Community Workshop for Rockwall County Open Space Plan July 15

open1 — Kevin Shepherd, Project Manger for the Open Space Master Plan, briefs the Rockwall County Commissioners Court at a recent meeting.

(ROCKWALL COUNTY, TX – June 19, 2015) Earlier this year, Rockwall County began the process of developing its first countywide Open Space Master Plan (OSMP). A previous 2008 study outlined three primary goals that the master plan effort is addressing:

Preserve quality storm water corridors (including creeks, channels, flood plains, tributaries and easements).
Protect/establish corridors essential for countywide open space connectivity for non-motorized mobility modes.
Investigate the need for a major preserve/public amenity in the County that could potentially be developed in the future.

For the past five months, the consultant team of VERDUNITY and WRT has been consolidating data and plans from each of the cities, conducting citizen surveys and interviewing stakeholder groups, and meeting with representatives from the county, cities, and various state and federal agencies to get input on anticipated future needs and potential funding programs. Efforts and findings have been discussed along the way with citizen volunteers on the project’s steering committee and the Open Space Alliance Executive Committee.

A community workshop to present the work completed to date and get additional input for the OSMP is will be held on Wednesday, July 15th from 6-8pm at the Rockwall County Courthouse, 1111 East Yellowjacket Lane. For those new to the County, this will be a great opportunity to learn more about the existing parks, trails and cultural/historic facilities and programs available across the County, and the role planning played in getting those facilities built.

The results of the recent community survey will be shared, and then participants will provide input on potential future opportunities to preserve natural areas and open space, enhance outdoor education for both school districts, expand off-street trail systems and provide more areas for passive recreation in the county as other areas develop over time.

The OSMP will consolidate the existing and proposed plans from each of the cities into a countywide Master Plan that can be used as a guide by the County and individual cities to preserve and protect natural systems and designate open spaces and corridors for future recreational considerations and trail connections throughout the County.

For additional information about the project or to volunteer for a committee or stakeholder group, please contact RCOSA Vice Chair Nell Welborn at nwelborn@sbcglobal.net or the consultant’s project manager, Kevin Shepherd at kevin@verdunity.com. Additional information about the project can be found at www.rockwallosa.org and www.facebook.com/rockwallopenspace.

Submitted by Nell Welborn.