr Author its back. TPWD just bought the land on which the park sits, and some of the surrounding area. 5000 acres total
May 25, 20232 yr So @GreenspointTexas is calling game over for parks now? I see it had the usual outcome.
May 25, 20232 yr 1 hour ago, GreenspointTexas said: its back. TPWD just bought the land on which the park sits, and some of the surrounding area. 5000 acres total I wonder how much that cost the state given it was sold to developers previously.
May 26, 20232 yr 15 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said: its back. TPWD just bought the land on which the park sits, and some of the surrounding area. 5000 acres total Any sources for this? I've only seen that the Lege is telling TPWD to buy it.
May 26, 20232 yr Author 1 hour ago, zman13 said: Any sources for this? I've only seen that the Lege is telling TPWD to buy it. https://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20230525c&fbclid=PAAaaEYu_j2mjqPAVvaBHB9Lr7RmEcMR06LMA4jS1Re-9JKc-4IIglRsEIu7M Lookin like its close to done
May 26, 20232 yr Damn. I camped at both El Rancho Cima and Strake growing up. el rancho always flooded like a motherfucker so I guess I’m not surprised to hear it was blown out by floods. I remember camping there and having about an inch of water in my tent before our troop called it quits and pulled out for the weekend on Saturday morning. Did merit badge summer camp at Strake and weekend camped there a few other times. I think the summer camp was called trail to eagle. Sad times. The scouts seem to be pretty fucked too with their funding. Heard they had to mortgage Philmont. Did my mile swim at River Camp in 1980 and Order of the Arrow at Strake. Neither is a csb.
May 26, 20232 yr 6 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said: https://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20230525c&fbclid=PAAaaEYu_j2mjqPAVvaBHB9Lr7RmEcMR06LMA4jS1Re-9JKc-4IIglRsEIu7M Lookin like its close to done I saw the same news but interpreted it differently. To me, it seems like everyone in the state government (TPWD, legistature, etc.) wants to buy it. But they have to convince the property owner to cancel an existing contract and sell to them instead. Obviously the property owner could be "convinced" to sell or else things won't go well for them (legislatively) in the future. To me, it seems like my friends have authorized me to ask Angelina Jolie out on a date. Getting her to say yes is a whole nother challenge.
May 26, 20232 yr So why can’t the State acquire the property by eminent domain and offer to pay “maker value” and fight it out after the fact if they challenge?
May 27, 20232 yr 3 hours ago, MirrOlure said: So why can’t the State acquire the property by eminent domain and offer to pay “maker value” and fight it out after the fact if they challenge? They have a standing contract with an established price tag. Market value seems spendy.
May 27, 20232 yr 4 hours ago, MirrOlure said: So why can’t the State acquire the property by eminent domain and offer to pay “maker value” and fight it out after the fact if they challenge? TPWD doesn't have eminent domain power. There's a bill that would give it, but I don't know where it stands. Latest is cock developer won't sell. https://www.textise.net/showText.aspx?strURL=https%3A//www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/fairfield-lake-state-park-land-won-t-be-sold-to-texas-developer-says/ar-AA1bH77e
May 27, 20232 yr 1 hour ago, deadshank said: They have a standing contract with an established price tag. Market value seems spendy. I can imagine a pretty spendy lost profits claim from the developer. 25 year build-out. High-end private homes on the water, multiple hotels, condos, retail, mixed use, maybe a casino? Don't know the details, but it seems like the state f--ed up in letting it go this far down the road before taking appropriate action.
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