Brackenridge Park is approaching its 125th birthday but its roots go back much further in time. For thousands of years, it was a gathering place for peoples before the arrival of European settlers.
Brackenridge Park is overdue for renovations and improvements that could prepare the green space for future decades of enjoyment and use by San Antonio residents.
However, there is public pushback over a plan to restore crumbling parts of the park due to removal of some trees that city experts say are in the wrong place or in danger of toppling over.
Phase one of a redevelopment project for Brac is part of a 2017 bond that concentrates on six acres at Lambert Beach and the Old Brackenridge Park Pump House at the north end of the 343-acre park.
If successful, Brackenridge could be designated by Congress as part of a Natural Heritage Area, with hike-and-bike trail connections to the South Side and all the way to Austin.
But there is work to be done in riverbank stabilization where there are now crumbling rock walls. And the removal of invasive plant species which are crowding out native plants.
Guest: Shanon Miller, City of San Antonio Director of the Office of Historic Preservation
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*This interview will be recorded on Tuesday, August 15.
