CITY OF DRIPPING SPRINGS RECEIVES ITS LARGEST DONATION: CHARRO RANCH PARK
The City of Dripping Springs just announced that it has received an unprecedented
gift to the community, 64.73 acres of parkland from area property owner Lucy
Reed Hibberd. Appraised at more than $1.3 million, Charro Ranch Park is the
largest donation the City of Dripping Springs has ever received.
Located on FM 150 east of Oak Springs and west of Woods Loop, Charro Ranch Park,
which was named for Hibberd’s step father Charles and mother Roberta Crenshaw,
will be utilized for passive recreation only. Hibberd’s vision for the park is
for it to always remain a peaceful place with no motorized vehicles, sports
fields or outdoor lighting. To ensure that Charro Ranch Park will be eternally
used for passive activities such as walking, nature viewing, hiking and
picnicking, Hibberd set deed restrictions on the property to place limitations
on how the donated parkland may be utilized. Over the past year,before turning
the property over to the City, Hibberd has worked to clear brush, install gravel
trails, and create a natural solstice circle. Making substantial improvements to
the park trails, Hibberd hired crews to use gravel from her own land. She also
has worked with tree specialists to identify many different tree species on the
property including some magnificent persimmons, black jack oaks, elm trees, post
oaks and live oaks.
The solstice
circle is a site to visit, with huge rocks and an information table that marks
the summer and winter solstices. After studying solstice gardens and gathering
information from experts on the subject, Hibberd was able to mark the
information table with the compass headings that indicate the direction for the
sunrise and sunset at the time of the summer and winter solstices. Hibberd envisions a Circle of Peace to be located within the park where
there is a natural circular rock formation. Her vision is for people to walk
three times around the circle and contemplate world peace. Hibberd
said she would like to see the community continue to raise money and secure
grant funding to make improvements for parking, signage for plant
identification, picnic tables, and a pavilion for community events, parties,
and pick up basketball games.
No stranger to giving, Hibberd and her family have a long history of promoting land conservation through donations of property and philanthropy. Hibberd’s mother donated two significant parks to the City of Austin, as well as an additional 40 acre property to the City of Dripping Springs for the community’s first wastewater treatment plant.
Located on FM 150 east of Oak Springs and west of Woods Loop, Charro Ranch Park,
which was named for Hibberd’s step father Charles and mother Roberta Crenshaw,
will be utilized for passive recreation only. Hibberd’s vision for the park is
for it to always remain a peaceful place with no motorized vehicles, sports
fields or outdoor lighting. To ensure that Charro Ranch Park will be eternally
used for passive activities such as walking, nature viewing, hiking and
picnicking, Hibberd set deed restrictions on the property to place limitations
on how the donated parkland may be utilized. Over the past year,before turning
the property over to the City, Hibberd has worked to clear brush, install gravel
trails, and create a natural solstice circle. Making substantial improvements to
the park trails, Hibberd hired crews to use gravel from her own land. She also
has worked with tree specialists to identify many different tree species on the
property including some magnificent persimmons, black jack oaks, elm trees, post
oaks and live oaks. No stranger to giving, Hibberd and her family have a long history of promoting land conservation through donations of property and philanthropy. Hibberd’s mother donated two significant parks to the City of Austin, as well as an additional 40 acre property to the City of Dripping Springs for the community’s first wastewater treatment plant.
Posted by DSBabble.com at Thursday, April 30, 2009 3:35 PM 
Categories: city of dripping springs, charro ranch park
Tags: dripping springs charro ranch park
Categories: city of dripping springs, charro ranch park
Tags: dripping springs charro ranch park
Man, I SHOULD have stayed another week. So many exciting things are happening!!!
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Many thanks to Lucy Reed Hibberd. I look forward to enjoying this park.
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