Lakeside Park Improvement Phase 1 to Start This Fall

Two phases of development are on the way for Lakeside Park, which will include improved grading and drainage, landscaping enhancements, sidewalk connections, bench path improvements, an ADA accessibility ramp, landscape lighting, and irrigation.

The first phase will include hardscape and landscape improvements from the pedestrian bridge at Lexington Avenue to Beverly Drive and the accessibility ramp at Lexington.

Chelsey Gordon, town assistant director of development services, updated the Town Council on the updates developed by Armstrong-Berger.

Phase I

The first phase is set to begin this fall and will last six to nine months, with ground coverage as the main focus.

An erosion control matting will be placed beneath ground cover to hold it in areas where traffic or draining is common. In spots with majority tree coverage, ground pepper will be added.

As parts of the park have become bare over time, Gordon said there could be a few causes: human traffic, duck traffic, heavy shade, and improper draining. 

The duck population, people walking off path, and water have increased eroding at the park.

Bench pads will also be assessed, especially where water from storms have swept out the ground from the benches and exposed the pads.

Gordon also mentioned a public education component, where people should be urged to feed the ducks in one designated spot. 

“It would be great to be able to have individuals that want to feed the ducks go to the edge of the park and feed them in the water,” she said. “That’s what we would kind of be pushing and, you know, offering some duck feeding areas with some appropriate signage and things like that, and just pushing out information about where to feed the ducks, what to feed the ducks, etc.”

Phase II

Phase two of updates will begin in the next fiscal year to allow time for rest at the park. With some focus on the bare spots and sidewalk improvements, people may see less work in this phase. 

“On the southern section after the pedestrian bridge, we’ll look at improvements from Lexington to Armstrong,” Gordon said, leading into the next phase. “The improvements on this side of the park are not as substantial as we’re seeing on the northern section.”

To target the low areas and make them level, the grading level will be adjusted to scale from the street level down to the lake. 

The plan is also to move the sidewalks off the edge of the park to avoid some of the existing drop-offs and improve existing sidewalks. 

More park lighting, as well, is planned with some focus on adding minimal lights to the trees in the park. 

In other news, during its June 20 meeting and study session, the Town Council:

• Read a proclamation recognizing July 2023 as Parks and Recreation Month.
• Approved a request to extend the construction time period for a new single family residence in the 3900 block of Lexington Avenue.
• Reviewed, discussed, and approved an easement use agreement for improvements crossing the town’s utility easement with owner of a property located in the 4400 block of Belfort Place.
• Reviewed, discussed, and approved the interlocal agreement renewal with Dallas County for community development block grant programs.
• Reviewed and discussed the department of public safety’s Texas Law Enforcement Agency Racial Profiling Report for 2022 and a report on the municipal court best practices and disposition of citations for 2022.
• Reviewed and discussed the development of the fiscal year 2023-2024 combined operating and capital budget.
• Reviewed and discussed the monthly financial and investment report for the period ending April 30, 2023.