#9 City of Dripping Springs receives $5.7 million park land gift

The Dripping Springs City Council has accepted a donation deed of 300 acres of land from Dick Rathgeber and Rathgeber Investment Company, Ltd. This land is located adjacent to the Headwaters Subdivision and will be dedicated to the city as Rathgeber Natural Resource Park.

According to the city, the future Rathgeber Natural Resource Park will not only protect 300 acres of the Texas Hill Country and the convergence zones of Barton Creek and Little Barton Creek, but it will provide public access to passively recreate, immerse in nature, and explore the Texas night sky. With the addition of this land, the city’s public parkland increases from 271 to 571 acres.

“The City of Dripping Springs is extremely grateful to Dick Rathgeber for his generosity and incredible contribution to the City’s current park system,” Mayor Bill Foulds Jr. said. “As Dripping Springs continues to grapple with high rates of growth, access to, as well as conservation and proper management of public land, becomes vitally important to the health of the Texas Hill Country. The Rathgeber Natural Resource Park will not only protect and improve an indispensable piece of Hill Country habitat and watershed, it will also provide the Dripping Springs community with a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience and learn from this majestic and endangered landscape.” The City of Dripping Springs directed an appraisal of the donated property and the appraisal was for $5.7 million. The donation deed also contemplates a seasonal use agreement of a 66 acre area of the park for the Capital Area Boy Scouts of America Council. Kelly Schmidt, Drippings Springs Parks & Community Services Director, said there is much excitement about the potential for the new park and its varied partners. The park project has already received letters of support from Dripping Springs Independent School District, Destination Dripping Springs, Capital Area Boys Scouts, and Hays County Master Naturalist organizations. “While the Dripping Springs community is the biggest beneficiary of this gift, through the contemplated use agreement, the Capital Area

Boy Scouts will be able to provide seasonal Boy Scout programs for generations to come,” Schmidt said. “It’s exciting to think about the many community connections and improved quality of life experiences the park will serve as a catalyst for.” The land is not open to the public at this time. The next step is for the city to facilitate the creation of a master park plan. “We’re looking forward to these next steps. We’ll be working with stakeholders,community members, and outside firms to ensure that Rathgeber Natural Resource Park will be the best in class and offer much to the Dripping Springs community. This gifted land is a gem and we want to ensure that the master plan protects and manages it to the highest of standards,” Schmidt said. According to Schmidt, the plan will be created with the following four guiding principles: • Protecting/ Improving Water Quality including all efforts to ensure that the two creeks are kept as pristine as possible as the park is created and used; • Nature Education including educational programming, interpretive signage throughout the park, and a future Natural Resource/Interpretive educational center on site; • Conservation including a long-term land management plan that protects existing flora and fauna,restores disturbed land, and employs on-site dedicated Parks and Community Services staff; and • Responsible Outdoor Recreation including the creation of unobtrusive trails and natural gathering spaces, primitive youth camping & outdoor recreation, and low impact recreation uses & management/conservation principles so that the parkland is enjoyed through uses that complement the intended goal of a mindful Texas Hill Country nature immersion experience without degradation. The generous land donation was given by area developer and philanthropist Dick Rathgeber, who believes in the philosophy of giving back to the community. “I’m extremely pleased with the plans that the City of Dripping Springs has for the park because it is about as close to nature as you can get,” Rathegeber said. The development of the master plan and the creation of Rathgeber Natural Resource Park will take 2-4 years to complete. Partial funding is expected to come from the Hays County parks and open spaces $75 million bond that was approved by Hays County voters in the last election.