MIDLAND, Texas — The Midland County Commissioner's Court has been discussing plans to bring a new hiking and biking trail to the Horseshoe Complex.
The trail would sit on a 20-acre plot of land just west of the complex.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Luis Sanchez has done a majority of the leg work regarding the new trail and said that the county has already begun setting aside money for the project.
"So during the budget year for the county, we set aside $500,000 to start that process," Sanchez said. "So currently, the county voted for a request of qualifications to be able to find an architect firm to be able to start that process."
Much of the money being used for the project stems from high sales tax revenue that the city has collected over the past budget year.
"So currently, we are looking at the revenues from sales tax. Those revenues are coming in very, very high," Sanchez said. "We've been using a lot of that money to rebuild a lot of the roads throughout Midland County. Our biggest thing is, because of those sales tax revenues, we want to use some of that money for this project."
According to Sanchez, the record sales tax revenue comes from profits made in the oil and gas industry along with drilling for new wells.
A new trail, however, would have a mutual benefit to both the Horseshoe Complex and to the families that reside in Midland.
"So one of the things that we would love to see is to make sure we continue to beautify the Horseshoe Complex, but even more importantly be able to build something for the families, something that is free of charge and something that they can come out and enjoy a good afternoon," Sanchez said.
The Commissioner's Court plans to hold a citizen's committee meeting in the future to get the public's opinion on the potential new trail.