Windy Point and Texas Parks Department

[Goose75]

I recently visited Lake Travis and the Barstow’s scuba park at Windy Point for the first time. During my visit I heard some horror stories over the conduct of the parks department with Bartow’s place. This included land seizures, arrests, harassment, etc. I figured it as one side of a two side story, but during my visit a parks and wildlife officer (responding to an emergency) behaved in a manner I considered both reckless and rude. Unfortunately I did not get the officers name or car number. In regards to the horror stories I heard, does anyone have any information on the claims? Articles, registered complaints or something I can point to. I don’t mind raising complaints about things like this but I do not like to do so without evidence or personal experience to reference.

 

[texdiveguy]

I recently visited Lake Travis and the Barstow’s scuba park at Windy Point for the first time. During my visit I heard some horror stories over the conduct of the parks department with Bartow’s place. This included land seizures, arrests, harassment, etc. I figured it as one side of a two side story, but during my visit a parks and wildlife officer (responding to an emergency) behaved in a manner I considered both reckless and rude. Unfortunately I did not get the officers name or car number. In regards to the horror stories I heard, does anyone have any information on the claims? Articles, registered complaints or something I can point to. I don’t mind raising complaints about things like this but I do not like to do so without evidence or personal experience to reference.

???????

 

[Goose75]

I've heard that the Bob Wentz park was created by condemming a portion of the original owner's land (that was part of the scuba park) and then the parks department created their own park. The story goes on that the original owner's spent a small fortune in court battles afterwards that they won but the state only awarded $1 in damages. Bad relations between the neighbors result. I'm trying to see if the rumors are true and whether there are any articles to point to. I'd be happy to complain to our representatives, but want something to point to as evidence of a problem. An interent search didn't give anything.

 

[Chris Hipp]

If you cannot find anything from the dive community, you may want to talk with the Austin Windsurfing Club. They have close ties with the park and are pretty politically involved.

http://www.geocities.com/austinwindsurf/

 

[cyklon_300]

two sides to each story. The Barstow family has some understandable grievances with governmental entities over land use. You'd have to do some archival research to see what the county/LCRA approach to the matter is/was.

Regardless of who is right, the creation of the unbelievably dangerous jetski launch area in the middle of the swim beach at the Bob Wentz park as a result of this on-going legal battle is a freakin' travesty.

There will be a serious injury or fatality there eventually. Maybe then someone will use common sense and remove it.

 

[silverbackmrb]

Travis County operates and controls the Windy Point public park. What I heard was that Travis County built a road (on their land) that cut off the private parks access to a cove they were usiing which made the private side mad. This was some time before the big floods in the early 80s.

 

[alanconstant]

cylon is right--the ramp at Bob Wentz is an accident waiting to happen.

I live five miles from Windy Point, but drive ten to Mansfield Dam (a Travis County park). Decent facilities, with a "scuba park" that is very safe.

Hey, the lake is warm (75 degrees to 30 feet), and I plan to get wet this weekend. Anyone interested?

Alan

 

[freshwaterdiver]

Well the story is semi-right. If you have dove at Windy Point at Barstow's you will notice a nice paved road that cuts through Barstow's. The family owned the property and allowed the County access to the "point" thus the paved road. At some point during the 80's the family decided they wanted a peice of the pie that the county was getting for charging entrance into Windy "Point". Previously, access to the "point" was free. When the county began charging a fee to enter the "point" the Barstow family felt that they should again get a piece of the pie. County fought the issue and the family closed the road. The county lost the legal fight and had to create a new road to the "point". Again the next time you are at Barstow's, which a great dive park, take notice of the paved road and where the road ends. You will see it goes all the way into the county park. Very long story kinda short

FreshWaterDiver

 

[Goose75]

Hmm. That would explain the causeway that makes the mirky lagoon. The whole thing sounds like it's more complicated than it looked on the surface. I'll leave it as a curiousity then instead of something to complain about.