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EDC tables $75,000 participation in Santa Fe Downtown River Park master plan after questions about scope and funding
Summary
Carl White outlined a master plan for Santa Fe Park and an adjacent sculpture program that could cost $30M for bronze vignettes; council already funds half of a $150,000 study but EDC members debated whether Development Corporation dollars should fund the planning portion and voted to table the request for additional discussion next month.
Carl White presented a scope and funding request for a Santa Fe Downtown River Park master plan that would reimagine Santa Fe Park, Civic League Park, Sunken Garden Park and the river corridor and would incorporate a proposed large‑scale sculpture program.
White said the full master plan is budgeted at $150,000, with the city funding $75,000; he asked the EDC to consider contributing the remaining $75,000 to help secure consultant services to produce a cohesive master plan (landscape, community engagement, and later construction documents). Private donors are leading fundraising for an estimated $30 million sculpture program made of bronze vignettes; Matt Lewis of the San Angelo Area Foundation said about $5 million is committed to the sculpture effort so far.
Several board members supported the vision for riverfront redevelopment but expressed reservations about committing development corporation funds to an early conceptual plan rather than tangible park construction. Concerns included whether the parks department or tourism/acquisition funds should cover the study, how quickly private fundraising would advance, and the risk that an unfunded plan could sit on a shelf.
After extended discussion, a board member moved to table the funding decision to the next meeting so members could gather more information about private pledges, city financial commitments and potential tangible outcomes that would make the EDC’s participation a clear public‑investment priority.
