By LESLEE BASSMAN, Four Points News

As River Place will soon charge fees for trail users outside of its Limited District, the topic has divided some in two parts of the community: north and south.

River Place Limited District officials solidified plans to move forward with a fee charging schedule for the neighborhood’s nature trails during a Feb. 26 meeting of its board members. However, staffing and contractual issues may need to be straightened out before the projected March 2 opening date of the program, a detail that may push the project back a week, said Jennifer Mushtaler, board member.

The Limited District agreed Jan. 8 to charge $10 per person and $10 per animal for trail users on the weekends, beginning March 2. Established after the River Place Municipal Utility District was annexed by the city of Austin in December of 2017, the Limited District is responsible for coordinating solid waste disposal and maintaining the community’s parks and trails. The agency has the same geographic boundaries as its predecessor, the River Place MUD and Limited District residents are obligated to pay $0.75 per $100 valuation to fund the agency’s duties.

“Our long term goal for the Limited District, and we take it very seriously, is to ensure the long term sustainability of our parks, our green spaces in the area under our jurisdiction and also the safety of the areas that are under our jurisdiction,” said Mushtaler, who led the Feb. 26 meeting because president Scott Crosby was out.

Mushtaler said the Limited District is a nonprofit agency, with its funds related to the upkeep and maintenance of the neighborhood’s soccer fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, pavilions, restrooms, picnic tables and waterfront park.

Trail fee feedback

However, residents of River Place who live in the front sections of the neighborhood — including and north of Merrywing Circle — are not included in the Limited District, with some of this area’s 108 households expressing outrage at the plan that would have them paying for trail use while their neighbors would hike the scenic paths without a use charge.

“I do find it egregious that in planning this (Limited District)… 100-plus homes got ignored and the message you send is not a good one,” said Paul Spring, a resident of the Cortana Ridge section of River Place that lies in the non-Limited District jurisdiction, to the board. “That’s why you’re seeing people who are trying to be restrained but they’re angry.”

Mushtaler said the board had received contact from residents and nonresidents who both applauded the project and opposed it, with some emails producing security concerns for members. As a result, she hired a Travis County constable to be present for the session.

Although the abundance of traffic along the roads fronting the trails is the main reason for establishing the fees, Mushtaler cited funding capital improvements and maintenance as well. The list includes: ensuring the safety of residents; and managing the increased demands of the area as uses for the new fee schedule.

She said the city’s annexation of the area “served to compound our ability to problem solve some of this” since the Limited District has jurisdiction over the parks and trails but the city of Austin owns the River Place streets.

Favor for trail fees

Sal Kallash said he first moved to the northern area of River Place from New York but then relocated to the southern end of the neighborhood within the Limited District, an area that he said had better water and sewer bills. He commended the Limited District for employing trail use fees and advocated it close the trails if the fees don’t lessen traffic in the area.

Michael Wilson, who lives at the bottom of River Place, said he deals with cars parking on the street sides. He said he worries about whether children will run into the street in front of cars and supports the board’s measure for the area’s safety.

“For people that don’t live in the Limited District and feel slighted by that, it’s unfortunate but it is something that is in your control,” Wilson said. “If you guys would like to join the Limited District, the sense that I’ve gotten from all residents and board of the LD, is we would be open to and accepting of those who want to join the Limited District, be a part of it. The intent was not to separate the neighborhood into haves and have nots. The intent was to make the place safe.”

Non-district residents

Non-District residents said the issue is dividing the neighborhood into two halves, with some homeowners able to access the area’s amenities and others not.

Limited District Attorney Phil Haig said the consent of the city of Austin and the River Place landowners would be needed for the Limited District to annex a non-Limited District section of the neighborhood.

Cortana Ridge resident Kate Holloway said she did not have the opportunity to vote to become a part of the Limited District last year as her southern neighbors did. Holloway said she pays dues to the River Place Homeowners Association and was surprised by the Limited District’s decision to exact fees from nonresidents for trail usage.

“All history aside, you had a perfect opportunity last year to make us all one,” she said.

Haig said he spoke with city of Austin officials about 18 months ago to see if they would be interested in having the then-River Place MUD annex the northern section of the neighborhood into the MUD, including Cortana Ridge. He said the city “did not see any problem with that.”

“We would happily support that (annexation),” Mushtaler said. “We don’t want to see our neighborhood divided.”

During the meeting, board member Art Jistel made a motion to allow all River Place non-Limited District residents and local Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA troops to use the trails for free. Mushtaler said the board could not discuss the action since it didn’t appear on the meeting’s agenda but, instead, proposed a special work session to consider the community input gained from the meeting as well as Jistal’s item.

Trail fee details, staffing stations

The River Place Limited District board’s special work session will include a discussion of how many hours the public will be guaranteed free use of the trail, with its decision published on the Limited District’s website,

Mushtaler said. As a starting point, the Limited District can impose a fee for up to eight hours a day, seven days a week, said Jennifer Mushtaler, River Place Limited District who led the Feb. 26 board meeting with president’s Scott Crosby’s absence.

Although Saturday and Sunday have been designated as days in which the fees are imposed for now, the board will assess that situation once it is able to get and analyze data on trail use, Mushtaler said.

Jesse Kennis, general manager at River Place management company, Inframark, said his team has contacted four agencies that can provide staffing for the trailhead stations, with only one appearing as a viable option. Without a contract in place, he said he is doubtful the fee program can begin March 2.

The cost to the Limited District for trailhead staffing is about $1,000 per weekend, Mushtaler said.

The board unanimously agreed to engage a constable for eight hours of patrol at the trail on each weekend day, at an average rate of $62 per hour.

“If the (fee program) doesn’t start on March 2, it’s just another (weekend) to remind the public,” she said. “I anticipate it will be up and running in a couple of weeks.”