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Cuellar to help with funds for Walnut Branch
Published November 11, 2009
SEGUIN — After decades of talk, Seguin is able to take another step forward with work on the Walnut Branch Linear Park restoration project.
Thanks to $335,000 in funding from Congressman Henry Cuellar, the city will get an extra boost as it moves into the next phase of work.
“We have been talking about the Walnut Branch restoration since I was a child,” said Mayor Betty Ann Matthies. “Now, with the help of Congressman Cuellar and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, we’re celebrating the $335,000 that will help us complete Phase 2 of this project.”
Cuellar, who paid a visit to Seguin on Tuesday, said he hoped the project would provide many benefits, especially a boost to the quality of life for the city and surrounding areas.
“What this is about is protecting the environment, the vegetation, aquatic wildlife and we also need to make sure we have something that will serve the residents of the area,” he said.
At completion, the Walnut Branch Linear Park will stretch from Highway 78 to Starcke Park and will include walking trails, bridges, native landscaping and other features. A small park along Walnut Branch was originally created as a Public Works Administration project in the 1930s, but fell into disarray.
After decades of discussion, Seguin voters approved funding to renovate Walnut Branch as part of the 2006 Destination Seguin bond package.
The city recently received a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and, though the master planning phase was completed in the spring, funding was needed to move forward with the design portion.
Matthies said the design phase of the project includes work on a 2.5 mile stretch between Court and Nolte streets, such as removal of debris and non-native vegetation, replanting of native vegetation, bank stabilization and stream and riffle-pool modification.
Once this stage is complete, the mayor said, work can begin on bridges, trails and other features that will complete the project.
The Walnut Branch committee has been working since 2000 to push the project forward. Cuellar and Matthies both credit volunteers and city staff for hard work and tenacity in keeping the project at the forefront.
Sam Flores, who has been a member of the committee for the last nine years, said he is excited for the future of Walnut Branch.
“It just goes to show that if we persist in a democracy, we can come out ahead,” he said.
Rob Newman, chief of the planning section for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — Fort Worth district, explained similar aquatic ecosystem restoration projects must all be funded from the same budget, which only allows $50 million a year for projects all over the country.
“In the Fort Worth district alone, we have 30 similar projects,” he said. “If it weren’t for Congressman Cuellar, it could have spent 10 to 15 years sitting there waiting to get done like so many other projects. Only a handful will get funding this year, and this is one of them.”
Cuellar said the people of Seguin — from the mayor and council to the regular residents — were incentive for him to get involved in the project.
“First, it’s always great working with the mayor and city council here in Seguin,” he said. “Second, I was really impressed that, though the project has been on hold for so many years, they’ve actually started looking for construction money for next year. If we can have a place for kids and families to enjoy, I think that’s really important.”
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