EHRA offered its Landscape Architectural services to complete a Parks and Trails Master Plan for the District.
EHRA assisted with the district creation of Montgomery County Municipal Utility District No. 126 to accommodate a ±329 acre master planned community located in northern Montgomery County in the City of Conroe, south of League Line Road, west of Longmire Road, and adjacent to Lake Conroe.
EHRA planners, hydrologists and landscape architects worked together to propose an alternative use for the space, re-developing the basin into an amenity pond. EHRA carefully selected native plant materials for both their ability to survive in the harsh conditions of the basin as well as providing filtration for improved storm water quality.
Facilities requiring expansion were also common wall construction, and the EHRA team converted the facilities into aerobic digesters and sludge thickeners.
EHRA worked with the District to create a comprehensive Parks Master Plan, which included recommendations for the development of over two miles of hike/bike trails adjacent to local streets, and within flood control and utility pipeline easements. The District began implementation of the Plan by prioritizing the beautification of West Road, a major arterial street that runs through the District.
EHRA has worked continuously with NWHCMUD 6 for over 44 years. As part of this ongoing relationship, our team collaborated with the District to update the entity’s Parks and Trails Master Plan and to successfully pass a parks bond election in 2018. This project is the most recently completed phase of work on the previously developed Master Plan.
This phase involved the District purchasing a four-acre parcel of land in their boundary with the intention of developing the land into a major park space that would connect to the District’s existing extensive trail system. Next, the landscape architecture team at EHRA organized a committee of community stakeholders to generate a list of the most desired features and amenities to include within the park. EHRA was able to incorporate multiple amenity offerings in the limited project area. Utilizing innovative design techniques, EHRA was able to maximize the use of a challenging boundary configuration, to make the site both aesthetically pleasing yet highly efficient for the community. EHRA designed the new park to include identified features such as a community garden, multiple playgrounds, a picnic plaza, an elevated boardwalk, a dry creek bed, a large central lawn, walking trails, reforestation areas and two dog parks.
Project Manager, Tim May, PLA, LEED AP, mentioned some of the notable features of the project included the nature-based theme in the playground equipment, the open field play, looping trail, raised community garden planters and the community congregation space.
EHRA’s consistent communication and inclusion of the contractor and MUD decisionmakers provided schedule and budget stabilization without unexpected obstacles or costs. Additionally, this granted a smooth operation beginning with design to construction. Construction of this comprehensive park was completed in early 2022.