Baytown can still shine like a diamond

Photo credit: Steve Liles - Cedar Bayou at Roseland Park 2017

I feel very optimistic about the city of Baytown. There, I said it. Being a citizen of this town since 1974 and watching it grow, I haven't always felt this way. It helps that I am a member of the Strategic Planning Advisory Committee (SPAC) and had input in which direction the city should take over the next 5 years. Incidentally the city is about 6 months into implementing the changes, so progress is actually happening.

Kingwood Trail

This past week 4 of us intrepid geocachers took our bikes up to Kingwood to geocache and we rode along the numerous Greenbelt trails there. Surprise! They were nothing spectacular. Basically we rode on cement trails along highways with occasional dips behind subdivisions and although there are miles of trails, they are basically just sidewalks in the shallow woods.

Here in Baytown, we don't have the luxury of planning development in this manner for the most part. Sure, when a new subdivision goes in, we will see a retention pond added with a cement walkway around it and sidewalks. There will be cookie-cutter landscape added every so many feet to give the appearance of a perfect place to walk the dog. The pond might even have a token fountain and mail order kids playground. Is this really what we want or need? I am for all of this, but it also should be unique and well thought out.

Houston's Donovan Park

Baytown leaders and planners need to put extra effort into making Baytown's parks and trails different and more interesting than places like Kingwood and The Woodlands. When the 4 of us went geocaching, one was from Webster, another from Sugar Land and Larry Houston and I from Baytown. We spent money there too, because after about 5 hours on our bikes, we were hungry. If we make Baytown unique and capitalize on our concessions, people will come here. Our Texas Avenue venues, our disc golf courses, our trail systems, and our new boat ramps all can be draws.

When the SPAC presented our 5 year plan to the city, my small part was to push the idea of uniqueness. I urged the city leaders to take field trips to look and see what other cities are doing to provide anything other than the "same old stuff". Recently I talked to a young man and he urged me to see if Baytown can install a BMX bike track, similar to the 2 skate parks we have. I urged him to gather a petition I could present to our park planners. He informed me that it would be wildly popular and the surrounding cities have nothing like it. This is what I am stressing. Let's be unique.

Espee BMX Park, Chandler Arizona

I have the highest regard for our Parks department and we are making progress. I would love to see a first class BMX park built here, as well as a certified and clearly marked 5K trail in Jenkins Park. A flyover pedestrian bridge connecting Blue Heron Parkway to Jenkins Park would provide hill training for athletes and connect the 2 trails. It simply takes vision and eventually the money will follow. Yes, I feel optimistic about our city. I hope and pray our next mayor follows in our current mayor's footsteps.

I looked back at one of my columns from 12 years ago and I had the same optimism and boy howdy, we are a completely different town. Many naysayers believe it is always better some place else, but as a person who is always on the move geocaching in the Houston area, I can tell you there is a plainness to many of these "nice" areas that smacks of sameness. There are also parts of this huge metropolis that make Baytown look like a shiny diamond contrary to what some profess. Maybe beauty isn't a good description, as in keep Baytown beautiful and maybe we see what we want to see.

I do know that accepting things the way everyone else does isn't for Baytown. We need innovative parks and great access to our waterways. We need vision. We need more people to step up for litter abatement. We need to recognize that the future of Baytown is everyone's responsibility.

The 22 Top Attractions in Baytown!

Pirate's Bay in Baytown, Texas

Hello Baytown Bert, here are the top 22 attractions that I see as important for anyone visiting or living in Baytown. I added one restaurant and one beer company as a 21st and 22nd attraction because we all love to eat and socialize! Instead of providing a list of 22 in order of importance, I decided to divide the attractions and venues into four broad categories. They are not ordered according to importance because different people are interested in different things. Let me know if you need anything else. Thanks!

Birding, Fishing and Outdoors

1.     Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Education Center

2.     Baytown Nature Center

3.     Thompson’s Bait Camp (Facebook link)

4.     Bayland Marina and waterfront park (3 Historical markers, boat ramp, fishing pier, etc.)

5.     WL Jenkins Park (disc golf, Bark Park, trails, etc.)

6.     Bicentennial Park (Fireman’s Memorial and the Veteran’s Memorial)

Entertainment and Recreation

1.     Royal Purple Raceway

2.     Pirate’s Bay Waterpark

3.     Cork Grinders (has great entertainment, food)

4.     Evergreen Point Golf Club

5.     Yepez Vineyard

Arts, Culture and Heritage

1.     Portrait of a Warrior Memorial Art Gallery

2.     Republic of Texas Plaza

3.     Lee College Performing Arts Center (can see Baytown Symphony Orchestra and/or Baytown  Little Theater perform on this stage in addition to all of the other shows they bring in)

