 "Photo: Alma Hernandez / The Pan American")
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If all goes well, students at The University of Texas-Pan American can expect a hike and bike trail to enjoy as early as next summer.
“We began looking into ways of paying for the trail like grants, for example,” said Travis Hughes, assistant director for Wellness and Recreational Sports. “We want to spend as little of university funds as possible, therefore state money could really help us.”
The university recently completed a Texas grant application through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
“What they like to see is trails and parks connect. We would like to connect our trail with Edinburg and McAllen in order to have a continuous trail,” Hughes said.
As a former employee of TPW, Hughes knew of an old proposal for a trail that had been considered when the trails for 2nd Street and Bicentennial were constructed.
The proposed trail began at the Edinburg Birding Center on the east side of town and passed through Freddy Gonzalez, Cenizo, and West Parks. The proposal was never passed but a new version of the proposal was suggested through the grant.
The routes for the campus trail have already been drawn up by John Edwards, vice president for enrollment and student services along with Hughes, and the Wellness Committee.
Members include UPB and SGA student representatives with Hughes at the chair of the committee.
Once the trail passes through West Park it would then connect with the university at University Drive and 5th Street, next to the bookstore.
Then the plan is for it to pass along the front of campus on University Drive, onto Sugar Street, up Schunior, left on Jackson, back onto University, then west until finally reaching Mon Mack Road. Hughes and city officials hope that once the trail is finished, plans would be drawn for another trail to run up toward Trenton in McAllen and finally connect with the trail on 2nd Street.
“Originally when this idea came up, we thought about just doing a campus trail by ourselves. Kind of a loop around campus,” explained the director. “But the state doesn’t like loops. They like to see a connection; a way of bringing people to and from campus.”
TPW officials prefer routes that pass through points of interest within cities, he added; if the trail runs by community buildings and schools, that is a plus on the application. The department prefers for students to use the trail to and from campus, as opposed to driving.
As for an update on the process, Hughes said, “We’ve already met several times with city officials from McAllen and Edinburg, the water district, drainage districts, and the county about the proposal. We’re trying to get everybody on board with this.”
Regardless of the proposal’s success or failure, noted Hughes, the university would like to continue with the idea. If the TPW plan falls through, UTPA plans to apply for a TxDOT grant in order to receive funding.
“As part of the application process, grant programs require a certain amount of funds that we have to put in as well,” Hughes explained. “They want to see a percentage of project costs, maybe 20 percent. It all depends on how big the trail will be.”
The university is willing to set aside an estimate of $100,000 just to get things started and match funds for the grants already applied for.
“This is still the preliminary planning stage,” Hughes noted. “We have spoken with professionals to get drawings done and have set aside some money to potentially start in the summer, just to show how serious Pan Am is about this project.”
The trail will be open to everyone, giving the public a chance to walk or run by campus and see what the university is about. It will also be easier for students to bike or run from opposite ends of the campus.
“The exercise possibility is what we’re excited about, as well. The Wellness Center could use the trail for 5K runs and races,” explained the director. “The kinesiology department could also use it for PE classes or the cross country team also.”
The proposed trail with the city would be about 18 miles long. Along the university there would be benches, water fountains, and the possibility for two kinds of trails.
One trail would be made of concrete and the other would be fashioned from a rocky substance commonly used on trails. The reason for this, noted Hughes, is that the rocky kind of trail can be slippery for bike riders, roller bladers or skateboarders.
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