Twin Coves almost ready for summer fun

Mother Nature has not been kind to users of area lakes over the past several years.

First there were the drought years with boats grounded in dry marina slips. Then came the flood of 2015 that damaged the Lewisville Lake Dam and caused the Lake Grapevine spillway to overflow and close the roadway between Grapevine and Flower Mound.

There is a silver-lining to the dark, rain-over-filled skies that disrupted recreational opportunities in Flower Mound and beyond; the construction work at the town’s Twin Coves Park will be finished this summer.

“The schedule was always …  we were going to do something,” said Chuck Jennings, Flower Mound’s director of parks and recreation. “It got delayed when the flooding happened. It worked out that we could shut down the park after the flooding. It stayed closed during our renovations.”

The seemingly endless rain that flooded enough of the 243-acre park on the town’s southwest side forced it to close. That only delayed upgrades the town had planned for several years.

Jennings said the town is spending more than $4 million, plus a $400,000 Texas Parks and Wildlife Recreation grant helping to pay for some of the amenities.

Once finished, Twin Coves Park will feature 19 rentable, furnished cabins housing four-to-six people, plus 22 recreational vehicle sites.

Cabins will rent for $130-175-per night, depending on time of the year. The RV sites will cost $35-$55, with full hookups for water and sewer, upgraded 60-foot level concrete pads and 50 amp electric service. Passes for the separate day-area will be available for $10; with annual passes going for $45 for residents and $75 for non-residents.

Other amenities will include a four-hole disc golf course, two pavilions, picnic areas, a fire pit, playground, kayak launch area, grass volleyball courts and scenic overlooks. That’s in addition to the long boat ramp extended several years ago.

“We’ll be one of the last ones to close when the lake levels rise again,” Jennings said.

Twin Coves Park is a stone’s throw away from Twin Coves Marina on Lake Grapevine. Like nearly all lakes in Texas, it is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with either private groups or communities charged with daily operations.

The Corps had engaged a management company called Marinas International to oversee the park for many years. That group let things go in the 2000s and the park was virtually dormant for about five years– to the point where vandals damaged the gatehouse, restrooms and other areas.

Then, the Corps approached the town and after many discussions among council members, money was approved in 2011 to take over the lease and restore the park.

“It definitely was something the town needed to take over,” Jennings said. “Council members saw their vision as a hidden gem; something we could turn into a wonderful amenity for the residents and non-residents to bring folks into our wonderful town.”

The park had opened 46 RV-camping sites for about six months before the 2015 flood forced overnighters and day trippers to evacuate because of the rising waters. Prior to that, the park was for daytime picnicking and boating only.

“When we took the park over with 46 sites really only 25 of those sites were what I would call ‘reserveable,’” said Park Manager Mark Long. “A lot of them had elevation issues. They had too much of an elevation change for campers to come in to be able to level their units.

“We always knew more needed to be done with Twin Coves. I believe it was built in the 60s. The original infrastructure was put in place in the 60s and remained in place. One of the things when we talked to the Corps was there was going to be an upgrade to the park.”

Additional flooding delayed the start to those upgrades by about two months, but now everything is moving quickly to be ready for as much of the summer as possible.

An open house is scheduled for Friday, June 16, from 3 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, June 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the newly renovated park, located at 5001 Wichita Trail in Flower Mound.

During the open house, the public can tour the four different styles of cabins at the park, enjoy refreshments and giveaways, check out the new amenities, and place future reservations. The park will officially open on Friday, July 7, following a ribbon cutting ceremony.

For more information, visit the Town’s website:  www.flower-mound.com/twincoves, or call 972-874-6300.