By Edmond Ortiz
Editor

The leading master planner of the original Stone Oak concept keeps on giving. Dan Parman and his sons, all of whom are in the development business, have donated to the San Antonio Public Library Foundation a 10-acre tract of land east of Blanco Road and north of Loop 1604.

In turn, the city of San Antonio will build a new public library to serve the growing Stone Oak community and surrounding neighborhoods.

Parman, his sons and several city dignitaries were on hand Nov. 13 at The Club at Sonterra to publicly announce the land donation, which the library foundation has already officially transferred to the city. City Council formally accepted the donation Nov. 6.

It was Parman and a group of business partners who, in the early 1980s, followed local growth trends and initially identified 4,300 acres of land to develop a master-planned community that has become Stone Oak.

Prior to last week's press conference, Parman said providing a stand-alone public library for an area that continues to see residential and commercial expansion has long been a crucial objective.

The Bannwolf Public Library at Reagan High School, which opened in October 2002, has gone on to provide a total annual circulation of 125,469 to an area population of more than 41,000 people.

However, many residents have asked the city to build a stand-alone facility that features more space, circulation and accessible hours.

At the press conference, Parman said the new library, which will be located on Wilderness Oak near Gathering Oak and The Church at Stone Oak, should be modeled after renowned public libraries locally and elsewhere.

“The original public libraries in New York City, for example, were great basic meeting places for everyone to come for education improvement, for events and to simply make things in their community better,” Parman said.

Parman said the library should be able to incorporate itself into the local landscape and accommodate proposed recreational amenities such as hike and bike trails.

San Antonio Public Library Director Ramiro Salazar said the new library would have the space to host community activities such as art classes and exhibitions, exercise courses and small-scale events.

He added an amphitheater and sculpture garden are possibilities.

Salazar thanked not only Parman, but also former District 9 City Councilman Kevin Wolff, who had spearheaded the effort to find funding and land for a stand-alone library in the far north part of District 9.

Newly elected to the Bexar County Commissioners Court, Wolff has supported putting library funding onto the ultimately successful city bond issue that voters approved last year.

City officials said a total of $7 million is now available for the library's design and construction – a figure only bolstered by Parman's land donation.

“Hopefully, this will be seen as an example of how the private and public sector can work together and not only bring this library to fruition but other future libraries to this area,” said Wolff's successor on council, Louis Rowe.