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August 28, 2010
PO Box 1601 • Wimberley TX 78676
www.friendsofbluehole.org
To Friends of Blue Hole:
More than 14,500 people will visit Blue Hole this summer!
Since the purchase of the Blue Hole Park in 2005, swimmers have come from all over Texas and the United States to enjoy a cool dip in this famous landmark. This year from Memorial Day to Labor Day, more than 14,500 people will visit the Park. Since opening the park in 2006, annual attendance has increased from 4,500 to 14,500.
Message from Friends of Blue Hole President Peter Way
With your help, a fundraising drive successfully concluded in May 2005 with the purchase of 126 acres near downtown Wimberley, home of the Texas treasure called Blue Hole. Named one of the state’s top swimming holes by Texas Monthly magazine, Blue Hole also was cited by Travel & Leisure magazine as #11 of America’s best swimming holes. www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-swimming-holes/11
During the past five years, construction plans have been created and approved for the final phase: building the recreational facilities and preserving the parkland for generations to come. These improvements, to be executed by Design Workshop, closely follow the master plan created by Wimberley citizens in 2006 with the guidance of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Friends of Blue Hole funded this master plan, and our organization will help finance the preservation and construction for the park.
The Board of Directors of Friends of Blue Hole is supporting the upcoming development of the park. Work will include stabilization of the Cypress Creek bank as well as construction of a gatehouse, a community pavilion, trails and overlooks, an amphitheater, soccer fields, basketball court, volleyball court, bathrooms, gardens, and more! Please take a minute to take a look at the current plans.
Blue Hole Park selected for Sustainable Sites Initiative
The Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) announced the selection of Blue Hole Regional Park as one of the first projects in a new national rating system for green landscape design, construction, and maintenance. See more at: www.sustainablesites.org .
Groundbreaking November 7th
Watch for upcoming announcements on the park’s groundbreaking ceremony tentatively scheduled November 8th.
Director and President Peter Way
Executive Director Stephen Klepfer
Directors Jim Braniff * Valarie Bristol * Curt Busk * Bob Dussler * Tevis Grinstead * Suzanne McCord
* Andy Sansom * Shelton Smith * Stephen Thurber * Marilee Wood
A non-profit organization created to promote, protect, preserve, and develop Blue Hole Park owned by the Village of Wimberley.
Federal ID# 20-3415046
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NEW: GROUND-BREAKING PHOTOS
October 15, 2010
PO Box 1601 • Wimberley TX 78676
www.friendsofbluehole.org
Message from Friends of Blue Hole (FOBH) President Peter Way
With your help, a fundraising drive was successfully concluded in May 2005 with the purchase of 126 acres near downtown Wimberley, home of the Texas treasure called Blue Hole. Frequently named one of the state’s top swimming holes by Texas Monthly magazine, Blue Hole was also cited this summer by Travel & Leisure Magazine as #11 of America’s best swimming holes.
During the past five years, we have seen the park successfully open every summer for increasing numbers of persons. The first summer had 1,500 patrons growing to 16,000 last summer.
The highlight of 2010 was the completion of construction plans for the next phase - building the recreational facilities and preserving the parkland for generations to come. The City of Wimberley formed the Blue Hole Regional Park Task Force, which included FOBH Director Marilee Wood as our liaison, to guide the park design process. These improvements, to be executed by Design Workshop, closely follow the master plan created by Wimberley citizens in 2006 with the guidance of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. This master plan was funded by FOBH, and our organization will help finance the preservation and construction for the park.
The Board of Directors of Friends of Blue Hole is supporting the upcoming development of the park. Work will include stabilization of the Cypress Creek bank as well as construction of a gate/bath house, a community pavilion, trails and overlooks, an amphitheater, soccer fields, basketball court, volleyball court, bathrooms, gardens, and more! Please take a minute to look at the current plans.
Please join FOBH Directors and City of Wimberley officials for the ground breaking ceremony on Sunday, November 7, 2010 at 2:00 P.M.
Friends of Blue Hole Announces:
Capital Campaign to Complete the Park
Total Acquisition and Development Cost $ 7,423,500
Total Funded To Date $ 6,083,500
Needed To Complete the Park $ 1,340,000
Please consider in your end-of-year tax planning a donation to Friends of Blue Hole. Thank You.
Director and President Peter Way
Executive Director Stephen Klepfer
Directors Jim Braniff * Valarie Bristol * Curt Busk * Bob Dussler * Tevis Grinstead * Suzanne McCord * Andy Sansom * Shelton Smith * Stephen Thurber * Marilee Wood
A non-profit organization created to promote, protect, preserve, and develop Blue Hole Park owned by the Village of Wimberley.
Federal ID# 20-3415046
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NEWS RELEASE
December 2, 2010
For information call:
Way Family Gives $63,500 To Blue Hole Regional Park
The City of Wimberley and Friends of Blue Hole accepted a gift today from the Peter and Mary Faye Way family for $63,500. The gift will be used to fund the construction and maintenance of the creek overlook and three custom limestone picnic tables at BlueHoleRegionalPark in Wimberley. The creek overlook will be named The Way Family Overlook and the picnic tables will bear the name of special friends of the Way family. One of the tables will acknowledge Mr. and Mrs. Ben B. McAndrew, Jr the deceased parents of a good friend of the Way’s.
As part of the Friends of Blue Hole park development fund raising campaign the gift from the Ways is the first Legacy Gift. The Legacy Gift program, which was accepted by the City Council last month, allows for the naming in perpetuity of park elements by donors.
Wimberley Mayor Bob Flocke accepted the gift and said: “The fact that we are even able to start down this road is because of the foresight, generosity and community spirit of Peter Way and his family. That he has stepped forward with this additional contribution to get us started on the Legacy Gift program is a manifestation of his fine community spirit.”
The Way’s have been leaders in the BlueHoleRegionalPark project from the very beginning. In 2003, the City of Wimberley completed negotiations to acquire the property for public use with the generosity of local landowner and part-time resident Peter Way who held the property at no profit while acquisition funding was obtained by the municipal government.
In addition to his effort to preserve the Blue Hole Regional Park, the Way family has donated a conservation easement to the Nature Conservancy on a ranch they own on the Blanco River limiting the number of houses that can be built on 350 acres to one house per 80 acres, in perpetuity. The Way family has also helped fund research through the River Systems Institute at Texas State University to determine how much water can afford to be taken from our aquifers before they are depleted.
The acquisition and development cost for the park is $ 7,423,500 of which
$ 6,083,500 has been funded. To date, the Blue Hole Regional park project has been awarded $1.9 million from the National Park Service Land and Water Conservation Fund administered through Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, $2.7 million from Hays County Parks and Open Space bond fund, an additional $500,000 grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife, $415,000 from the Friends of Blue Hole, $200,000 from the Lower Colorado River Authority, and $160,000 from the Burdine Johnson Foundation.
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