Published: Wed, 01/10/24
San Antonio Express-News
By Megan Rodriguez,Staff writer
A one-time golf club between Kirby and Converse is on its way to becoming Bexar County’s largest park.
Commissioners Court on Tuesday gave county staff the go-ahead to purchase the 162-acre plot of land for $4.5 million.
Ken McGlamery, the county's parks and recreation director, said the acquisition is expected to close in February, with trails — formerly used by golf carts — available for public use within a week of the purchase.
He said other amenities at the park could take two to four years to develop.
In 2021, the county earmarked $10.5 million for a flagship park in Precinct 4, which includes East and Northeast Bexar County. However, Commissioner Tommy Calvert, who represents Precinct 4, said the project will likely cost more than that.
He said he'll seek additional funding in the future, but the project’s total cost won’t be clear until officials finalize plans for the park.
“It’ll be a great way for us to really help our families, because there’s a lot of families in this area — it’s densely populated,” Calvert said of the county's northeastern sector.
A conceptual rendering of the park features a bike path, disc golf course, two dog parks, a playground and an amphitheater.
A lake is located at the center of the property, and about 92 acres of the land is in a floodplain, which will limit what can be built in those spots. But McGlamery said some amenities, such as trails and basketball courts, probably can be located in the floodplain.
The park could include pavilions and other facilities that the county could rent out to generate revenue, Calvert said.
The property is split by FM 78, but a walkway will be built under the road to allow visitors to access the entire space.
Calvert said the county will ask area residents in the next two or three months to weigh in on what amenities the park should include.
Bexar County owns and manages 14 parks, all of them well under 100 acres, making the planned park the largest by far, McGlamery said.
For now, it's called Woodlake Park, borrowed from the defunct Woodlake Golf Club, which operated on the property. But Calvert said he'll will ask residents via social media for recommendations for a permanent name.
The Woodlake Golf Club shut down in 2013 after the San Antonio River Authority foreclosed on it to collect unpaid water bills. The golf club opened in 1972, and after its closure, it was sold three times, said Bexar County Asset Manager Joe Newton.
Calvert said the county has had to deal with illegal dumping and criminal activity in the area since the golf club's closure.
In November, Bexar County agreed to spend $7.3 million to buy part of the shuttered Republic Golf Club on the South Side for an arboretum. The 158.5 acres are on S.E. Military Drive near Brooks.
