Purgatory Creek Natural Area To Grow 90 Acres

San Marcos’ hiking and bird watching opportunities for residents and visitors will expand with the purchase of additional parkland at the Purgatory Creek Natural Area.

The city split the 289-acre purchase in 2007 from Clovis Barker into three tracts: Barker Tract A, Barker Tract B1 and Barker Tract B2.

Tract A was purchased in 2011, and B1 was purchased in 2013, said Bert Stratemann, parks operations manager. The B2 tract was purchased with city and county funds on Nov. 5 2014 from Clovis Barker.

William Ford, assistant director of Parks and Recreation for San Marcos, said the new parkland will be used for additional parking and a visitor center for the Purgatory Creek Natural Area.  New parking spaces will be made of pervious materials including natural limestone.

Stratemann said the Barker Tract B2 will remain closed to the public until the city completes the visitor center and parking space.  He said this construction will not occur until city officials vote on the next budget.

“(The B2 tract) is a valuable piece because we needed an additional trailhead and parking,” Stratemann said.

The total cost of the property was $1,290,500, said Trey Hatt, communications specialist for the city. Hatt said the property was purchased with $791,456.85 from a 2007 County bond proposal and $511,826 from the city budget.

The cost is minimal, and the project will be “beneficial” for the environment, said Richard Salmon, grants administrator for Parks and Recreation.

“We’re just looking to put in a few amenities,” Ford said. “We don’t want a big footprint.”

Stratemann said the new parkland will be used as a connection point for the different trails in the park. New amenities will include restrooms and a kiosk that educates visitors on where the different trails lead.

“Part of the problem now is that you walk in circles and it’s three or four miles to get back to town,” Salmon said.

Barker owned the property for 25 years and said the 289-acres is heavily forested and filled with caves, a house, a barn and a water storage facility. He sold the property because the proximity to the aquifer recharge zone and habitat of the endangered golden-cheeked warbler restricted possible developments.

Barker Tract B1 (93 acres) and Barker Tract A (107 acres) were purchased originally by representatives of the Trust for Public Land, a private non-profit organization that acts as an intermediary between the city and landowners, Stratemann said.

Scott Parker, Texas director with the Trust for Public Land (TFPL), said Barker Tract B2 was appraised by the TFPL but was not directly purchased.  He said the other two Barker Tracts were purchased to protect the land from development until the city could reimburse the payment.

Stratemann said the purchase of Barker Tract B2 was part of the city’s comprehensive plan to connect all of the area parks together so hikers can walk from one side of the city to the other.

San Marcos officials plan to purchase more parkland in a circle around the city, Salmon said.

“If you do it right, you’ll have some really beautiful preserves,” Salmon said.

A total of 752 acres of parkland, including the new additions, will make up the natural area. The city now has 44 acres of parkland per 1000 people, one of the highest rates in the country, Salmon said.

“Fifteen years ago the city wanted to have 50 acres of parkland per 1000 people,” Salmon said. “We never thought we would get to it, but here we are.”

Jake Goodman is a reporter for the University Star where this story originally published. It is reprinted here through a news partnership between the University Star and Corridor News.