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    • Apr 28, 2023
    • 7 min read

02 May 2023 Parks Board Meeting

Updated: Jul 28, 2023


Agenda Items: elect Parks Board Chairperson; park communication boards; TxDOT Green Ribbon Grant Program; future parkland projections; update on Willow Park and EPCoT Trail System


 

Agenda Items

2. Discussion & Action: Election of Parks Board Chairperson.

  • Background: The 2022 Chairperson is Corey Tucker.

  • Minutes: 2. Corey Tucker was nominated [and elected unanimousley] as Chairperson.

3. Discussion & Action: Add Communication Boards to City playgrounds, parks, and trails within the City of Willow Park.

  • Background

    • The purpose of a Communication Board is to provide a voice for those with communication challenges, as their way to “speak” and communicate with others

    • It is a structured way to interact and connect for those with, but not limited to, Autism, Down Syndrome, other developmental delays, and those who are hearing or visually impaired.

    • The photos on the board come from speech programs which are used as effective forms of communication by Speech language Pathologist/Therapist and, in application programs such as Proloquo2Go. These programs are used by both children and adults.

    • The communication board includes English on one side and Spanish on the other. Braille is also added for those with hearing/vision impairments.

    • This board will assist first responders and community members during times of need

  • Additional Information

    • Sharma & Associates (company who makes signs) is the company I was referred to by Howard County Autism Society in Maryland. They produced these boards for several schools, parks, and/or playgrounds. I included their quote and will explain further.

    • FINANCIAL INFO: Cost $2,400.00 / Source of General Funding

  • Minutes:

Sergeant Ramirez presented the Board with information regarding getting signage for the City's non-verbal community, as per her brief in the meeting packet. Sgt. Ramirez stated that, per her research, this board will be the first of its kind in Parker County, and potentially this region of Texas and possibly the country. Several Board members raised questions and concerns regarding installation, user population, maintenance, and eventual replacement of the sign to which options and ideas were discussed.


Promotion of the sign is very important to Sgt. Ramirez and Mayor Pro Tem Young said that this is a great addition to the Cross Timbers Park which was created as a trendsetter because of the turf vs. mulch.


The sign's expense of $2,400 was discussed among the Board and that sponsorships could considered, as well, which could be honored with a. The motion was made to approve the expense of the sign and its [sic. sentence incomplete.]


[Approved unanimously]



4. Discussion & Action: Consideration for Contract by Pacheco Koch for concept landscape design, and completion and submittal of application for 2024 TXDOT Green Ribbon Grant Program.

  • Background: The Texas Department of Transportation offers the Green Ribbon Grant Program to cities annually for landscape beautification of the TXDOT rights-of-way. The grant award is a maximum of $400,000 and is structured as a reimbursement to the city.

At the TXDOT mandatory informational training session in March, Staff connected with Dorothy Witmeyer, the Senior Project Manager for Pacheco Koch, the firm who designed and executed the Cross Timbers Park and its playground for our City. We agreed that trying to apply for the 2023 grant, which opened April 28, would require the haphazard creation of our design and if, by chance, we did win the award, it could potentially hinder our chances of winning the next year when we could have a more comprehensive plan in place.


Based on Ms. Witmeyer’s valuable experience with the TXDOT Green Ribbon Program and with the City, Staff requests consideration for the expense of a consultation for landscape design, application completion and submittal for the 2024 TXDOT Green Ribbon Program. This design would include all of the eastbound IH-20 rights-of-way, from the eastern to western span of our city limits, broken down into phases (potentially three).


Since TXDOT seems to prefer awarding those areas where improvements are already being made, the Kings Gate corridor would likely be the first for which we apply since the Kings Gate bridge is due to let in 2024. The City can apply each year until design completion. Consulting fees by Pacheco Koch would be approximately $6,800 which includes conceptual designs of all phases, and Green Ribbon Program Application completion and submittal for Phase I. If construction plans are desired, this would be a separate cost and can be decided at a later

  • Minutes: Staff Toni Fisher explained the TXDOT Green Ribbon Program, a reimbursement grant for beautification within the rights-of-way along the Texas highway. She stated that this award is $400,000, but its application requires a design submittal, which is an added expense not covered under the grant. In addition, the design must show the allocation of funds, funds which must be paid by the City during construction, then reimbursed by TXDOT. Fisher explained that Pacheco Kock, who designed and executed the Cross Timbers Park, can do the landscape design the entire northern side of the project for us, which would span the TXDOT right-of-way where sensible, from City Hall to Mikus Rd., split into three phases. The first of those would be the service road that runs perpendicular to Kings Gate as it was told that TXDOT prefers awarding projects that coincide with other TXDOT projects. Since the Kings Gate Bridge is a TXDOT 2024 project, its timing could benefit us for a Spring 2024 Green Ribbon Program Application submission and increase our chances of winning the award.