4.     Baytown Little Theater

5.     Lynchburg Ferry (be sure to read the historical markers)

6.     Baytown Historical Museum

7.     Trophy Barbershop

8.     Fred Hartman Bridge

9.     Art League of Baytown

Restaurants and Nightlife

1.     Pipeline Grill

2.     Dirty Bay Beer Company

 Anna Enderli  Tourism Coordinator  City of Baytown

http://www.baytown.org/about/tourism
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Gorilla Disc Golf Tourney coming to Baytown 8-24!

I was walking my doggies at Walter Jenkins Park this afternoon, marveling over the explosion of activity by disc golfers.  I could see at least five groups and all of them were carrying or wheeling the trademark bags of discs and equipment.  I even got to see a disc fly off course and disappear under the rushing water of Cary Bayou (Yes, not all of them float).  The sudden rain storms have the bayou moving pretty good and just a couple of days ago, it was dry.

These folks came from out of town to prepare for the upcoming tourney August 24th.

I talked to a number of the players who hailed from Kingwood and asked them how our course compared to the more than 50 courses in the Houston area, and as one they remarked it was a premier course.  They were very excited about the upcoming tournament August 24th and said the park would be loaded with golfers from all over the state.

From what I could see there were seniors, early teens, male, females and even a couple walking their dog while they played.  It looks like a lot of fun and a great amount of exercise, as they not only walk as much as 18 "holes", but the incredible amount of body English they employ has got to have an effect on the old body.

Baytown Parks under Superintendant Scott Johnson, has done a good thing and kudos all the way around to Parks planner Dustin Schubert and the other folks involved in making this course a reality.  For more information on disc golf, contact the Houston Flying Disc Society.

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Jenkins Park Disc Golf Course is Amazing!

I've watched with interest as our Parks department headed by Scott Johnson has steadily improved our many parks and with the newest addition of a DGC, or Disc Golf Course, we are competing with the many fine courses in the Houston area, and according to one player yesterday, this course will be a showcase.
July 4th morning, my Bride and I observed close to thirty players on the 18 hole course, all carrying the shoulder bags of discs, or small Frisbee-like saucers they throw.  The closest course to Baytown is over 15 miles away, so get used to the idea of people coming to Baytown to play this popular sport.

One player wrote a review on the course:  "Beautiful park space. Latest/greatest DISCatcherPro model baskets with just about all the chains you could want. Ample sized concrete tees (see Cons). Plenty of parking and the course loops back to the parking lot between holes 9 & 10 so you can restock if necessary. The elevated baskets on holes #9 and #18 are very well done and add a nice element to the course. The first half of the course is more technical requiring reasonably accurate shots to card birdies for INT/ADV players. The second half of the course opens up a lot and is more forgiving of errant drives but #10, #13, #14, and #17 really let you try to crush some drives. While the first half wouldn't be considered "woodsy" by most standards, I do like the balance of shorter shot-making holes and longer bomber holes."

 

Disc golf is a flying disc game in which individual players throw a flying disc at a target. According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, "The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end in the fewest number of throws of the disc." The number of disc golf courses doubled in the 8 years from 2000 to 2008. The game is played in about 40 countries around the world.

More information about this exciting sport is available here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_golf

One thing is sure and that is Scott Johnson and park planners got it right again!
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Baker Road Extension Update January 2013

Baker Road is being extended across N. Main and Barkuloo Road all the way to Sjolander Road.  I live in the back of Chaparral Village and directly behind my house, the land has been defoliated and bulldozed to accommodate a giant detention/retention pond.  Since there is no stopping it, I am petitioning our City leaders and planners to make it attractive, rather than just another loss of habitat and something that is ugly.  The good news is they are listening and contrary to what is commonly assumed and written on the local Baytown Talk section of Hotpursuit.cc, which I routinely contribute to and mine for information.

The heavy use of our parks trails prove that developing walking, jogging, and biking trails around the cities bayou and various fingers of Goose Creek, along with micro trail systems will benefit the city and upgrade it to match newer developed areas. People need places to ride their bicycles, jog, and walk and although we have a good start and a very active Parks staff, we need more.  Here is the most recent email discussion and I started it off with a few questions.

