SLP County Park Re-Opens

RV spots open at San Luis Pass County Park

By Nathaniel Lukefahr
The Facts

Published December 16, 2009

SURFSIDE BEACH — Brazoria County Parks Director Richard Hurd knew San Luis Pass County Park had a long road to recovery from Hurricane Ike when he saw the bridge traversing a small inlet had been picked up and pushed against a nearby house.

But after months of construction, infrastructure and electrical work, the park popular with fishermen and birding enthusiasts is on its way back to seeing use. County parks officials last week opened dozens of the 79 mobile home camping spots for rental, with the remaining spots set to come online in the coming weeks.

“The infrastructure work is basically complete and we’re probably at 70 percent complete,” Hurd said. “The majority is behind us.”

The work does not involve reconstruction of a nearby fishing pier commonly used by visitors staying at the park, Hurd said. The pier, which was damaged by the storm, was privately owned and disassembled by the Texas General Land Office after being declared unsafe.

The park, which sits near the San Luis Pass bridge connecting the Brazoria County island to Galveston Island, has been out of commission since the hurricane made landfall Sept. 13, 2008. The storm surge damaged the park’s electrical system, many structures and roadways.

County officials said it will cost $800,000 to $1 million to “basically rebuild” the park, which is packed regularly during the summer months, Hurd said.

Ninety percent of the cost is reimbursable by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with costs being reduced further by almost half of the work being done in-house.

Changes at the park include elevating power stations about 10 feet above ground to combat possible damage from future storms, restoring the septic system, putting its controls in a raised tower.

“San Luis Pass Park is a very popular park,” Brazoria County Pct. 1 Commissioner Donald “Dude” Payne said. “We’ve been getting a lot of people calling about it, and it’s good to get it going again.”

The entire park, including rental cabins and meeting room, should come online within three months, just in time to book for the summer tourist season, Hurd said.

“There’s still a lot of detail work left — privacy fencing to put in around mechanical units and get the bath houses and fishing docks back up — but they’re smaller items that won’t prevent people from using the park,” he said.

Hurd said the park should start generating interest once the weather starts to warm up.

“It’ll pick up in March and we’ll be close to 100 percent by spring break,” he said.

County parks officials are expected to have a ceremony celebrating the “rebuilt” park once work is finished, but a date has not yet been set.