County staff submit revised Trading House Lake Park grant application emphasizing ADA and shore-side improvements

McLennan County commissioners on Tuesday accepted for reporting purposes a revised grant application to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) for improvements at Trading House Lake Park. The county’s consultant said the application drops shoreline and dredging elements from last year’s proposal and instead emphasizes shore-side, ADA-accessible amenities to strengthen the grant score.

Jason Mundo of Mundo and Associates told commissioners the project team removed a proposed beach extension and dredging/jetty work after TPWD advised those items were unlikely to be fundable under the nonurban outdoor grant and could trigger U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permitting. The revised application emphasizes an ADA-accessible playground, two sand volleyball courts, four picnic sites plus an additional ADA picnic site, four RV pads with water and electrical hookups, solar security lighting, and nearly 3,300 feet of decomposed-granite, ADA-accessible trail with three trail rest areas.

Mundo said sustainable, low-impact materials and solar lighting were included to improve scoring under TPWD criteria; picnic tables and benches would use recycled materials available through the Texas BuyBoard. He described the playground as ADA-inclusive with integrated shade, a wheelchair-sized ramp, transfer stations and ground-level sensory activities.

On project costs, Mundo presented a civil-engineer estimate that put total project cost at approximately $1,103,000, with professional services fixed at 12 percent (presented as $118,186). The proposed grant request is roughly half the total project cost: $551,005.35, with the county expected to provide the matching funds of the same amount. Mundo said the total construction and contingency figures were developed using BuyBoard pricing and his engineering estimates and that the county’s matching amount is within about 10 percent of last year’s request despite recent price increases.

Mundo walked commissioners through the grant calendar: the application window just closed; awards are expected April–May 2026; contracts would be signed in October 2026; permitting and design would run through about October 2027; construction bidding would occur late in 2027 and construction would take place in 2028. The TPWD grant cycle requires projects to be completed within a three-year grant period, which Mundo said would place final project completion near October 2029 if funded.

Commissioners asked about in-kind county contributions; Mundo said the county could supply crushed aggregate for trail and parking pads and other materials as part of an in-kind match, and that such items can be specified in construction documents. Commissioners voted to accept the report for the record; no funding commitment beyond the matching requirement was approved at the meeting.

Background: the county applied for a TPWD outdoor grant for Trading House Lake Park last year and narrowly missed funding by a small number of points. This revised application reflects TPWD feedback and focuses on shore-side, permanent amenities and accessibility to improve competitiveness.