Before the detention/retention pond clearing and after

While geocaching in most of the surrounding cities, I've noticed many of the detention ponds are are being reforested.  As you remember, I am very concerned about the giant pond being put in behind my house in .  It appears the State of Texas is planting trees everywhere along our highways.  I have a few comments and questions.

1.  I do not know what the future plan is concerning the detainment pond behind my house.
How deep will it be when completed?
What is the time frame concerning its completion?
Will it be replanted with trees? (bald cypress trees are natives and thrive in wet areas)
Will the city or county own it?
Will a trail be installed from Barkuloo Park to Jenkins Park utilizing the existing pipeline and future berm of the detainment pond?

2. Can the City petition the State to pick up the cost of the trees in and around Baytown?

3. Gene Green Park in Channelview has done remarkable things with a giant detainment pond there, using self-draining walls and buildings.  See photos.  Baytown Bert Marshall

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The pond will be owned and maintained by the City.

The State only provides landscaping along their rights of way. We have applied for this landscaping and received some along Spur 330, at I-10 and Spur 300 and a joint project is underway along Hwy. 146 between Main and Garth. The financial pressures facing most governmental entities have hit funding for items like landscaping especially hard. We are on track to receive landscaping at Hwy. 146 and Spur 330 in 2015.

Bob Leiper   City Manager   City of Baytown

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From Parks:

We plan to develop the detention/retention pond as a park.  We will have an area that will be designed similar to the East LL fields at the 10th street detention pond, which will be practice soccer/football/softball fields including a small parking area.  The extent of the development of the area depends on future funding.

We have also been looking at the possible extension of Barkuloo Park to Baker Road.  Not sure we could afford to square the park off with Barkuloo, but maybe get some access to Baker Road to help open up Barkuloo Park.

Dustin and I also plan to ask for MDD dollars in next year’s budget to redevelop Barkuloo and to remove the piles of dirt and glass that surround two sides of the park.

There is a trail planned to connect Barkuloo to the Baker Road Trail/sidewalk as part of the Road construction.  Hopefully we can figure out how to connect to Jenkins Park over the RR tracks.   Scott  Johnson

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Bert, we have been doing some brainstorming related to Barkaloo Park.  What do you think the neighborhood would think about extending El Rancho Drive to the new Baker Road extension?  It would give homeowners at the back of Chaparral an additional entrance/exit and provide a new entrance to Barkaloo Park while opening the park up to more traffic instead of a dead end.  What are your thoughts?  Of course, this is just parks brainstorming, no funding, no land etc; we’re just bouncing ideas around.  Thanks, Scott Johnson

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I think Councilman Bob Hoskins and the planner should go door to door and ask the folks that live here.  Then you will have your answer.  As for me, I like the fact that El Rancho and Buffalo Trl have limited access.  Scott, my wife summed up my feelings exactly when I told her the plans for the detention pond.  We have ball diamonds and soccer fields.  What this city needs is more hike and bike trails.  I would love to see that detention pond replanted with bald cypress trees galore and a hike/bike trail around it, connecting it too the existing trails in Jenkins park.  those trails are used heavily.  Today my wife and I were in Jenkins walking and even though it was 44 degrees and raining, people were walking, jogging and using the dog park.  Baytown Bert Marshall

Rabbit Scares Woman in Jenkins Park!

Little harmless rabbit scares woman and fat baby in Jenkins Park, Baytown, Texas

My bride and I were walking our doggies at Jenkins Park the other day and we saw a young woman pushing a stroller coming toward us. A rabbit ran across the trail in front of her. She didn't see it and I asked her if she "saw that rabbit"? She said, "What?" and turned and at a trot, ran off pushing the stroller. I wonder what she would have done if a chupacabra had ran across in front of her...

 As she was running off, I yelled, "ITS RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!!" I laughed for 5 minutes.

  The back two wheels broke off the stroller and she snatched that kid out of there, like Craig Biggio on a hot grounder and little rocks were flying up behind her as she ran out of sight screaming. Craziest thing I've ever seen.

Baytown Bert was only trying to helpthe fat baby and scared woman.

 I snatched up the wheels and took after her, catching her with her 62 lb toddler quite easily, but she thought I was the rabbit and kicked it into overdrive, spraying me with painful pebbles. One of them lodged in my right nostril and I finally dug it out 5 minutes ago.

 She was running so fast, she ran right out of her shoes and as I ran past, I reached down real low like and scooped them up at a full gallop, hardly missing a step and that's when that durned rabbit passed me and headed up the trail toward that screaming woman and that fat baby.

