Cottonwood Shores parks getting trees through LCRA program
Lower Colorado River Authority employees will plant trees in Aspen Park in Cottonwood Shores on Friday, April 1, one of six projects planned in Burnet and Llano counties as part of the annual LCRA Steps Forward Day. Staff photo
The city of Cottonwood Shores will plant new trees at Aspen and Noah Thompson parks with help from a $1,000 grant and volunteers from the Lower Colorado River Authority. The LCRA’s Steps Forward Day program assists local communities with a variety of projects.
Aspen Park, 4101 Lakeview Drive, and Noah Thompson Park, 4131 Lakeview Drive, were chosen for two reasons, said Andrea Stephens, the city’s Parks Committee chairwoman.
“They’re closer to the water, and both parks could use more shade,” she said. “We’re buying globe willows and big tooth maples that cast long canopies of shade. (City Administrator J.C. Hughes) wants to look into buying a couple of seedless cottonwood trees.”
The LCRA’s Steps Forward Day is April 1, when employees volunteer for community projects, including the tree planting at the Cottonwood Shores parks.
“LCRA will be sending out volunteers to plant trees,” Stephens said. “J.C. wants to see if he can find a local nursery to get the trees from them.”
Karrie Cummings, the city’s financial officer and grant administrator, told the City Council in January that she applied for a grant from the LCRA program.
Also in Aspen Park, the new playscape has arrived but is waiting for a pad to be installed.
“We have the area we want, but it’s not level,” Cummings said.
The playscape, water fountains, and other park improvements were made possible through funding from the LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program.
The city also received donations from residents to buy benches for Aspen Park, projected to cost $1,200.
“It’s going to be great,” Stephens said. “They will be amazing additions to the city. I love how beautiful the city is getting. You’re seeing the changes because you’re seeing the love being put in it.”