City Council Notes - March 2009

City Council Notes - March 2009

By Amy Stansbury Friday, 06 March 2009

Playground presentation

Round Rock Parks and Recreation Director Rick Atkins presented a funding model for an All-Abilities Playground to be built in Rabb Park. The park will include separate pods focusing on different skill sets, including:

• Boundless Playscape — traditional playground that will exceed current standards; equipped with ramps and rubber fall surfaces
• Brushy Creek Village — play buildings and street signs lining roads for tricycles
• Rock Band — Wheelchair-accessible outdoor musical instruments
• Sensory Fun — Low-sitting wall made from materials of varying textures; easy-access sandboxes and fountain; aromatic plants to engage sense of smell
• Island Retreat — For children requiring a calmer play experience; tunnels, climbing equipment and adaptive swings

The Round Rock Sunrise Rotary Club is leading the effort to secure the $500,000 total needed to construct the playground. Marge Tripp, organizer of the project, said she would like to see the project completed by Mother’s Day 2010. The playground would be the first of its kind in Central Texas.

Water bill donation program

Cindy Demers, assistant city manager, recently reported on the status of the Friendly Rock Assistance Program that helps families in financial crisis pay their water bills. The optional $1 contribution that is part of the program is listed on all customers’ bills and can be removed at their request. Since May:

• 46 percent of customers have donated to the program;
• about 12 percent of customers have opted out of program;
• $96,600 has been donated and helped pay entire bills for families.

Traffic signal camera committee

The city council named seven community members to serve on a Red Light Camera Advisory Committee that is required to implement the photographic traffic signal enforcement program approved in 2007. The committee will review the program and draft a report for council consideration.

1 — New name for a portion of Bowman Road

The portion of Bowman Road that runs in front of Stony Point High School is being renamed Tiger Trail to honor the SPHS football team that went 13-2 last season and was one game away from a chance at the 5A state championship.

2 — West side recreation center named

The city council voted unanimously to name the proposed west side recreation center the Legacy Field House, honoring Katy Ewing, Chris Love Jr. and Chris Zimmerman, three Round Rock graduates who died at young ages. Memorials will be featured inside the facility.

Upcoming Round Rock City Council meetings

March 12 and 26

• 221 E. Main Street, Round Rock
• Work sessions begin at 6:30 p.m. Regular meetings begin at 7 p.m.
• View replays of the council meetings on Time Warner Cable channel 10 or online at www.roundrocktexas.gov/replay.

Healthcare committee

In February, a consultant hired by the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation presented findings of a hospital feasibility study.

• A need for 252 medical doctors to treat Pflugerville residents was identified, but only 37 doctors practice in the community today.
• The study also found that a hospital could not be sustained in Pflugerville; however, a medical mall with typical hospital features, such as an emergency room and outpatient surgery center, was deemed viable.

The proposal for phase three of the initiative was presented to the city council at the end of February. It would include the consultant working with the committee to define a strategy for recruiting healthcare practitioners to Pflugerville.

Economic development corporation severs contract with the city

The Pflugerville Community Development Corporation board of directors voted Feb. 12 to sever its contract with the City of Pflugerville. PCDC board president Fred Velarde said the board serves at the will of the city council and all monetary decisions will still have to be approved by the board and city council. The three PCDC staff members, who are currently city employees, will be offered jobs directly through PCDC.

1 — Recycling center and community garden

Concepts for a $13,600 recycling center and community garden were presented to the city council in February. In the past, the city has held two citywide clean-up days annually with increasingly high participation. The purpose of the recycling center is to provide residents a year-round opportunity to recycle refrigerators, tires, batteries, oil, metal and tree branches. The recycling center and community garden will be located within the Northeast Metro Park between the wastewater treatment plant and the baseball fields. When construction on the recycling center is completed in June, it will be open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to noon.

The community garden is expected to open in March and will keep the same hours as the park, 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The garden will have plots available for citizens to rent and grow produce. The community garden ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. March 21.

Upcoming Pflugerville City Council meetings

March 10 and 24

• 100 E. Main Street, Ste. 500, Pflugerville
• Work sessions begin at 6:30 p.m. Regular meetings begin at 7:30 p.m.
• View replays of the council meetings on Suddenlink Cable channel 10 or online at www.cityofpflugerville.com.

Round Rock and Pflugerville

City considers rail options

Pflugerville Development Services Director Trey Fletcher presented commuter rail options under consideration by the City of Round Rock and other regional entities, including the Round Rock rail link that would connect to the existing Capital MetroRail Red Line at the southwest corner of Toll 45 and MoPac.

The proposed rail extension would run up the Toll 45 median east to Meister Lane, then veer north to Georgetown within the existing MoKan right-of-way.

Proposed stops are near Dell Inc., Dell Diamond and Avery Centre.

Pflugerville staff suggested a route to continue farther east into Pflugerville along Toll 45, with proposed stops near the Toll 45 and Toll 130 intersection, and near Toll 130 and Pecan Street.

A $175,000 feasibility study of the route and proposed rail stops will be conducted with the majority of funding coming from the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority.

Round Rock, which will fund $25,000 for the study, invited Pflugerville to participate at no cost. The study is expected to be complete in six to eight months.