Argyle officially has a Parks Board, and the first meeting gave a good insight of what kind of work the board will do.
Recently-appointed members of the board met on Wednesday, July 15, to discuss the duties of the board, the town’s current parks and updates on future park plans.
The board aims to help guide the vision of the town’s parks and do some research and studies that help fund parks.
According to a presentation from town staff, the board’s priorities include preserving the rural heritage of Argyle, creating trails, open space and recreational opportunities for residents, overall connectivity and preserving the Cross Timbers.
“The Cross Timbers is a big part of what makes Argyle special,” said Argyle Community Development Director Harrison Wicks. “We want to preserve as much tree canopy as possible.”
One of the first duties the board will get to work on is coming up with a new Master Park Plan – what residents want to see at parks and how they can be fit the town’s standards.
The meeting highlighted four park projects around town: Unity Park, the Argyle Nature Trail, the Town Center District and Point Bank Wallace Lynch Park.
Point Bank Wallace Lynch Park
Concept plans for Point Bank Wallace Lynch Park are underway, which is located south of Point Bank in Argyle along Hwy 377, near where Uncle Mike’s Bistro used to be.
It was the park board’s first opportunity to provide some input.
According to Wicks, the property used to be a trailer park that had a community park – the town hopes to bring back the park portion.
The 1.3-acre park was named after 4th-generation Argyle resident Wallace Lynch, who passed away in 2017 with a long history in Argyle, according to his obituary.
Argyle entered into an agreement with PointBank, which owns the property, to lease the property for 20 years.
The town expects the park to have playground equipment, woodland concepts that include seating spaces, art installments and way finding concepts that give the park an identity.
Wicks said there will be pedestrian walkways connecting to nearby neighborhoods to provide easy access.
The plans have not been approved by town council so the new parks board could give some input.
Some comments from the board mentioned the new park as a good place to host a birthday party or give kids a chance to get outside.
The board also brought up concerns about the possibility to PointBank leaving or being sold.
According to Sims, the town will have a chance to match a purchase price and could have other ways of retaining the park.
Unity Park
Unity Park is located at the southwest corner of Hwy 377 and Crawford Road, and the focus from some local Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists is to help preserve the natural habitat of the park while also helping preserve a space for pollinators.
Some hopes for the park include better access, more signage, more exposure to residents and improved lighting while staying within the town’s lighting ordinances.
Argyle Nature Trail
The Argyle Nature Trail is under construction behind Little Joe’s Farmstead and Rapid Med Urgent Care near the corner of Hwy 377 and Cook Street. It is closely connected to the Argyle Marketplace, which is part of the town’s proposed walkable downtown area.
“It’s a great piece of land that’s preserved,” said Wicks. “Thinking of a trail that can intermingle throughout the trees is something that immediately comes to mind.”
According to the town, some native species have been identified and future work will go in and remove invasive species, but the area is fairly clean of bad species.
Nature volunteers have already been consulted about the planned trail to ensure the path affects mostly unhealthy trees, rather than healthy trees.
Construction is expected to start by the end of August and be completed bu the end of December.
Town Center District
The Town Center District is expected to anchor Argyle’s goal of being an oasis amid a large amount of development.
It is expected to be a home for the new Town Hall, police building, a restaurant district, and most importantly, a community-oriented space that could have a Main Street that can be shut down for a celebratory parade or a place to host a town event.
Argyle’s Parks Board will help decide whether an extra five acres should be purchased for a park or additional open space, if any of the trail systems should be extended and if any of the Cross Timbers should be regrown in the area.
“The charge for the consulting firm is to celebrate the trees, embrace them and make our Main Street seem like a green ribbon by unifying the trees and the shopping areas,” said Town Manager Mike Sims.
After the first meeting, Mayor Ron Schmidt offered some words of encouragement for the parks board as they start to shape the vision of the town. He paid homage to a former mayor that would show a picture of Central Park in New York City.
“It’s a green spot surrounded by grey – why can’t we be that?” said Schmidt. “Y’all will be the champions of getting us there. We don’t want to lose ourself in everything else that surrounds us.”
For more information on the Argyle Parks Board, visit the town’s website.
