SAN ANGELO, Texas —
A grand opening will celebrate the reopening of the North Concho River trail this fall.
The River Fest is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 19 to celebrate the reopening of the downtown riverside area and the 100th anniversary of Santa Fe Park.
The all-day event kicks off at the Visitor’s Center and continues up and down the river.
“We’ll have a whole day of activities on the river,” said Carl White, San Angelo parks and recreation director.
Ideas for celebration activities include paddle boats, Girl Scout canoe lessons, a cardboard boat regatta, basketball tournaments, bands playing throughout the day, a possible laser show at the RiverStage and, perhaps, even a small carnival at the former Neff’s location.
Meanwhile, with the bank stabilization of the river finished, workers are tackling the fine details of the project.
In the section between Irving and Chadbourne streets, workers are creating an area where park visitors will be able to enjoy games of washer pitching, tether ball and more.
The riverside trails, which received some damage during the heavy lifting portion of the project, are being reconstructed by city workers, helped by inmate crews.
“They’re starting at Bell Street and working their way upriver” (toward downtown), White said.
The $13.5 million project, funded by the half-cent sales tax and various grants, is scheduled for completion this August.
The project began in 2010 with the dredging of 1.43 million cubic feet of silt from the North Concho River.
Since then, improvements have included bank stabilization, trail improvements, new lighting, outdoor exercise areas, public art, a new irrigation system, shady sitting areas and water features.
In addition to existing trails, a new pathway on the south side of the river will connect Irving Street to the Visitor’s Center. It will run across property owned by the San Angelo Health Foundation then past the Girl Scout and Boy Scout cabins.
RED ARROYO TRAIL
A long-awaited pathway for pedestrians and nonmotorized vehicles is in the final design phase.
The three-mile trail for pedestrians and nonmotorized vehicles will stretch from Knickerbocker Road to Sherwood Way.
While the design of the three-mile trail is basically finished, some details are still being worked out, including parking areas, landscaping, seating areas, trail heads, drainage, stormwater work and the possibility of a dog park.
David Knapp, the city’s construction manager, said he hopes the project can be bid out by the end of this year and constructed and completed in 2014.
The 14-foot-wide path will be constructed of concrete, he said.
“Concrete’s the best thing to use,” Knapp said. “Most of the trail’s out of the flood plain, but if we used chat or decomposed granite, it could wash away.”
To see a map of the Red Arroyo Trail, go to sanangelotexas.us and search for Red Arroyo.
Meals for the Elderly benefits
For Becca Edens and her fellow staffers at Meals For The Elderly, Fat Tuesday wasn’t just the beginning of the Lenten season, it was a day to make memories and raise funds for the organization.
The nonprofit organization held its annual Mardi Gras celebration at the McNease Convention Center on Feb. 12, complete with tiaras, masks, feather boas and beads to celebrate the start of Mardi Gras. In all, 715 people attended the event for food and drinks from 34 local businesses, bringing in a total of $37,100.
“It was a very successful event,” Edens said. “So many people came out to celebrate and support Meals For The Elderly.”
The effort to raise funds for the organization haven’t slowed down, March brings the March for Meals campaign. The Older Americans Act was set into law in 1965 during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration and included nutrition programs to be set in place for Americans over age 60.
According to the Meals On Wheels organization, March for Meals is held in March because the act including senior meal programs was enacted in March.
“March for Meals is a national campaign, naturally we’re going to participate locally.” Edens said. “During the first week of March, we’ll have military personnel, San Angelo Police Department officers, firefighters and other law enforcement and first responders participate in ‘Heroes Against Hunger,’ and they’ll be delivering to our recipients then.”
Food Connection Day was held the final week of February at Sage Insurance. Final totals from canned food donations have not yet been tallied from the event.
Canned food drives in local schools will be held through the month, and the local Curves weight loss center is offering to waive enrollment fees for a donation of $30 worth of canned food items. March 20 is slated as Mayors for Meals Day, where local officials deliver meals to elderly clients across the country.
“This is Alvin New’s last time to deliver as the mayor.” Edens said. “Other community leaders will be able to participate in the deliveries that day as well.”
For information on how to donate to or volunteer to Meals For The Elderly, call 325-655-9200.
My San Angelo guidelines
Every week, the My San Angelo section is published in the Sunday edition of the Standard-Times. My San Angelo is a section for local and area nonprofit organizations, sports teams, church groups and more to highlight achievements in the community.
The section features a syndicated column from popular columnist Sharon Randall, along with photos, listings for club meetings, a senior nutrition calendar, bridge results from two local groups and anniversary announcements for couples who have been married for 25 years or longer.
There also are monthly columns from nonprofit organizations to inform the community about what the organization is about or how to volunteer. Sometimes, there is a fundraiser the organization wishes to announce.
If your nonprofit organization isn’t featured in My San Angelo, contact the newsroom to see how to have the information published.
Anniversary announcements of 25-49 years can be published in My San Angelo, free of charge, with no photograph. Anniversaries of 50 years and above can be published at no charge with a photograph.
Anniversary forms are available in the Standard-Times lobby. Only the information asked for on the forms will be used.
To have a photo published, email the it to mysanangelo@gosanangelo.com in a .jpg attachment (please do not embed it into the body of the email), along with the information for the photo (name of group, first and last names of everyone in the photo and a brief description).
If you cannot scan and email, bring the photo into the office, where someone will scan the photo and return it immediately.
Because of the volume of photo submissions that are received, publication dates cannot be guaranteed and that items are printed as space is available.
Have questions about My San Angelo? Contact Sandy Rojas at 325-659-8234 or srojas@gosanangelo.com.
