05-C Lake Crook Study - Laserfiche WebLink

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Cit~ of Paris Stud~ of Lake Crook March, 2001 2.0.4 Early Development Attempts. The city has occasionally pursued development of Lake Crook. In May of 1956, the city council appointed a committee to investigate dedication or lease to the Texas State Park Board for creation of a state park on Lake Crook. The committee unanimously recommended against the proposal in their report to the council stating that the city would have to give up control of the watershed as well as other key and immovable obstacles to such a dedication. In their written report the three-man committee also stated: "Also, your committee was of the unanimous consensus that Lake Crook and its surroundingproperties are a valuable asset of the City of Paris, something of which all of us can be justly proud, and is an area in which the City Council should in the future give a great deal of attention to expending [expanding?] and improving the area for park purposes. " They go on to say: "... your committee respectfully recommends to the Council that a definite and accelerated program of the improvement of the water shed area adaptable for park purposes be initiated at once, including improvement of the access road to the park area. Your committee feels that the City of Paris can do a great deal toward improving the recreation areas of the Lake Crook property in such a manner as to make them more usable by our local citizens and at a cost which is within our means. We would like to see increased expenditures and activities in this behalf in the immediate future." The report was signed by Robert McWhirter, Clark Estes, Jr., and J.M. Gladden in June, 1956. In 1972, the city council passed a resolution authorizing city engineers to cooperate in a feasibility study by the Soil Conservation Service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture for use of Lake Crook as a flood control lake. The USDA reported in 1977 that, in order to be effective for flood control, the lake would have to be lowered by 2-1/2 feet which would benefit the property by exposing 178 acres. The city agreed in principle to lowering the lake even though it would mean a loss of some 2,582 acre-feet of water. The cost reported for channelization upstream, Lake Crook modifications, access, fish and wildlife improvements and floodwater retarding structures would be about $2.8 million in 1976 dollars with the federal government paying most of these costs. However, the city would be required to obtain additional land rights at an estimated cost of $760,000. For whatever reason, this plan was never implemented and there appears to be no further discussion in the public record or news media. Again in 1972, the city passed resolutions allowing hunting in specific zones around the lake and goose and duck hunting upon Lake Crook itself. Prior to this time much of the land had been listed as a state game preserve until the state lifted that designation sometime around 1970. Some areas around Lake Crook are now or have been under lease particularly the Archers for Christ, Maxey Black Powder Rifle Club and the Paris Gun Club. Each of these clubs have made improvements such as the installation of target ranges and shelters on their respective leases. Page 13 of 45