HOHLT PARK TRAIL REPAIRS TO BEGIN SOON
The Brenham City Council approved a contract to repair Hohlt Park walking trail during their meeting today (Thursday).
The contract from Collier Construction was approved at $144,200. Brenham Public Works Director, Dane Rau estimates that 75-percent of the cost will be covered by FEMA. There is no official word from FEMA yet about the cost coverage.
The walking trail contract includes the removal of the old trail, new edging, and a new crushed granite path. Rau believes the project will begin September 1st, or possibly earlier if paperwork goes through quickly. The projected end date for the trail competition is sometime in November, as the estimated time that the project will take is 60 days.
The council also approved the first reading of amending the city’s sign ordinances concerning the regulation of billboards. The amendment continues to ban billboards from the city of Brenham. The amendment adds two provisions to enable city staff to remove the billboards. The amendment states that if no advertising appears on a billboard for 120 consecutive days, it can be removed. The amendment also says that if the cost of repairing a billboard exceeds 60% of its new value, it must be removed.
The council also approved the facility use agreement between the city and the Brenham State Supported Living Center for the Blue Bell Aquatic Center; the reimbursement of costs related to furnishing and equipping the city library renovation; approved the adoption of the 2015-2016 budget; and approved the request for a noise variance for the Texas Arts and Music Festival.
The festival will be held on October 15th in conjunction with Main Street’s Texas Brew Step. Organizers promise it to be a great event for the community. Three different stages featuring musicians will be set up for the event. It will also feature local artists and talent that celebrate the art culture in Texas.
During the meeting, the City Council held a public hearing concerning the adoption of a tax rate of 50.7 cents per hundred dollar valuation, which is 3.4 cents higher than the current tax rate for the City of Brenham. The new tax rate is a 7.64- percent increase in taxes paid by individuals and businesses who own property within the city limits. Brenham resident, Danny Ross, voiced his objection to the new tax rate. In particular, he spoke about the newly generated tax money being used to fund three new firefighters. He does not believe that there is enough demand for new firefighters to raise the taxes. Instead, he would like to see the money put towards fixing the water system. The first reading of the ordinance to adopt the tax rate will be during a Special Council meeting on Monday, September 12th.
The City Council went on to approve the second reading of the Specific Use Permit. Krissie Zorn has requested the permit for a gardening store she has planned to locate at 2600 North Park Street, at the entrance to Scenic Estates. The council also approved the second reading to change Suddenlink Cable Company’s franchise agreement removing the requirement for a local office in Brenham.