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thun
Apr 28, 2005, 3:41 PM
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Information forwarded from Central Texas Mountaineers (CTM):
There will be a special meeting (sponsored by CTM) at the Whole Earth Provision Co. campus store in Austin (2410 San Antonio St.) on Wednesday May 4th at 7pm to discuss the upcoming sale of Reimers Ranch to Travis County.
This will be an open forum question/answer session with Travis County
Parks Division Director Charles Bergh.
Let's show Travis County what kind of support we can give them and
have a great turnout at this meeting.
Hope all can make it
Brad
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holmeslovesguinness
Apr 28, 2005, 3:49 PM
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I assume that this will be a good thing in terms of continued climbing access? Haven't been to Reimer's in ages, would be a shame to see such a great little crag get shut down (again).
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thun
Apr 28, 2005, 4:46 PM
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I'm really not sure what it means in terms of access. With my limited knowledge, access and bolting issues have been pretty much non-existant with the Reimer's. I see no reasons for Travis County to shut it down in light of this, especially given the climbing along the Greenbelt (although I believe this is handled by Austin Parks) and at Pace Bend. I've never known Travis County to shut down established climbing on county property, but my experience is limited to the past few years.
Hopefully, Mr. Bergh will have some good thigs to say next week. I'll try and make the meeting and report it here, but maybe others can in case I miss it.
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holmeslovesguinness
Apr 28, 2005, 4:51 PM
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If I remember correctly the Reimer's did close the area to the public for awhile in the mid 90's. I don't think it had so much to do with climbing per se as it did with people partying and trashing the place (I might be wrong about that).
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thun
Apr 28, 2005, 6:45 PM
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What I find odd in the whole proposed sale is that the Reimer's have been making lots of money from the land in recent years with the addition of the bike trails, various outdoor challenge races, and the filming of the Alamo movie. Maybe they just got tired of dealing with it all...
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holmeslovesguinness
Apr 28, 2005, 6:54 PM
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I can imagine that they just got tired of dealing with it all, and are most certainly going to BANK on this deal (can you imagine what that property would be worth?). If I remember right they had already sold off an adjacent piece of land to the state many moons ago.
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thun
Apr 28, 2005, 9:40 PM
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Yeah, maybe they can buy themselves some nice new goats. The old ones are starting to look a little ratty.
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thun
May 2, 2005, 3:56 PM
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An update from the Austin-American Statesman:
Reimers' 500 acres to be a county park
By Marty Toohey
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Travis County is planning to buy 500 acres of Reimers Ranch, a tract
of private land near Hamilton Pool that's popular with hikers, rock
climbers and mountain bikers.
The county would turn the land into a public park. Charles Bergh, the
county's parks director, said plans call for keeping most of the
property untouched.
"It'll be for rock climbing, fishing, mountain biking, picnicking,
those types of activities," Bergh said. He added that although the
county may build a few unlighted soccer fields, "we're going to keep
things pretty much the way they are."
The news came as a relief to Scott Isgett, president of the Austin
Rock Gym and an avid climber of the many rock faces at Reimers Ranch.
He called the plan "fantastic," especially in a state where 95
percent of the land is privately owned. Isgett is also a member of
the Central Texas Mountaineers, a climbing organization that will
meet with county officials on Wednesday to discuss the park.
"It's always a struggle in this state, more than most, to have land
for activities" such as rock climbing, mountain biking and cross-
country scrambles, Isgett said. "There are all sorts of liability
issues that private owners usually don't want to mess with."
County officials have looked for years for land on which to put a
Southwest Metro park. Voters approved $7.1 million in bonds for such
a park in 2001, and at least part of the money would be used to buy
the Reimers Ranch property. The county is also looking to purchase
another 500-acre property near Hamilton Pool, but those plans are in
their infancy.
The entire Reimers Ranch property is about 1,600 acres of wooded
limestone hills, criss-crossed by trails and streams and little
caves. The Reimers family has owned the land since the 1880s and has
kept much of it open to the public.
It's valuable real estate. Developers are buying land around that
area for housing subdivisions, such as nearby West Cypress Hills and
the planned Sweetwater Ranch subdivision, which will have about 4,000
houses.
