The City of Dallas is in the process of revising its master plan for the maintenance of White Rock Lake, and residents were afforded an opportunity to give their input at a community meeting.
White Rock Lake, a 1,015-acre lake located within Dallas’ city limits, is “one of the most heavily used parks in the Dallas Park system,” according to Dallas Park & Recreation. The park offers a number of amenities, such as hiking, fishing, picnic areas, the White Rock Lake Museum, and the Dallas Arboretum.
The City hired Dunaway, a Dallas-based civil engineering company, to review previous maintenance plans and create an updated master plan. Dallas Park & Recreation and Dunaway gave a presentation about the project’s goals and progress at a July 18 community meeting held at Winfrey Point.
“Our intent is to try to draw as much relevance as we can from those plans, create a new one, versus working out of something that’s 24 years old, and then be able to use that as the primary reference tool,” said Philip Neeley, a senior equipment manager at Dunaway, the Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate reported.
However, the new master plan will not be all-encompassing and will not completely eliminate the need for previous plans, according to Neeley. He cited the dredging of the lake as an example of maintenance that will not be covered in the updated master plan.
Susan Falvo, chair of the White Rock Lake Task Force, reportedly asked for Flag Pole Hill — a 107.1-acre urban park adjacent to White Rock Lake — to be incorporated into the new plan. The request saw no opposition voiced from Dunaway’s representatives at the meeting.
Other community members present requested that the plan cover other issues, such as safety, sanitation, lighting, dedicated pathways for pedestrians and cyclists, and conservation of wildlife and historical sites.
Conceptual plan development is expected to continue through August and September. The final plan is expected to be completed by the end of 2023 or early 2024. A website is reportedly being developed to allow community members to offer online feedback on the project.