Houston parks commission asks City Council to identify and restore public lake access

The Houston Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission on Thursday recommended by voice vote that the City Council take action to identify, restore, protect and improve public access to lakes in the city.

The recommendation is not binding. Chair Adam Rein said many public easements lead to the city's lakes and rivers. When they are not maintained, he said, "people tend to forget and they turn into driveways and things get built on them."

"We want to identify the accesses that are available to the rivers and the lakes," Rein said. "If there's houses on them, then we start the process."

The resolution names only lakes, but Rein said the commission will identify all public accesses, find them on a map and mark them on the ground, possibly with signs.

Rein first said a commission recommendation goes to the Planning Commission before the City Council, a route he said often takes about three months. After a remark made off microphone, he said, "Okay, then that's changed," and later called it a resolution that will go forward to the City Council.

The commission scheduled a public work session from 11 am to noon Wednesday, Nov. 18. Rein said he wants to come out of it with a packet for the council showing the accesses the commission has identified. He also wants to work out what it would take for volunteers to use city-owned equipment, including a new snowmobile and trail groomer for a city trail-grooming program this winter.

Thursday's meeting was the commission's first since April. Agendas from May through September were posted as canceled, and a member said the commission had lacked a quorum, which city code sets at three members. Two of the five seats are vacant.

Commissioners also elected Rein chair and Jennipher Jenner vice chair.