The cost for consulting fees by Pacheco Koch is approximately $6,800 and would include conceptual designs for all phases, and 2024 Green Ribbon Program Application completion and submittal for Phase I. The addition of construction plans would increase the chances of getting the award, but also increase our initial cost.


Mayor Pro Tem requested assurance that it is not a matching grant, to which Fisher replied that it is a reimbursement grant.


There were questions from Board member Gomez as to contractors and plantings; Board member Tucker was concerned with the maintenance; and, Board member Wagner shared his professional experience regarding the slight chances of our city getting the grant because of the typical quantity of applicants for other TXDOT grants, and whether vehicular traffic traveling 70 mph would even notice the landscaping.


Mayor Pro Tem suggested that spending money to do the design with the intention of doing the landscaping anyway is one thing, but spending the money to do the design just to get the $400,000 is another. She compared this with our plans for the trails. She was favorable to having the conceptual plans in hand for the sake of not making short-term mistakes.


Additionally, she stated that, since this is the first grant we've discussed, we likely need to prioritize our projects before allocating staff time to apply for any grants. Mayor Pro Tem Young also suggested for us to possibly look into a "grant specialist" to help us decide which grants are worthwhile for us spend time, money, and effort to apply.


Due to the amount of skepticism among the Parks Board, this item was motioned to be postponed.

  • Willow Park Civics Research

    • TxDot Landscape and Aesthetics Design Manual > TxDOT Section 7: Policy and Authorities Impacting Landscape and Aesthetics Design - TxDOT recognizes the need for developing highways with acceptable visual quality and has developed several proactive programs that encourage and assist the development of such transportation corridors. These include the Transportation Enhancements Program, Transportation Alternatives Program, Cost Share Program, the Governors Community Achievement Awards, Green Ribbon Landscape Improvement Program, and Landscape Partnership Program.

    • 1 Million Trees Across Texas, Scenic Texas, "The Green Ribbon Program was created to improve air quality for high traffic, urban areas with new road construction projects."

    • Colleyville City Council approves TxDOT grant funding for Hwy. 26 beautification, Community Impact, 08 June 2022, Excerpts: At its June 7 meeting, City Council approved the advanced funding agreement as TxDOT approved the city’s request for $172,000 in Green Ribbon funding reimbursement for eligible expenses related to the beautification of Hwy. 26 from Cheek Sparger Road to Brown Trail, the agenda item’s memo states. The city will be responsible for covering cost overruns from the project. Local funds will come from the city’s capital improvements program fund.

    • Green Ribbon Project Improving the visual character of our highway corridors.GoGrapevine

NEW BUSINESS

5. Future parkland projections.

  • Minutes:

1. Mayor Pro Tem Young explained that the City approached Wilks Development about taking over Kings Gate Park now instead of later, as per the Planned Development agreement. She told of its importance to adding another park to our city, but also its availability for us to have space to make additional improvements, such as the proposal for the city's trailhead with restrooms.


2. See "Trail Update with Larry Colvin"


3. Mayor Pro Tem Young suggested that the Parks Board should revisit its "priority list", and what we want for future parks and trails; she told the Board of the structure of the new Parks budget for the next fiscal year; she and Larry told the Board of the contact they have had with Trinity Christian Academy, and developers Kyle Wilks and Jamie Mitchell; and, she stated that soon, we will be looking ahead to our next update for our Parks & Trails Master Plan. Mayor Pro Tem Young also reflected back on her point of how having a plan can help us to get grants. There was discussion among the Board regarding the Crown Rd expansion and the design of the bike lanes.


4. Playground repairs for Cross Timbers Park were discussed: a.) The broken xylophone mallets were discarded because they were attached with wiring that could not be repaired; b.) The dead junipers that were removed behind the playground has bubblers that need to be turned off; c.) There was question as to whether we were going to replace the junipers, to which the Board decided to wait until the Fall season to decide.


6. Update on Willow Park Trails and East Parker County Trails (EPCoT) trail systems by Larry Colvin, President of Weatherford Mountain Bike Club and Senior Civil Engineer Designer for Baird, Hampton & Brown..

  • Exhibits:

    • City of Willow Park Trails Amendment, Site Plan (in .pdf)


  • City of Willow Park Trails Amendment, EPCoT Trail System (in .pdf)

  • Minutes

Larry Colvin, designer for Baird, Hampton & Brown, and President of Weatherford Mountain Bike Club, expanded on the maps provided in the packet.


Mr. Colvin expanded on the EPCoT trail and the single-track connecting plan and the local connecting trails. He discussed the change and decreased interest in realignment of the Veloweb due to its 10' concrete trail requirements.


He then discussed the benefit for the expansion for the city's trails into the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) areas; and, the necessity for connectivity (bridge) across the Clearfork on East Bankhead Highway.


Larry expanded on the public utility easements at length. They cover much of the land in Willow Park and within our eastern ETJ, and how they can be used for trails, easily built where nothing else can.



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