New Kingwood Parks Foundation - Kingwood
New Kingwood Parks Foundation - Kingwood
Published: May 16, 2011, 3:00pm
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East End Park
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“We really haven’t added any land to our park system since Friendswood donated East End Park to KSA back in the mid-Nineties. The population of Kingwood has grown around 70 percent since then. And the City Planning Department predicts that our population could grow another 30 percent in the next ten years. That is putting major pressure on our parks,” said Dee Price, KSA president.
KSA owns and manages all the parks in Kingwood, but receives no funding assistance from the City, County, State or Federal governments. “This makes it really hard to keep up with growth and make capital improvements to our parks,” said Price.
“Our master planning effort last year revealed that Kingwood has more sports leagues and teams than we have space for,” continued Price. “People also requested more passive recreation space. However, KSA is limited in its ability to raise enough money to buy this space by current economic realities and other factors that limit the ability of community associations to raise assessments. Thus, we have to look beyond the traditional sources.”
The new KSA Parks Foundation will allow people to make tax-deductible contributions. “This will make it easier for developers to contribute land and residents to make cash donations that help expand and improve the park system in Kingwood,” said Price.
“KSA hopes to expand the amount of land Kingwood has for recreation. Already the Foundation has attracted interest from one developer with significant acreage next to one of our parks. We’re hoping it will attract others,” said Price.
“The long-term improvements we hope to make in our parks include irrigation, lighting, and more restrooms at River Grove; more restrooms and picnic areas at Deer Ridge; security and fencing at North Park; and much more,” added Price. “We may also be able to accommodate more people by reconfiguring the field layouts at some of our parks.”
In coming months, the new Foundation will reach out to the community through a variety of programs and events.
One beginning in June is “Friends of Kingwood Parks.” People will be given the opportunity to make donations. Those who do will receive complimentary bumper stickers, hats, and/or t-shirts designed to raise both funds and awareness.
“Many community associations are jumping on this. They’re allowing us to distribute fliers about the Foundation through their association mailings,” said Price.
More information about the KSA master plan, the KSA Parks Foundation, and Friends of Kingwood Parks can be found at kingwoodparks.com or kingwoodserviceassociation.org.
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