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Cameron County officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony last Friday to celebrate the completion of phase two of the Olmito Nature Park.
The event specially marked the official opening of the park’s kayak launch, with an actual kayak launching courtesy of Aaron Millan of Brownsville Kayaks.
Additional phase-two improvements include two new fishing piers, a concession area, more restrooms, expanded parking, a county Parks and Recreation office, wildlife-friendly solar lighting, native landscaping and interpretive signs.
The grand opening for the nearly 40-acre park took place in February. It’s located on land donated to the county by Frank M. and Jane E. McKinney in 2019. The park lies just west of I-69E off Hayes Road, and features 3,200 linear feet of Resaca del Rancho Viejo waterfront.
“I’m proud of the work that the Cameron County Commissioner’s Court has done over the last 10 years, and in particular, the way we’ve invested in our parks system,” County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. said during the ceremony.
While the county’s Isla Blanca Park on South Padre Island may be considered the crown jewel of the system, “this one is going to give it a run for its money,” he added.
“This was a vision that Commissioner (Joey) Lopez had since he took office, trying to develop a park in Precinct 2,” Treviño said. “And honestly, if it hadn’t been for the initial donation of the McKinney family, I don’t think we would have been able to accomplish what we did. But Commissioner Lopez deserves our thanks, our gratitude, and we need to make sure that we appreciate the efforts that he put into this park to get us to this point.”
Lopez, taking his turn at the podium, said lots of people have been enjoying the park since the grand opening, conceding that making the project a reality took a “lot of hard work.”
“I hit the ground running when we first got in (office), and there happened to be a bond issue that had been passed that (had) $500,000 allocated for a park in Olmito,” he said. “So right away, I got going and started visiting with some of the families who had … property here in this area and visited with three different families.”
The McKinney family at first pledged six acres for the park, but soon decided to donate their entire 40 acres, Lopez said.
“It’s been a blessing,” he said. “There’s so many people out here enjoying it. My daughter Daniella comes out here with her kids and enjoys this park tremendously. I’ve come out here in the afternoon and there’s a lot of people walking the trails.”
About 5,000 Lone Star bass fingerlings were released into the resaca in April, and Lopez said plans are in the works to add more fish, including catfish, to help create a hot fishing spot as well as a great place for bird watching.
“If you haven’t been out here at some of the bird watching areas over the resaca, there’s so many beautiful birds from the water that are out here,” he said. “We’re in the midst of getting a real nice large butterfly garden going in the center of the park too. Everything takes work, and you’ve got to stay on top of it.”
The next phase of the park will feature a nature center, with $3.5 million already budgeted for that, Lopez said, adding that RV sites are coming too.
“We’re hoping that before the end of the year, we break ground on (the nature center),” he said. “The RV sites will hopefully start moving in about six to seven weeks.”
Thirty RV sites will be situated near the kayak launch, accessible from the park’s south entrance off Merryman Road just west of I-69E. Revenue from the RV sites and concession sales ideally will be sufficient to maintain the park year-round, Lopez said.
“I tell you, it takes a lot of people to put this together,” he said.
Parks and Recreation Director Joe Vega thanked the many people who helped make Olmito Nature Park a reality, including county officials and staff, contractors and architects, and state and federal elected officials for helping secure funding. Vega singled out Lopez for leading the way on the project and the “great work that you’ve done for your precinct.”
“Not only did he do close to $14 million dollars in improvements for this park, but he’s got a little park in his precinct, La Esperanza Community Park, with a little bit over $2 million dollars that he’s done in improvements to that park.”
State Rep. Erin Gamez thanked Lopez “for the sleep that you’ve lost” over the project, calling it a gift for the community.
“When folks from Austin, from anywhere else talk about South Texas, and they come down, they say, I had no idea it was so beautiful. I had no idea that y’all had all this going on down there in South Texas,” she said.
“I say, we are blessed. We are blessed beyond measure, and it is true. Really, I can’t wait to tell the rest of the world what’s going on down here, and thank you for this gift that will last generations upon generations.”