Milton Reimers, the ranch's owner, declined to comment on the sale.
But Isgett, who said he's known Reimers for years, said developers
have been making overtures for at least a decade. He said climbers
had begun to wonder when, not if, someone would close off access to
the cliffs.
"He's never been one to just go for the buck," Isgett said, adding
that Reimers could have made a lot of money selling the land but
opted instead to keep it open to the public and provide portable
bathrooms.
From a few of the property's hilltops, visitors can catch glimpses of
a re-created Alamo, built on the property of Eugene Reimers, Milton's
cousin. Disney built the 53-acre set out of telephone poles, plaster
and plywood for its $95 million production of "The Alamo," which
starred Billy Bob Thornton.
Eugene Reimers sold Hamilton Pool to Travis County in 1985. It is now
operated as a nature preserve.
The purchase of Reimers Ranch involves several steps. The Reimerses
want to sell about 1,100 total acres, which county officials say is
beyond their means. To facilitate the purchase, the county enlisted
Land/Water/Sky, a private firm that buys land to help create parks
and open spaces. The firm often helps organizations such as the
Nature Conservancy buy land.
Michael Luigs, a broker with Land/Water/Sky, said he and the family
have agreed on a price for the entire 1,100 acres. The closing is a
few days away, he said.
The county plans to purchase the 500 acres from Luigs' company,
probably in two phases, Bergh said. It will remain open while the
county makes improvements such as possible road pavings and trail
clearings, he said.
Land/Water/Sky will keep the remaining 600 acres. Luigs said at least
part of that land will be developed as homes. But he emphasized that
the overall purchase is being made to ensure a public park is
created.
On a hot, muggy Friday, in the small parking lot maintained by the
Reimers family, Luigs assured Isgett that the homes would not
interfere with climbing. Isgett said in other areas homes have been
built on cliffs, which led to residents persuading public officials
to forbid climbing.
Most of the public park land in Texas is in the far eastern or
western portions of the state. When Texas entered the Union, it kept
the rights to its land, then sold most of it or granted it to
railroad companies. The federal government purchased most of the
national forest land in East Texas when landowners went bankrupt
during the 1920s. In many Western states, more than half the land is
publicly owned.
Hill Abell, president of the International Mountain Bicycling
Association, said the purchase is a good first step. But the 500
acres have few bike paths on them, said Abell, who lives in Austin.
Most of the Reimers Ranch bike trails are on land the family plans to
keep or will be retained by Land/Water/Sky, he said.
In addition to the Reimers Ranch land, Luigs said, his company is
eyeing about 500 neighboring acres, owned by the Hogge family. The
county might in turn buy some or all of that property.
If that deal comes to fruition, the county would own almost four
miles along the Pedernales River, Bergh said, skipping rocks across
the river's blue-green surface from a fishing area on Reimers Ranch.
mtoohey@statesman.com; 445-3673
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holmeslovesguinness
May 2, 2005, 4:08 PM
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Thanks for the info - sounds pretty positive, I certainly hope that they manage to keep things status quo...
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thun
May 25, 2005, 2:09 PM
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Taken Verbatim from the Central Texas Mountaineers website:
http://www.ctmrocks.com/news/reimers.html
REIMERS RANCH AND THE TRAVIS COUNTY PARK AND BOND ELECTION
ACTION ALERT
Reimers Ranch Needs Your Help!
The sale of Reimers Ranch to Travis County would ensure recreational
access to the land. However, if the Travis County Bond Advisory Board
Members and the Travis County Commissioners don't hear from the
community about how important we feel about continued recreation and
access to this land, there is a very serious possibility that it
would be developed for something other than a public park. We can't
let that happen!
Please take the time to help in a letter writing campaign to the
Travis County Bond Advisory Board Members and the Travis County
Commissioners. Written letters are the most effective means of
showing your support, especially when paired with a follow-up phone
call. Outlined below are "talking points" which you can use to
incorporate in your correspondence. Pick any that you agree with, but
the most important part of your letter is the answer to the
question "What does this land mean to you, personally, and/or to your
family?"
