Friends of Bachman Lake Newsletter - November 2023
Updated: Jan 4
"There is no thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing" – Ranulph Fiennes
And So It Begins
You'll be noticing some changes beginning to take place in and around Bachman Lake Park in the coming weeks. There are two huge projects underway that will greatly benefit park goers and the surrounding area when complete – the reconstruction of the dam and the creation of a new skate park. Have you ever seen so much attention paid to Bachman Lake Park in the past? It's all thanks to your voices.
The Bachman Lake Dam, more than a century old, is finally getting some love. It will be upgraded, widened and made more robust in order to manage overflow and runoff more effectively. Nearby spillway work will also mitigate flooding problems and small levy-type protection will guard against flooding the new aquatic center, the recreation facility and the coming skate park.
This is going to require some detours on the loop trail around the lake. Read more about what's going to change for the next two years.
And A Skate Park Too!
In tandem with the dam reconstruction, work on the new Bachman Lake Skate Park will also be underway beyond the Recreation Center toward Webb Chapel Extension. There will be a great deal of activity that initially might look disconcerting with lots of construction material staged in the area: dam reconstruction, excavation and concrete pouring for the skating surfaces, and a detour for the Bachman Trail looping behind it all. When everything is complete, we will have a great facility not seen before at Bachman Lake!
There is one thing we need to remind the powers that be, however. They've left out lighting for the skate park. So, let's remind our friends at Park and Recreation and anyone with the means to make it happen that we have to have lighting for the skate park, even if laying down the cables and connections during construction happens first and installing the fixtures comes later.
The target for completion of the Skate Park is July, 2024.
The Name's Bond. 2024 Bond.
Conversation surrounding the 2024 Bond Program continues. Town Hall events were held in all districts over the last few months and the feedback collected is still being baked into the prioritization scheme. The bond capacity amounts to just over a billion dollars, and since street repairs alone eclipse this figure by a staggering amount, you can see the challenges with dividing the sum among competing interests.
Throughout the Town Hall meetings we've attended, we have seen a consistent focus on parks and trails as a priority for residents. That's encouraging. However, we haven't lost sight of the fact that better quality streets that consider pedestrian safety are also part of the equation. This is the quandary we face with these bond initiatives. How can we fund both Parks and Streets with limited funds?
No Magic Wand
Sometimes we hear about public-private partnerships in which public projects are funded partially by private enterprises as a way forward. But we have yet to see interest from corporations or businesses to help Bachman. Private, for-profit enterprises want a return on their investment (think public-private toll roads or development in areas of higher income), so the concept that public-private funds are a readily available option is a chimera. It's why we're left with counting on the bond money to address the gaps in lower income areas.
If parks and trails matter to you, write your City Councilperson and weigh in, because based on the latest news articles it looks like there's a push-pull dynamic taking form. That means money being pulled from Parks and pushed to Streets, and maybe that's fine as long as said streets are made pedestrian and cycling friendly.
T-Shirts Are Here!
The latest batch of T-Shirts are here! For every $20 donation, you can order a t-shirt up to 4 total shirts. You'll have the chance to specify each size. Order here!
Once we place the order and it's printed, we'll let you know at the email you provide so we can tell you how to pick it up. We are targeting dates and locations for our cleanup and meet-up events so we'll let you know!
Our Monthly Cleanup is every first Saturday!
You just need you but feel free to add friends and family to our monthly Plogging activities. Basically, it's picking up litter while jogging (or walking). A bag, some company if you like and a trip around the lake will help you stay active and healthy and keep the park beautiful!
See you in 2024!
Note: We have some of the biggest holidays of the year in November and December so we'll resume our meet-and-greet sessions in January. Please enjoy your holidays with the people that make you happy and we'll see you in 2024!
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