Galveston Park Board of Trustees Executive Director Kelly de Schaun  presented an overview of the park board to the University Area Association last week.  PowerPoint

de Schaun, still in her first year on the job, said she and her husband have been pleased about their relocation from the Dominican Republic.  Listen

“I really have been amazed by the diversity; the cultural, the social and the environmental diversity you find here on the island,” she said.  

de Schaun said that the park board receives no property or sales tax support and receives its primary funding from hotel occupancy tax revenue and beach user fees.

Galveston City Council Member Elizabeth Beeton expressed concern that because of questions about open beaches the City of Galveston is being asked to budget $400,000 for trash pickup on beaches that are now considered private, at the city’s public access points.

de Schaun said the question of ownership and responsibility for the beaches will likely be settled by litigation, but thus far no lawsuit has been filed.

“We’re waiting to find out who is going to throw the first stone,” she said.

She stressed that the park board does not want to be a defendant in the suit.

“We didn’t want to be sued quite frankly,” she said.  “We had allegations that if we continued to use public funds on what was considered private property that we could be held liable for that.”