Lake Nacogdoches West Park is getting a new accessible trail from the parking lot to the beach and swim area.

City Council this month approved a $109,373 contract with Lindale-based Craig’s Dirt Service to create the 8-foot-wide, paved pathway at the park, 12790 FM 225. The contract includes regrading an eroded slope, establishing vegetation to prevent erosion and adding beach sand.

“If you look up toward the hill from the swimming area, there’s a lot of red dirt which is a problem every time it rains,” interim Community Services Director Jessica Sowell said, describing the current condition of the park.

Work is expected to be complete in about three months, according to the contract.

The walkway project been in the works for a long time, she said.

“The first time we opened bids in April 2023, our project budget was $165,000 and our only bid came in at $339,000,” she said, “so the project was re-scoped and reworked and sent back out to bid in July.”

The reworking included changing types of materials and vegetation to be used, she said, in addition to advertising farther out.

“We always try to do as local as possible but since we didn’t get any bidders within our budget, we did a lot of advertising this round,” Sowell said.

During Tuesday’s meeting, the council approved its annual $70,000 funding agreement with the Boys and Girls Club of Deep East Texas. Located across Park Street from Mike Moses Elementary, the facility provides after-school and summer youth activities and sports leagues and its aquatic center offers open swim times, rentals and classes for local residents.

Also approved Tuesday was the city’s $24,000 annual funding arrangement with Keep Nacogdoches Beautiful, which coordinates Adopt-A-Highway, fall sweep, tire recycling, bulb and tree planting, technology recycling, park and creek cleanups, litter removal after festivals and other efforts. The city also collects and distributes donations for KNB through utility bills.

Nicole Bradford’s email is nicole.bradford@dailysentinel.com.