Sunday, January 18, 2015

Upscale Harbor Village Returns After MLK Holiday


San Angelo's City Council will meet the day after city staff enjoy a holiday in honor of  Reverend Martin Luther King.  This council will entertain development of Lake Nasworthy public park land, an area envisioned as Harbor Village.  This Harbor would include a hotel, restaurants, beach and marina.


Consultants and staff suggest the public only provided positive input.  This is patently false.  I attended numerous sessions to represent local windsurfers.  I spoke during the public meetings and followed up afterwards when it was clear consultants had not heard or understood our position.  It is simple:  local windsurfers would like to keep the access we've enjoyed for years and would be happy with any improvements.

Both the Lake Nasworthy and Twin Buttes Master Plans stuck windsurfing in the worst possible locations.  They had deep drop offs, limited access to the main body of water or were in a prevailing wind shadow.   Please city leaders, if you eliminate our current windsurfing access don't tell us how great we're being treated.

Be straight up with people.  The City of Lake Jackson took away the popular Dow Park in the late 1980's for development of luxury homes.  The city made no bones about it. 

That may be what consultants and staff mean by their recommendation to City Council:

We recommend an initial build of an upscale full-service property of at least 200 room.
Windsurfers have been crowded out of two reports, despite clearly speaking. 

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." - Rev. Martin Luther King 

It appears windsurfers will be an afterthought as the city moves ahead with lake development.  Who else might be crowded out by upscale, full service property with a hotel, restaurants, and marina?  The beach can only accommodate so much.

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