Fishing pier tops list of upgrades to Lakeview Park in Granite Shoals
Lakeview Park is a mostly empty green space on the south side of Granite Shoals. It is slated for major upgrades, starting with a fishing pier, in 2025. File photo
Granite Shoals plans to install a fishing pier at the mostly barren Lakeview Park in 2025 as part of a comprehensive upgrade. The City Council on Sept. 10 approved a 15-year, renewable, no-cost lease with the Lower Colorado River Authority for a sliver of land to get the ball rolling on improvements.
The city’s Parks Advisory Committee recommended the lease. With the deal’s approval, the city can better pursue grant money and secure funding to build out a robust pier.
The pier has been a wishlist item but will now be the first major upgrade to Lakeview, once funding is secured, according to parks committee Vice Chair Michele Landfield.
“We plan on doing a fishing pier next year,” she told DailyTrib.com. “That will be the start of refurbishing that whole park.”
Lakeview Park, 2830 Lakeview Lane, is a small, waterfront green space popular with anglers and swimmers. It’s located on a southern peninsula stretching out into Lake LBJ.
The park is mostly empty, save for a few benches and picnic tables, but the Parks Advisory Committee is committed to changing that. The council approved a master plan of park renovations in January after a strong pitch from the committee.
Along with the fishing pier, LakeView Park will get restrooms, parking lots, a pavilion, and barbecue pits.
“Our parks committee is pretty active, and we have a whole group of volunteers and the council that are supportive of these parks projects,” City Manager Sarah Novo told DailyTrib.com. “This (project) is also near and dear to my heart, and I think it is a fun opportunity to engage the community.”
Novo has extensive experience in municipal park development, stretching back to her time as the parks and recreation manager for the city of Rocklin, California, a large suburb of Sacramento.
The city is on the hunt for grant money to fund the pier, and Novo believes the new LCRA lease will make the application process much easier. The lease comes at no cost to the city and lasts for 15 years with the option to renew.
The Granite Shoals Parks Advisory Committee is a seven-member board made up of volunteer residents appointed by the City Council. The committee cannot spend any money without the approval of council, but it has a budget, manages its own projects, and advises on city projects.