Knox area parking lot – Construction starts Monday

The contractor working on repaving the parking lot just south of Knox Street informed the company paying for the work that they’d begin on Monday, Feb. 4, 2008.

THAT’S NEXT WEEK.

So … if you’re an early-trail users on Mondays, please be sure to find another parking place that day as construction vehicles will be in there by 7:30 a.m. and we don’t want your car damaged.

Other parking options include the Theater Center between Lemmon and Blackburn, and Reverchon Park.

We know this is inconvenient, but it is an inconvenient truth.

Parking lot to be closed

The parking lot next to the Katy Trail near David’s Way (the plaza at Knox Street) will close in the next few weeks for repair. In addition to eliminating the dirt – which becomes mud puddles after a rain that are large enough to swallow a Volkswagen – and replacing it with concrete, the lot will have marked parking spaces, making for easier in-and-out. We’ll also be landscaping the area to provide some shade and shrubs to make it look even better.

Keep your eyes open for a bulldozer in the lot to signal when work will begin. Once it arrives, the project will take 4-6 weeks to finish.

CAUTION: Do not park in the nearby retail parking lots or you will be towed. Try parking at the Dallas Theater Center lot about a mile down the trail on the west side off of Lemmon at Turtle Creek.

Resolution Clarification

We’ve gotten some questions about one of the Katy Trail resolutions we emailed out last week, so we want to clear things up. In clarification to Katy Trail Resolution #2, “Do not use the Trail after dark,” we realize that the evening is often the best time for most people to use the Katy Trail. However, the difference between “after dark” and “after work” is key. In fact, that is why we applied for, and received a $600,000 grant to install lighting on the Trail. Now people will be able to use the trail whenever they choose.

That being said, the lights will turn off around 10 or 11 p.m.—when the park will be closed. Like any Dallas park, we do not do not recommend use after that “after dark” point. (Seriously, some of the Friends don’t even like going to Target alone when it’s dark. Do you like going anywhere when you’re alone and it’s dark? Nope, so that’s why you can avoid going on the Trail when it’s dark)

Don’t know what resolutions email we’re talking about? Sign up to get our emails by visiting www.KatyTrailDallas.org

Lighting on the Trail

Good news for all of you who keep asking when the lighting is going to be started and finished. The work has actually already started because the contractor was given the notice to proceed on Jan. 7, 2008. They've been out there marking where the poles will be and checking everything out.

Here's the really cool part because we just looked at our calendars to calculate when the lighting installation will be finished up to Knox Street. Drumroll please. . . . . May 3! That's only 102 days away!

We've got some other really fabulous news for you. The Communities Foundation of Texas is giving the Friends of the Katy Trail $100,000 to go toward finishing lighting the entire Trail. We still have some fundrasing to do because lighting the rest of the Trail will cost more than $150,000, so click here if you want to help us reach our goal. If we finish the fundraising quickly, we can add the additional sections to contractor's project and could potentially have the entire Trail lit by June 1. Stay tuned for more exciting news.

What’s a Veloweb anyway?

Well, velo means bike, and web means …. well … web. So imagine a web of bike trails in North Texas, and you’ve got the North Central Texas Council of Government’s plans for the Veloweb. With biking becoming a new and better option for transportation in our state, the Transportation Division of the NCTCOG created the Veloweb to provide enough alternative transportation options for cyclists by 2025. Click here for the COG’s latest Veloweb map.

Mark Your Calendar for the Reverchon Roundup

The Reverchon Park Roundup is around the corner, so mark your calendar for 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on March 1st. It's the 10th year of the clean up and its a great opportunity to be outside and beautify the park.

We recommend that you wear long-sleeved shirts and pants. It's great if you can also bring gloves, rakes and small hand tools(if available). Parking is available at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Please call TSRH Volunteer Services at 214-559-7825 to R.S.V.P. or get more information.

Cool Katy Trail Video

Never been on the Katy Trail? Bored at the office and wish you were on the Katy Trail? Check out this cool video and you'll feel like you're on the Trail without even leaving your computer.

We have a new blog!

We have a blog section on our own website (www.KatyTrailDallas.org), but we want to make sure you have a chance to interact with us. So this is a blog for us to let you know what's going on with the Trail and for you to let us know what you're thinking.

Check back for regular updates about safety, security and other cool Trail-related information.

See you on the Trail!