BEST PARK: Johnson Park in Marble Falls

MARBLE FALLS — Johnson Park is once again the Marble Falls area’s Best Park in The Picayune’s Locals Love Us contest.
It’s not resting on its laurels.
Plans are in the works to make it even better.
Recently, the city of Marble Falls purchased a new playscape and installed it on the same side of the park as the restrooms. The playscape’s location is all about safety. By having it on the same side as the restrooms, children and parents no longer have to cross the street to go from one playscape to another.
The playground isn’t the only thing that will enhance Johnson Park.
Council members are expected to accept a comprehensive study on the city’s parks and recreation opportunities in early March that will have maps with features officials hope will be part of Johnson and Lakeside parks.
Officials are eyeing improved parking, a pedestrian bridge, a pavilion, and an aquatic center at Johnson Park. Those projections are expected to occur in the next several years.
The park itself has been around for about 130 years and was one of only 29 parks in the state to receive a Lone Star Legacy Park designation last year. To be eligible, a park must be at least 50 years old and hold “special prominence in the local community and the state of Texas. These parks have endured the test of time and have become iconic to those who have visited, played, and rested on their grounds,” according to the Texas Recreation and Parks Society, which awards the designation.
City of Marble Falls Parks and Recreation Director Robert Moss said Johnson Park’s importance can’t be measured.
“Through the years, we’ve improved it and made it a place people want to go to spend their leisure time,” he said. “We have a lot planned for Johnson Park. It’ll change through the times. We really have to make sure we’re doing it the right way.”
Moss acknowledged there’s a balance. The park, because of its history and importance to the community, still must maintain its uniqueness such as the large trees that offer natural shade to keep the summer heat at bay. It also must have modern features such as improved parking to accommodate the more than 60,000 visitors it attracts annually.
Make no mistake, he said, when entertaining visitors, residents and city leaders alike still make their way to Johnson Park to show newcomers a place that has no equal.
“People want different things,” he said, “and we have to be aware of what the community wants. We have to make changes and updates to what the community wants. Johnson Park has been the center of our community for many, many years. We have to keep it that way.”
Johnson Park is located at 230 Ave. J South.
jfierro@thepicayune.com