 My dear departed Dad once taught his four sons how to catch a running rabbit and I did everything I could to get close enough to make the maneuver. It zigged to the right, I did too. It darted left, I was right on it. The fat baby saw us coming, as the woman was all in and had slowed considerably. The gordo baby began to bellar like a little torito and this somehow gave the woman what she needed and in a shot that would make Otis Thorp proud, she hurled that fat baby through the window of her Cadillac Escalade and jumping in behind the wheel...

The woman pushing the fat baby gave it everything she had...

 She laid a strip of rubber so thick, she was on the rims before she hit Raccoon drive. The resulting sparks ignited the rubber and that danged rabbit burst into flames before my very eyes. It took one incredible leap, ricocheted off the sewer lift station and disappeared below the surface of Cary Bayou. I pulled up short of the tennis courts and shook my head. If I would have only brought my camera!  When I got back to my Jeep, my bride asked me how it turned out and all I could say was...

  "Would you like a pair of neon red running shoes,  size 14?"

New Trees Planted In Jenkins Park!

It is no secret last year's drought killed a lot of trees in Baytown.  Fortunately, we didn't lose 1800 homes to fire, like what happened to the good folks in Bastrop.  After the city decided for safeties sake to cut down a number of trees in my favorite park, I appealed to Mayor DonCarlos and Parks Superintendant Scott Johnson to find out what we could do to re-foliate the park. 

We went for a walk in the park today and came across this little fellar on one of the trails.  The trees appear to be live Oaks, Elm, Pine, and a couple more.  I love this park and from the look of activity around us, a lot of other people do too.  My hat is off to the Mayor and the Parks Super for the great job they did and are doing!

 Mayor DonCarlos approached Exxon-Mobil and they generously donated $5000 for new trees!  He contacted me to help round up some folks and with anticipated enthusiasm - I went off camping!  Literally and I didn't get back in town until all the planting was over!  With dead cell phone and battery in hand, I did what I could to let them know the second I got back, the error of my ways.

Both fine Baytownian civil servants were gracious enough to forgive me, as I had my lovely bride on vacation and afterall, her happiness is paramount to my comings and goings.  So, to show proof I was actually not out goofing off, here we are enjoying Pedernales Falls State Park.

W.L. Jenkins Park/Cary Bayou Bridge Replacement

Red arrows mark locations of new bridges.

W. L. Jenkins Park on Crosby Cedar Bayou Road in Baytown, Texas has a new pair of beautiful green bridges spanning Cary Bayou.  Earlier this year, the 2 old bridges were removed and the many people who use the trails, and there are many, have used the lone Harris county bridge to cross Cary Bayou.

On Wednesday, December 20, 2011, I arrived at the park at 10 am on a tip from the Parks Department, as I was wont to photograph the installation.  The temperature was perfect at 57 degrees F. and I brought my mountain bike so I could rapidly drive around the park to get the best angle.  Park Planner Dustin Schubert was in attendance the whole day and we talked about the progress.

The crane and the support vehicles arrived right on time and the bridges, all 88 feet and 48,000 pounds per bridge arrived about 11:30.  In the meantime, I rode my bike close to 3 miles passing the time as the temperature slowly rose into the 60's and the clouds came and went. 

The tractor trailer rigs were so long, they couldn't get inside the park road without the back hoe tractor carrying pad after pad to the front of the park, so they could widen the road temporarily.  This took about 4 hours.  I must say the backhoe driver was a real expert throughout the long ordeal.

Now that the bridges, loaded on the long 18-wheeler trailers were inside the park, it was finally time to set up the large motor-crane.  I watched and I rode more laps with my son in law Michael Sievers and nephew Lance Marshall.

Michael Sievers and Lance Marshall

It rained the day before and the ground was soft enough that later in the day, the first 18-wheeler would have to be pulled, pushed, and cajoled into position by the expert driver of the backhoe tractor.  This looked like an impossible situation as the truck driver had to pull into the field, turn around then back up to the bayou and the truck, trailer, and bridge weighed close to 80,000 pounds, but just as the sun set, they finally had the first bridge in position.

The crane operator knew exactly what he was doing - his mother Maria told me he did, as she was there earlier and we chatted.  When the lift, which appeared to be almost impossible, began, He placed it flawlessly on the cement stanchions in less than 10 minutes.

This was at 6:55 pm and as the Parks planner and I shook hands, he told me if it didn't rain, which it most certainly will, they should have the second bridge in by 2:30am.   Update!  They did it!

Second bride added late at night.