Twin Coves Park in Flower Mound now open

Flower Mound may receive a grant to help with a boat ramp replacement project.

FLOWER MOUND — Now that Flower Mound’s hidden gem of a park is open, the town is taking steps on enhancing it.

Twin Coves Park, located off Grapevine Lake near Wichita Trail, opened Oct. 3. Twin Coves is a 234-acre park that the town has entered into a 25-year lease agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to operate.

“People are starting to trickle in,” said Gary Sims, director of community services. “Several groups have already started walking out there, and we’ve had some picnicking and fishing.”

The only thing people can’t do now is camp out.

In the meantime, the town is preparing an application for a boating access grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). If the town is awarded the grant, TPWD would match 75 percent of the costs associated with a boat ramp replacement project, which totals $614,710. Flower Mound’s portion would be $153,680.

Sims discussed the grant with the Parks, Arts and Library Services (PALS) Board on Thursday.

The grant would address the existing ramp, which a consultant has recommended needs to be replaced rather than repaired, as well as truck and trailer parking, fish cleaning stations, associated restrooms and road access.

The town’s requirements for the grant include providing area for boat access, providing access to the boat ramp, supply 25 percent of the development costs and accept the maintenance and operation of the project for at least 25 years.

“This will be a gold mine,” board member Bill House said of the park. “We need to expedite this so that we can get everything we can.”

TPWD will announce the awarding of the grant in January.

Also Thursday, the board recommended approval the Complete Streets Policy draft to the town council.

The plan, which involves both the PALS Board and the transportation commission, is a guide for changes to the parks and transportation master plans, as well as changes to some street sections. The goal is to encourage more bicycle use around town.

Part of the policy deals with possible on-street/trail connections in developed areas of town, plus refinement of the complete streets concept for undeveloped areas of town.

In the undeveloped areas of town, policy items include four-foot bike lanes in each direction and two 12-foot travel lanes. Also included on collector streets are wide curb lanes of 13-14 feet on roadways or a shared lane on which bicycle signs/pavement markings are used to inform motorists that bicycles are likely to be present.

On the Greenway Rural Arterials within the undeveloped areas could be five feet of a bike lane shoulder between the lane stripping for the outermost vehicular travel lane and the edge of the payment, as well as signage.

Other components to the plan include reclassifying the five-foot shoulder on the existing rural collector cross section to a five-foot bike lane.

And eight-foot trail segments to the trails master plan could be added. The proposed locations are on Simmons Road from McKamy Creek Road to Murrell Park; the east and west sides of Gerault Road from Sweetwater to Spinks Road; Shadow Ridge Park southeast to the trails at the Spinks-Gerault intersection; and Kirkpatrick Lane to the Wilkerson Trail area.

The planning and zoning commission is expected to see the policy in December, and the council could vote on it in January.

The board also voted to recommend approval for trail connections for the Purple Coneflower and White Lazy Daisy trails.

Purple Coneflower Trail is 8.93 miles and spans the town from east to west, connecting several parks, subdivisions and business areas. When the two connections are complete, the project is expected to be 10.42 miles.

White Lazy Daisy Trail is 3.74 miles and also runs east-west. When the two sections are complete, the trail could be 4.62 miles long.

There are six trails the town is considering connection projects for. Bluebonnet and Pink Evening Primrose trails have already received approval for connections.

Also Thursday, the board recommended approval for amenities along the town’s hike and bike trail system. Those amenities are park benches, pet waste stations and trash receptacles.

The board also approved a request from the Public Arts Committee to prepare a brochure to highlight art work located in town facilities. The brochure will be available at various facilities, as well as on the town’s website at www.flower-mound.com.