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Bastrop plans par‑3 golf course, ADA playgrounds and splash pads after bridge bid comes in lower than expected
Summary
City Manager Sylvia Carrillo told the council that a lower-than-expected low bid for the Old Iron Bridge rehabilitation freed borrowing capacity to fund a proposed 9‑hole par‑3 course and several park improvements without raising the tax rate; councilors asked staff to present cost summaries to the parks board.
City Manager Sylvia Carrillo told the Bastrop City Council on Aug. 29 that a low construction bid for the Old Iron Bridge created room in the city’s planned borrow to include a proposed 9‑hole par‑3 golf course and multiple park upgrades without increasing the tax rate.
Carrillo said the city owns 15 acres across from the convention center, which the city envisions as part of a recreation campus. "When Mr. Cervantes talks about a par‑3, this is what he's talking about. These are the 15 acres we purchased right across from the convention center," Carrillo said, adding the site sits in a flood plain and any supporting buildings would need to be modular and sited outside the flood way.
Supporters who addressed council during the citizen‑comment period said a par‑3 course would expand affordable, family‑friendly recreation. Gilbert Cervantes, a Bastrop business owner, described the proposal as "designed with sustainability and community needs in mind" and said the shorter course would make golf accessible to beginners, families and seniors. Rick Rivera and Ashley Coy, both former local players, told council the course would provide affordable options for youth and seniors and could be played in shorter time windows. Sandra Myers, who said her daughter recovered from Hodgkin’s lymphoma and later played on scholarship, urged council to approve the par‑3.
Carrillo outlined other projects under consideration if they fit into the initial bond/borrow: a recirculation system and refresh of the Delgado Park splash pad, an ADA‑accessible playground at Delgado, improvements to Fireman's Park including shaded seating, a covered musical play element at Kerr Park, a themed playground at Mayfest Park, and repairs for erosion and sidewalks from Fisherman's Park to Ferry Park. Carrillo said vendors’ estimates vary: an ADA playground example on the slides was about $225,000; recirculation for the existing splash pad has initial estimates as high as $1,200,000, she said. Carrillo cautioned the numbers are estimates and that staff will refine costs as they finalize the planned bond/borrow.
Carrillo told the council the bridge construction bid came in "a little over $8 million" and that staff had included a roughly $2 million contingency, producing a not‑to‑exceed envelope of about $10 million for the project. She said the lower construction cost compared with earlier estimates leaves room in the city’s initial planned $15 million borrow to include the parks work "with no impact to the tax rate." Carrillo said the parks board will review the proposed projects and present prioritized recommendations.
Council members praised the fast timeline for developing options and asked staff to provide a concise summary that lists total cost for each item and a description for the parks board. Councilperson Meyer said the par‑3 was a positive alternative to previously proposed high‑density development on the 15 acres, and Councilperson Lee noted a veterans memorial is planned within the par‑3 footprint. Carrillo said staff will take the presentation to the parks board and return to council with more detailed costs and sequencing.
Next steps include a parks board review and a packet summarizing each project's estimated cost and scope; no formal council action on the parks projects occurred during the meeting.
