Texas legislators express support for saving Fairfield Lake State Park
AUSTIN (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Members of the Texas Legislature are voicing their support for efforts to keep a North Texas state park open.
Members of the House Committee on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism are the latest officials to throw their support behind the effort to preserve Fairfield Lake State Park. Last month, Gov. Greg Abbott voiced his support for saving the park.
Committee members, including Chairman Trent Ashby, expressed their interest in working with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TWPD) and property owners to find a solution that saves the park for public use.
Committee members asked TPWD to consider temporarily reopening the park for day use. Fairfield Lake closed on Feb. 28 after Vistra Corp. terminated its lease with TPWD ahead of a sale to Dallas-based real estate developer Todd Interests.
Over the 2022 fiscal year, the park welcomed 82,555 visitors - up from 58,991 in 2019. The 2,400-acre lake is a popular spot for bass fishing. It offers activities like kayaking and swimming. The 1,460 acres of land around the lake is home to many species of birds and features a 15-mile hiking trail.
Legislators considered the impact of diverting the 14,000-acre feet of water from the lake. Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Chairman Arch "Beaver" Aplin III pointed out that doing so could reduce the lakeshore by half and devastate local wildlife.
The committee also discussed the issues surrounding two cemeteries located on park grounds. Chancellor Union Cemetery and Freedman Cemetery - which was discovered in 2002 - include gravesites dating back to the 1880s. TWPD has protected the sites from public exposure and commissioned an archeological survey in 2007 to better understand their history.
"For Texans, Fairfield Lake State Park is a rare treasure providing vital recreational space," said Aplin. "When I hear Texans talk about this park, I hear them call it 'our park.' ... It's everyone's park, and I look forward to coming back to the table to try to find a compromise that would allow Texans to keep it."
The state has until June 28, 2023 - 120 days since the park's closure - to either find a solution or vacate the premises.