What is said, written, typed, etc. to any of the advisory board
members and precinct representatives will be construed as a direct
reflection of the various user groups who will be utilizing Reimers
as a county park. Please make sure that any correspondence will be
perceived positively.
If you have less time to write your own letters, cut and paste any of
the points below into an email. Every email helps and we are looking
to get 1000 people to make some sort of contact with the committee
members. A form letter is also available. The more communication the
better, but please try to add at least one personal sentence if you
can.
A list of names and contact information for Bond Advisory Board
members and Travis Co. Commissioners is available below.
An example form letter can also be found below. If you use this,
please try to personalize it in some way or include the talking
points below.
The Travis County Commissioners will vote on the allocation of the
money for the first acquisition 200 acres. After that, if approved,
the Bond Citizens Advisory Committee will decide whether we can vote
in November in the bond election for funding the purchase of an
additional 300 acres. All of these decisions will be happening
approximately before the week of June 27th. Please make your voice
heard well in advance of that date since it is approximate.
There is only this one chance to save Reimers. The alternative is
development for other things such as field facilities. You can put a
baseball field anywhere at any time but you can not duplicate the
beauty of Reimers Ranch or preserve it once it's been developed.
Thank you! We all need this park!
*** TALKING POINTS ***
* Historical Use
Reimers Ranch has been a recreational resource for Texans for
hundreds of years, spanning generations.
(Please tell about your own personal and family experiences, and how
long you have been visiting the Ranch)
* Diversity of Recreation
Reimers Ranch is an important Central Texas destination for fishing,
mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, picnicking, and swimming.
* Community Investment
Local climbing organizations and climbers from all over Texas have
given, and would continue to voluntarily donate time and effort to
maintain and improve the safety of rock climbing. Rock climbing
events and competitions have raised money for local charities at
Reimers for several years.
Reimers is also home to mountain bike trails developed by the
community, and several races and charity events have taken place at
the ranch, staffed and organized by volunteers.
* Climbing Destination
Reimers Ranch is one of the best places to rock climb in Central
Texas. People come to Reimers from all over the state, the country,
and even the world.
This climbing area is of such high quality that it is home to five
local International World Cup-level competitors: Nick Douglas,
Elizabeth Asher, Chris Locrasto, Lacey Howard, and Alice Braginsky.
* Environmental Preservation
Reimers Ranch has a thriving ecosystem unique to Central Texas. The
lush springs, Pedernales River, and the flora and fauna should be
preserved for generations to come as a Hill Country oasis.
* Personal Experiences
Each visitor to the Reimers Ranch has a unique personal experience,
whether fishing, climbing, riding, birding, or just swimming and
exploring. Many visitors have come to the Ranch most of their lives,
and most visitors return as often as they can—why is that? Please
tell the committee members why access to this area is important and
relate your personal experiences.
* Personal Investment
Explain what you would be willing to do to support the Ranch as a
Travis Co park. Indicate any support you would be willing to give to
help the County maintain the land by volunteering for trash pickups,
trail building, etc., and whether you would be willing to donate
financially, or would urge any organization you belong to to donate
financially for park infrastructure and maintenance.
*** TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND BOND COMMITTEE MEMBERS ***
Travis County Commissioners
Mailing Addresses:
314 West 11th St., Suite 510
Austin, Texas 78701
or,
PO Box 1748
Austin, TX 78701
Precinct One
Ron Davis
County Commissioner Precinct One
Phone: 512-854-9111
Fax: 512-854-4897
Staff:
Felicitas Chavez, Executive Assistant,
mailto:feli.chavez@co.travis.tx.us, Phone: 854-9108
Chris Fanuel, Executive Assistant,
mailto:Chris.Fanuel@co.travis.tx.us, Phone: 854-4857
Sue Spears, Administrative Aide, mailto:Sue.Spears@co.travis.tx.us,
Phone: 854-9111
County Judge
Samuel T. Biscoe
Travis County Judge
Phone: 512-854-9555
Fax: 512-854-9535
Staff:
Cheryl Brown, Executive Assistant,
mailto:Cheryl.Brown@co.travis.tx.us, Phone: 854-9556
Dan Smith, Executive Assistant, mailto:Dan.Smith@co.travis.tx.us,
Phone: 854-9557
Cheryl Aker, Executive Assistant, mailto:Cheryl.Aker@co.travis.tx.us,
Phone: 854-9558
Brenda Pennie, Administrative Aide,
mailto:Brenda.Pennie@co.travis.tx.us, Phone: 854-9555
Precinct Two
Karen Sonleitner
County Commissioner Precinct Two
Phone: 512-854-9222
Fax: 512-854-9515
Staff:
Ann Denkler, Executive Assistant, mailto:ann.denkler@co.travis.tx.us,
Phone: 854-9230
Gretchen Vaden, Executive Assistant,
mailto:gretchen.vaden@co.travis.tx.us Phone: 854-9229
Sharon McKinney, Administrative Aide,
mailto:sharon.mckinney@co.travis.tx.us, Phone: 854-9222
Precinct Three
Gerald Daugherty
County Commissioner Precinct Three
Phone: 512-854-9333
Fax: 512-854-9376 Staff:
Barbara Smith, Executive Assistant,
mailto:Barbara.Smith@co.travis.tx.us, Phone: 854-9333
Barbara Cilley, Executive Assistant,
mailto:Barbara.Cilley@co.travis.tx.us, Phone: 854-9386
Bob Moore, Executive Assistant, mailto:Bob.Moore@co.travis.tx.us,
Phone: 854-9387
Precinct Four
Margaret Gómez
County Commissioner Precinct Four
Phone: 512-854-9444
Fax: 512-854-4886
Staff:
Edith Moreida, Executive Assistant,
mailto:Edith.Moreida@co.travis.tx.us, Phone: 854-9280
Joe Vela, Executive Assistant, mailto:Joe.Vela@co.travis.tx.us,
Phone: 854-9144
Norma Gonzales, Administrative Assistant,
mailto:Norma.Gonzales@co.travis.tx.us, Phone: 854-9444
2005 Bond Citizens Advisory Committee
PCT. Name Email
1 Diane Akers DAkers5a@aol.com
1 Dr. Charles Akins drceakins@aol.com
1 Jim Davis n/a
2 Glen Coleman glenofaustin@yahoo.com
2 Rod Reyna rodreyna@sbcglobal.net
2 Leslie Pool Pool@nwf.org
3 David Hartman Dhartman@smith-robertson.com
3 Leonard Huber Lenhuber@flash.net Lehuber@earthlink.net
3 Steve Martin sjmart@onr.com
4 Jon Hockenyos jon@txp.com
4 Richard Moya n/a
4 Sal Valdez svaldez@rzaustin.com
J Perry Lorenz perrylo@onr.com
J Nell Penridge nellp@austin.rr.com
Other Resources of Interest:
http://www.co.travis.tx.us/citizens_bond_committee/pdfs/2005/2005_tent
ative.pdf
*** EXAMPLE FORM LETTER ***
Date:
Commissioner Name
Address
Dear ,
I am a frequent visitor to Reimers Ranch, and would like to continue
recreating there in the future. I therefore support Travis
County's
immediate purchase of 200 acres of Reimers Ranch along the Pedernales
River for a County Park. I also support a bond election in November
to purchase an additional 300 acres at Reimers Ranch to add to the
park.
Reimers Ranch has been a recreational resource for Texans for
hundreds of years, spanning generations, and it is an important
Central Texas destination for a variety of recreation, from fishing,
mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, picnicking, birding and
swimming. People come to the Ranch because it has a thriving
ecosystem unique to Central Texas. The lush springs, Pedernales
River, and the flora and fauna should be preserved for generations to
come as a Hill Country oasis.
I strongly urge you to please vote in favor of the County acquisition
of Reimers Ranch now and future acquisition in the future. Thank you
for your time and your consideration.
With best regards.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Address
Phone Number
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blainemwalker
May 25, 2005, 4:42 PM
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Beat me to it-good work thun. Bump.
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thun
May 25, 2005, 7:00 PM
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Maybe this needs to be moved to the access forum?
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bigdski
Jul 30, 2005, 7:22 PM
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Registered: Dec 12, 2003
Posts: 17
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I've been out of the country and came back to hear about the upcoming sale of Reimer's. Thanks so much for the posts, It's good to be informed.
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