TERRY HERSHEY PARK - WEST HOUSTON BIKEWAY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT;  This City of Houston and Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) construction project will impact Terry Hershey Trail operations between Eldridge Parkway to the parking lot on I-10.  In fact, the portion of the trail under construction may be completely closed for an extended period of time.  Please contact TxDOT at 713-934-5900 if you have any questions about the construction of this project.  You may also wish to look at the City's website for more information on the project at City of Houston's West Houston Bikeway Program.

ARTHUR STOREY PARK; Work started in April on a Kid Fit Park in this storm water management project on the Sam Houston Tollway at Brays Bayou.  The Kid Fit Parks are designed to encourage parents and their children to exercise together.  This is the third one in Precinct Three and this one is sponsored by the engineering firm PBS&J. It is located at the northeast corner of the grove of towering trees that attracts migratory birds to this site.  The recreational amenities center on the grove that is surrounded by large ponds capable of storing up to 1.1 billion gallons of water during a storm.  These ponds are now finished and landscaped.  They are designed to retain some water when there is no storm.  In good weather, they have the pleasant appearance of harmless small lakes.

BAKER ROAD POCKET PARK; This is a small park at Baker Road and Allview with a trail extending south into Windsor Park Estates subdivision. It is being developed by Commissioner Radack and a homeowners organization. This work in progress includes an extension of the trail, the development of hummingbird and butterfly gardens and the planting of more trees.

BAYLAND PARK; Precinct Three craftsmen are at work on an unusual project in Bayland Park, on Bissonnet.  This project is designed to help people with visual impairment get some exercise; walking or even jogging.  It involves holding on to a metal ring traveling along a cable stretched 150 feet apart between two columns.

CYPRESS HISTORIC PARK; Gene Zaboroski donated 2.6 acres of the old business district of the town of Cypress to the County.  This includes the old general store and a large dance hall.  The buildings are being renovated and the park is due to open later this year.  It fronts on old US 290 and backs up to a busy new commercial district that developed along the new US 290.

EMNORA HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL; This newly completed hike and bike trail parallels a drainage ditch east of Gessner.  It is approximately 10 blocks long and has several benches.

HAMMERLY POCKET PARK; This park is located at 9705 Hammerly and is adjacent to Spring Woods Middle School.  The park has a trail, gazebo and an arbor.  A small fountain, landscaping, and mediation garden will be added at a later date.

HOCKLEY SOAP BOX DERBY PARK; Commissioner Radack is building a 50 foot high hill in Hockley Park.   A soap box derby track will be built on the hill. The track will be equivalent to the track in Ohio where the national soap box derby events are staged.  The Hockley track will become the home of the Greater Houston Soap Box Derby Association.  The hill is being built with dirt removed from Paul D. Rushing Park to create a chain-of-lakes.

JOHN PAUL'S LANDING; Commissioners' Court has approved Commissioner Radack's plan to create a big new park on the Katy Prairie and name it John Paul's Landing.  The site is about 850 acres on Katy Hockley just north and east of Paul D. Rushing Park.  Preliminary plans call for turning about two thirds of the area into a lake with islands, walking trails and other features emphasizing nature.  This site is near one of the flyways favored by migrating birds and waterfowl.

KIMBERLY POCKET PARK; This park is located at 12005 Kimberly Lane and is adjacent to Bunker Hill Elementary School. The park's features include playground equipment, trail, picnic tables, and a gazebo.  The landscaping is done and this park is now completed.

KLEB WOODS NATURE PRESERVE; This park is located at Draper Road at Mueschke, near Tomball. This is the former homestead of Ed and Minnie Kleb, descendants of early immigrants from Germany. A state historical marker has been installed at the house Ed Kleb built in 1896. The home has been restored and furnished.  The Nature Center building has been completed, the heritage garden and orchard have been established and a walking trail has been completed.  Park Director Fred Collins has opportunities for volunteers and he can be reached at 281-357-5324.

MASON CREEK PARK AND TRAIL; This new park is located at 2500 Porter Road in Katy.  The park opened in November 2007, on the Flood Control District's new westward extension of the Mason Creek drainage system.  The main feature is a trail along both banks of the creek between Katy Park and Porter Road.  Parking lots have been installed at Katy Park and on Porter Road at the end of the trail.

NOTTINGHAM PARK (KID FIT);  Is a new addition to a city park Commissioner Radack assumed responsibility for in 2004.  It is located at the north end of this park at 14205 Kimberly.  The Kid Fit concept is designed to encourage parents and their children to exercise together on equipment sponsored by private organizations.  The H-E-B grocery chain sponsored the Kid Fit equipment in Nottingham Park.

PAUL D. RUSHING PARK - CHAIN-OF-LAKES; This park is located at Katy Hockley at Katy Hockley Cut-Off. Contractors are still hauling truck loads of dirt, weather permitting, to Hockley for the Soap Box Derby Park hill. The dirt comes from excavations that will be sculpted into lakes and ponds to make a wildlife refuge and viewing area.  This project is estimated to be about 50 percent complete. 

SATSUMA PARK; This former community park, in Tower Oaks subdivision, has been added to Precinct Three's pocket park roster and Precinct Three crews have started working on improvements. There will be a playground, trail, gazebo and parking lot.

SERGEANT J.R. HATCH PARK; This park was formerly named Sport Park.  It is located on the Katy Freeway adjacent to the Precinct 5 Constable's headquarters.  The new name honors the memory of a popular member of the Precinct 5 Constable's force who lost his life to cancer.

TERRY HERSHEY HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL; The Toll Road Authority presented Harris County a new custom-made metal footbridge and installed it under Sam Houston Tollway at Buffalo Bayou on April 7.  The Toll Road people are widening some of their lanes because they need room to work.  They and Precinct Three agreed that the Toll Road should take a parking lot, the Precinct had built, to help people get access to the Terry Hershey Hike and Bike Trail on the bayou.  In return, the Toll Road people agreed that when the widening project is finished, the Toll Road will rebuild the parking lot better than it was and  donate a footbridge spanning the bayou.  This is going to give a number of people living in the area easier access to the popular trail.  Commissioner Radack is getting ready for a surge in business.  He will build two pocket parks on the tollway end of the Hershey Trail.  There will be a pocket park for children and one for adults.  Many trail users think the section of the trail between the tollway and Wilcrest is the most picturesque part of the system.

ZUBE PARK; This park is located at 17400 Roberts Road. A parking lot with 200 spaces has been constructed on the south side of the park near the soccer fields.  On the north side, a parking lot with 75 spaces will be constructed near the Houston Area Live Steamers' model railroad facility.