CITY COUNCIL TAKES FIRST STEP IN DISALLOWING DIGITAL BILLBOARDS
The first step in disallowing digital billboards inside city limits was taken by the Brenham City Council during today’s (Thursday) meeting. The first reading amending definitions and variances in regards to such signs was approved. The proposed amendment would not allow applicants to request variances for signs listed as prohibited in the existing ordinance. This will directly affect signs such as: spectacular signs, billboard signs, and off-premise commercials signs.
The council also awarded a contract to Coons Construction in the amount of $453,980 for the MM Owsley Memorial Serenity Garden at the south end of Fireman’s Park. The city has received over $777,000 in donations from the Owsley Family Foundation and other private donors. The Owsley Family Foundation donation will only be used towards to Memorial Serenity Garden. This, when combined with the cost of the playground features and total engineering, would reportedly still leave about $24,000 for unforeseen costs.
The city council approved a $78,000 bid to Collier Construction for change orders for the modernization and renovation project at the Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library. $33,489 will go towards outside light fixtures in the parking lot, $8,686.72 will go towards additional sidewalk, field welding, and increasing the height of an interior garage-type door, $14,108.64 will go towards structural steel, and $22,224 towards floating the floor in order to level it off.
The council also heard the quarterly report of the Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Lu Hollander, Tourism, Advertising, and PR Manager, reported that walk in visitors, website traffic, and mail-outs were all up for the months of January through March. She also reported that Brenham/Washington County received more than 500 visitors during the Geocaching tournament held in March.
When council reconvened after executive session discussing City Prosecutor compensation, they agreed on $20,000 per year.