NEWS & EVENTS
Welcome to 2019!
July 2019 will close out our first 5 years as a non-profit! We have had so many successes in local park improvement, and many lesson we have learned along the way. Each year, we take small steps to better parks, better recreation spaces, and a better quality of life for our entire Big Bend region.
NEWS & EVENTS
Welcome to 2020!
July 2020 will close out our first 6 years as a non-profit! We have had so many successes in local park improvement, and many lesson we have learned along the way. Each year, we take small steps to better parks, better recreation spaces, and a better quality of life for our entire Big Bend region.
Meet your 2020 Board of Directors!
Posted November 2, 2019
From the month-long nomination process for new Board members, we have gotten 5 people to fill the 5 positions within the BBPaRKs Board of Directors for 2020!
Meet your 2020 Board of Directors:
President - Ekta Escovar
Vice President - Letty Carrillo
Secretary - Kendra Dubois
Treasurer - Marci Havlik
Member at Large - Alexandra Tackett
Please join in congratulating all of our outgoing and incoming Board! We couldn't continue with the park improvement progress without your support, or without the efforts of our Board.
We are excited for 2020 and our next round of projects and events! Stay tuned!!
Party @ the Park 2019 a success!
Posted November 1, 2019
BBPaRKs 3rd annual Party @ the Park fundraiser on September 28, 2019 was a huge success! $1500 were raised, and the attendees voted on the next goal for our local fundraising efforts. A large playground piece to be placed at American Legion Park (N 15th Street and Stockton - about 3 blocks north of the middle school) will be the next project! Stay tuned as we investigate pricing and keep everyone posted as we progress along towards purchasing it. We are $1500 closer though!
City of Alpine - Parks Master Plan COMPLETE
Posted August 11, 2019
The Parks Master Plan (details are in March 1 posting below) is complete and approved by City Council to add into the formal city paperwork and archives. The next step will be to work alongside the City's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to divide up some smaller goals, apply for grants, and help create long- and short-term fundraising goals. If you are interested in helping in a minor or major way, please contact us!
Stay tuned for more details.
City of Alpine - Parks Master Plan update
Posted July 1, 2019
The Parks Master Plan (details are in March 1 posting below) is nearing completion. After hundreds of hours spent on assessing our parks and community desires, the 2019-2030 master plan is compiled. City Council is anticipated to vote on its approval in August. Once the Master Plan is approved, the city's Parks board and BBPaRKs can coordinate and plan on continued park improvements! Stay tuned for more details.
City of Alpine - Parks Master Plan process
Posted March 1, 2019
A Parks Master Plan is a very important planning tool for both the City of Alpine as well as BBPaRKs. A Master Plan takes inventory of current parks - fields, bathrooms, play pieces, water fountains, disc golf courses, walking trails, and more. Community input is then requested to determine what is needed or wanted in our outdoor spaces - what is working well, what needs to be replaced, and what new items are most requested. A Master Plan also takes into account a variety of factors, such as SRSU outdoor spaces, AISD playgrounds open to the public, sidewalks and 'connect-ability' within the town, and more. In the end, a Master Plan is built and presented to the City Council for approval. Approval of such a community-driven plan is extremely helpful in guiding the city as to the most important park needs (for budgeting and planning), as well as important to BBPaRKs as we continue to write for grants and do local fundraising!
Ideally a Master Plan should be re-done every 5 years, as the city's needs may change, or populations within the city get older or younger, and as we bring in improvements the priorities of the community will evolve.
If you see any posts or hear of any Parks Master Plan meetings, please plan to attend! This is your chance to give your input on what you'd like to see in our parks!
You should also take part in this 5-10 minute survey to help determine how we use our parks and what you'd like to see! https://bit.ly/2CtIuOL
Current fundraising goal met!
Posted February 20, 2019
For over 2 years, we have been working hard to fundraise and get shade equipment for Baines Park. Baines Park has some beautiful trees, but are on the edges of the park, with none providing much shade over the playground area. Baines Park is well used in the evenings, but often the metal playground pieces cannot be played with much during the hottest times of the day.
In order to fix this problem, the community asked to focus on fundraising for improved shade at Baines Park. We have now met our goal of $15,000 which will allow us to purchase 2 large cloth shades (similar to the ones over the Kokernot toddler area and both shaded swing sets) as well as 2 walk-through arbors!
We are waiting for approval by the City of Alpine (as these would be permanent changes to city property). Hopefully that process goes smoothly, after which we will order the shades, and with the coordination of the city, the Alpine Parks Dept can help install them!!
2nd Mom Prom was a Success!
Posted February 8, 2019
Big Bend Parks & Recreation for Kids held another successful Mom Prom on January 26th. We had over 100 women come and enjoy a night off, while simultaneously fundraising for their own children's parks! Together we raised over $1900, however it was even more wonderful to see everyone come together as a community and enjoy each other's company, some amazing food, and fun music!
Our sincere gratitude to the women who helped put it all together - Letitia Garrett, Katrina Munoz, Holly Beutow, Ashley Baker, Kendra DuBois, Amy Struthers, Marjie Scott, Susan Billings, Julie Edwards, Iliana Navarette, and especially Candes Ramon! The generosity of our sponsors is unparalleled and appreciated: Big Bend Regional Medical Center, Vaquera Vogue, Compass Electric, and Quality Inn. A huge thank you to the karaoke and DJ skills by Brady & Crew for keeping the party going, Railroad Blues for their cash bar, Aramark for the delicious food, and all the SRSU staff who helped through the night. We would also like to thank the local businesses and families that donated items for our raffle baskets. The event wouldn't have been the same without your support.
We look forward to continuing to serve this wonderful community with further park improvements and putting on some more fun and innovative fundraisers!
Upcoming Events
FREE Movie Night
Kokernot Lodge
5:30pm
