The closing of the swimming area at Blue Hole Regional Park on August 21 has cost the city of Wimberley an estimated $250,000 in revenue, said Wimberley Park’s Director Richard Shaver in the 2023 annual report he presented to City Council last week.
“Losses amounted to about $5,000 a day,” he told City Council members during the meeting.
“The loss of revenue from refunds currently stands at $102,979 and the estimated revenue lost from closing reservations is between $150,000 to $200,000, bringing the total estimated loss to more than $250,000.”
Beyond its cultural importance to Wimberley, Blue Hole is also an important city asset as one of the biggest sources of revenue for the city budget. Fortunately for city coffers, Blue Hole earned $707,720 despite lost revenue, earning just under what it earned in 2021, an all-time high. “Without refunds,” Shaver continued, “this year would have been our greatest year ever.”
The popularity of Blue Hole continues to grow. It was awarded Trip Advisor’s Travelers’ Choice designation again in 2023. Reviews from millions of travelers placed Blue Hole Regional Park in the top ten percent of attractions worldwide for the third year in a row. That designation, coupled with record high temperatures, had driven more than 59,000 visitors to the park for swimming in 2023 until its closure August 21 due to low levels from the widespread drought that has gripped the region.
In other park news, 325 weddings and private events took place at Blue Hole, and the park unveiled its new Nature Play Area playground. The inaugural Migratory Bird Day Seminar brought six speakers, a keynote speaker, and 70 participants to the Wimberley Community Center. During winter storm Mara in February, staff worked tirelessly to clean up debris from the storm so that city parks closed for fewer than 48 hours. When Oak Wilt was discovered near the boundary of Blue Hole park and RM3237, Wimberley Parks and Recreation Department contracted an outside company to dig a four-foot trench around the area to stop the spread of the disease.
According to the Annual Report, Parks and Recreation programs drew more than 7,000 people to all seven of Wimberley’s parks. Sixty five community partners presented programs like Boo! Hole Halloween, Howl at the Moon Dance, the Polar Bear Plunge and 5K Race, Star Parties, Concerts in the Park, Shakespeare on the River, Wimberley Nights, and Nature Education that resonated with residents and drew visitors to experience the city’s natural areas. In November, the National Alzheimer’s Association brought thousands of bicyclists to the national “Ride to End ALZ” event.
Shaver told City Council members that 96 volunteers with the Tree Folks floodplain reforestation program planted 600 tree saplings - that included 30 different species in Wimberley city parks. During volunteer workdays, 114 volunteers and Parks staff worked a total of 840 hours to keep the parks and trails maintained and to remove invasive plants.
