Harlingen bike and hike extensions uncertain

HARLINGEN - A proposed 2 1/2-mile extension of Harlingen's hike & bike trail may be feasible in the future, but is not the type of project that could be funded by President Obama's stimulus program, a city official said Wednesday.

Businessmen Leon Bence and Nathan Winters have presented a plan that shows a new portion of the trail extending east from the Ramsey Park Nature Center to Farm-to-Market Road 509, where Bence proposed development of a two-acre park at the end of the trail.

Although it may be possible to use federal stimulus funding to renovate existing parks in low-income neighborhoods, the proposed bike and walking trail project would not qualify because it is not in a "blighted area," Assistant City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez said.

The section of the Arroyo Colorado that the trail would follow has Treasure Hills on its south boundary and the city's closed landfill, a sewage treatment plant and the former Fruit of the Loom factory property are north of the Arroyo and the proposed trail.

Bence said the existing hike and bike trail has a foot bridge and the plan he submitted to the city already has such a bridge. The plan he submitted has an identical bridge at a mid-way point so joggers and bicyclists would cross to the south side of the arroyo on the east edge of the trail.

He and Winters own land on the east edge of the trail near Loop 509 where they have proposed a park could be located, Bence said.

He is open to discussing either donating land, or negotiating an exchange of land for utility services extended to the area from the former Fruit of the Loom property, Bence said.

"It depends on how much (park) land we're talking about," he said. The plans he and Winters submitted to the city show a two-acre park at the east end of the bike and walking trail.

Jeff Lyssy, Harlingen's parks and recreation director, said he has met with Bence twice to discuss the idea.

"I'm a huge proponent of trails," Lyssy said.

The city needs to have a comprehensive feasibility study and master plan for trails, Lyssy said.

Gonzalez said it may be possible in the future to apply for a Texas Parks and Wildlife grant to pay for the bike and walking trail.

But, presently, state funding for parks projects have been sharply curtailed due to the state's overall financial condition, he said.

The city has applied for money from the stimulus program for the railroad relocation project, completion of the FM 509 project, salaries for 10 new police officers for three years and fire department projects, Gonzalez said. Also, the city has applied for $645,000 to pay for energy-saving projects, more than $1 million for the Harlingen Housing Authority, funding for Harlingen WaterWorks and for the Community Development Block Grant program and a program through which foreclosed homes could be financed for low-to-moderate income families, he said.