News Archive

July 6, 2005, 5:45PM

ROOM TO PLAY
Radack reflects on legacy: creating recreational areas

By CYNTHIA COLEMAN FRANKLIN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

It's no secret that Harris County Precinct 3 County Commissioner Steve Radack has an undeniable passion for building parks and creating green space.

"I am going to build as many (parks) as I can build, and I am actively seeking donations of land for Precinct 3 to build more parks," said Radack, who plans to retire in 2008 at the end of his term.

He said he builds parks the entire family can enjoy, including the family pooch.

A favorite of Radack is the Mary Jo Peckham Park for All Children in Katy.

It features a handicapped-accessible playground and an indoor swimming pool equipped for children and older people with limited physical abilities. It also includes two miniature golf courses, a tropical fish pond, a regularly stocked fishing lake and a lighted walking trail. The park is named to honor the memory of Mary Jo Peckham, who helped found the Assistance League of Houston and was a member of numerous charities.

Since being elected in 1988, Radack has initiated the building of 25 new parks in Precinct 3, totaling 3,700 acres.

From truckloads of dirt to the first blade of grass, to colorful handicapped-accessible playground equipment and popular pooch parks, Precinct 3 Parks Superintendent Steve Dorman watched as the parks sprang up one by one.

"When he was elected, we had only nine parks in Precinct 3. Now we have 34 parks," Dorman said.

Dog parks

He noted the popularity of Millie Bush Bark Park, the first dog park in the Harris County park system. The dog park is on part of the 7,800-acre George Bush Park, the largest park in Harris County.

"Millie Bush Bark Park has been very successful, much more so than we thought it would be," Dorman said.

The park opened several months before its grand opening, and Dorman said by the time the grand opening was held, the county had to double the size of the parking lot to accommodate 100 vehicles.

The Houston Dog Park Association helped plan the 15-acre park equipped with park benches, three small lakes, dog showers and fountains and courtesy litter bags.

Radack's pooch park fever has spread to southwest Houston. Some area business owners weren't happy, but that didn't stop Radack. On June 13, he put crews to work clearing a strip of land owned by the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Within two months, a three-acre dog park will open on the site between Newcastle and the West Loop just south of Westpark.

Initially Matt Hooper, owner of Houston Garden Centers on West Loop South, was concerned about the park but has since changed his mind.

He said he was concerned in the beginning because he didn't have any information about the park or whether it would be good or bad for his property values.

"I'm a pet lover, I have two dogs and I wouldn't take a million dollars for either one of them," Hooper said.

Dorman said the park will be fenced in and plants, benches and canopies also will be added.

A third Precinct 3 dog park will be one of the features of a new county park to be developed on Texas 6, opposite Bear Creek Pioneers Park, which also is undergoing construction.

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