MEMORIAL MAKEOVER

Memorial Park makeover means 150 new parking spaces, updated trail, and more perks

Seth Livingston
Steven Devadanam
Oct 19, 2018, 5:00 am
Eastern Glades Phase I has been completed. Phase II (pictured) is slated for completion by summer 2020. Courtesy photo

This article originally appeared on CultureMap.

It’s been a banner year for Memorial Park, with news in the spring of a blockbuster, $70 million grant from the Kinder Foundation. Now, locals can rejoice in more good news: the completion of a crucial phase in the park’s redevelopment.

As part of the Memorial Park Master Plan, the Eastern Glades Phase I project has been completed. For park users, that means East Memorial Loop Drive has been realigned, extending the Seymour Lieberman Exer-Trail to a full three miles.

Additionally, park visitors can now enjoy 150 new parking spots (huge news for anyone who regularly jogs, walks, or bikes there), a new restroom station with water fountain, and new plantings and lighting, which will create a healthier ecology on the 100-acre site that is Eastern Glades, according to a release.

Continue reading on CultureMap.

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BIG GIFT FOR THE BAY

Galveston Bay rises with $2 million gift to protect ecosystem

Local wildlife still faces challenges in Galveston Bay. Photo by Andrew Hancock

This article originally appeared on CultureMap.

Lovers of Galveston Bay know that the ecosystem has been beset by challenges, after being ravaged by Hurricane Harvey and the Deepwater Horizon spill, and last year, receiving a C grade for its overall wellness.

Even more challenging, Galveston Bay has lost more than 35,000 acres of intertidal wetlands since the 1950s.

But now, hope floats, with the news that the Galveston Bay Foundation has received a $2.3 million award to continue to restore and create marsh habitat in the Dollar Bay/Moses Lake complex in Galveston Bay. The gift comes courtesy of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), with funding through the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, a funding source created from Deepwater Horizon oil spill penalties.

The area has already seen restoration work in the same area, including a 1,600-foot section of rock breakwater structures constructed in 2002, a 2,400-foot section constructed in 2012, and 1.3-mile section completed in 2018. Galveston Bay Foundation volunteers have planted smooth cordgrass to reestablish fringing marsh and will continue to do so in this next phase, according to the foundation.

Continue reading on CultureMap to learn about the breakwaters that will be constructed.

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