FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GRAPEVINE - Now Managing Rockledge Park April 2009
Grapevine, Texas (April 7, 2009) — The City of Grapevine will now be managing Rockledge Park! Effective April 10, 2009, the City of Grapevine will officially be managing Rockledge Park, 3800 Pilot Point, Grapevine. “Upon arrival in to the park, guests will notice an immediate improvement in ground maintenance, bathroom care, security, and staff presence at the park” says Joe Moore, Assistant Director, City of Grapevine, Parks & Recreation. The City of Grapevine subleased Rockledge Park on March 3, 2009 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps maintains ownership of the park and we, the City are the Lessee. The Corps has been subleasing its properties in this region and around the country to local government entities because of decreased budgets to maintain these properties. The one caveat that our City Council had in supporting the City’s management of this park was that it would not affect our citizens’ taxes. That being said, the only way to care for this park is to generate revenue through entrance fees, pavilion reservations, and small retail at the gatehouse.
By way of our lease with the U.S. Corps of Engineers, all revenue generated at the park must be spent on Corps property. It cannot be shifted to pay for potholes in South Grapevine, or salaries anywhere else in the city. These revenues will be used to maintain, and improve the current infrastructure and ultimately improve the entire park in to a family oriented, regional park that is safe, well maintained, and secure. Annual passes may be purchased for both residents and nonresidents to access not only Rockledge, but also our 9 boat ramps, Vineyards Campground & Cabins, 1501 N. Dooley St. and Meadowmere Park, 3000 Meadowmere Lane. The work of volunteers on the North Shore Trail (NST), is greatly appreciated. These works are what has made the NST a Nationally recognized trail. The point at which the trail begins inside Rockledge Park is actually the city limits line for Grapevine/Flower Mound. We will not be maintaining any of the trail. In addition, Rockledge is not the only access to the trail, so we are not prohibiting use of the trail. Improved maintenance on the restroom at the trailhead is long overdue and we are going to address that in the near future. We anticipate users of the trail will understand why a fee will be instituted at the park. It is our desire to work with Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association (DORBA) and other groups in regards to a partnership agreement to continue the great trail maintenance work that has been going on there.
Park hours during the summer season (April 1–September 30) Sunday-Thursday, 9 a.m.–Dusk. Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m.-Dusk. Park hours during the Winter Season (October 1–March 31) are 9 a.m.–Dusk, seven days a week. Rockledge Park is still a public park as any State or National Park is, there will simply be a fee to enter the park. Effective, April 10, 2009, Rockledge Park will assess an entry fee from every vehicle, pedestrian and/or cyclist ($5 per vehicle, $1 per pedestrian or cyclist). The City also charges an entrance fee at Meadowmere Park, all boat ramps in the City, and at The Vineyards Campground & Cabins, all also Corps of Engineer properties. We invite you to visit any of these locations and see the improvements that have been made over the past 6 years. We appreciate your continued support of Rockledge Park and its future.
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