Greenbelt improving Sandy Beach area

By Carrie Helms, Clarendon Enterprise

The $187,000 improvement project at Sandy Beach that has been three years in the making is nearing completion.

Greenbelt Water Authority received its third grant since 1997 from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department through the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission to build and improve facilities on Sandy Beach.

“We can apply for grants every other year,” said Bobbie Kidd, General Manager of Greenbelt Water Authority. “This is the same grant that helped us do the Boat Routes in 1995 and work on Kincaid Park.”

The Commission requires that all projects be completed within three years of receiving the grant. That time limit expired March 15.

“We have received an extension, but everything must be complete before August. We should be done well before that deadline.”

The construction includes walking trails, RV campsites, covered picnic tables and grills, a gazebo, and even an amphitheater.

 “The project is now 71 percent complete,” Kidd said. “The only projects still undone are the volleyball court and playground area, and those shouldn’t take long.”

Once the Sandy Beach project is completed, the plant must update its Master Plan, but the next projects on the agenda are High Bluff and the plant itself, he said.

“We won’t be starting another project for a year or two, but we want to make Greenbelt Lake a safe and enjoyable place for everyone, especially for kids and families.”