residents can preview Park improvements

Houston residents will get a detailed look at planned improvements for the 158-acre Buffalo Bayou Park from Shepherd to Sabine during community meetings Oct. 17 and 20. There will be renderings so you can really visualize the different areas of the park, said Trudi Smith with the public-private Buffalo Bayou Partnership, which is sponsoring the meetings in coordination with super neighborhood councils that include the Washington Avenue Coalition/Memorial Park and Neartown/Montrose areas. The partnership, which includes civic, environmental, governmental and business representatives, is raising an additional $20 million for other enhancements, including new footpaths, water features, pedestrian bridges and public art. Harris County Flood Control District also will contribute $5 million for flood reduction and channel restoration along the bayou, a continuation of restoration work done last year to return the bayou to a more natural state, including a more meandering path with high and low banks, bluffs and sandbars.