BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL APPROVES SPLASHPAD PURCHASE
After being discussed for several months, a splashpad is now officially in the works for Henderson Park.
Brenham City Councilmembers at their meeting today (Thursday) awarded a $250,407 contract to Vortex, headquartered in Montreal, for the design, equipment, and installation of the splashpad.
Vortex has designed a 4,000 square foot splashpad with a spray area of over 2,900 square feet. Public Works Director Dane Rau said the splashpad will use a pass-through water system, and will include spray features such as a large Superwave bucket, water booms, aqua domes, geysers, and a spray loop.
Rau noted that not all of the planned features for the splashpad will come right away.
Rau said he expects the phase-in plan to take no more than three years. He added that the city is still awaiting a response from H-E-B on a $200,000 grant, which if approved could greatly reduce the wait time for some of the extra amenities.
(courtesy City of Brenham)
The city is using $300,000 in earmarked funds from the Brenham Community Development Corporation (BCDC) for the splashpad project.
Councilmember Clint Kolby asked if it would be better to wait to hear back from H-E-B before beginning the project, saying from looking at responses to a recent community survey on the splashpad that many people asked for shade and seating nearby.
Rau responded by saying the H-E-B grant is not necessary to get the project started, with Fisher adding the grant is more akin to “putting sprinkles on your ice cream”. Rau did say that if the H-E-B grant is not received, it will still be able to make another funding request soon to the BCDC.
Rau said equipment will be ordered in early February and should arrive in early April. He said construction should complete around mid-May.
Councilmember Keith Herring said the splashpad is “great for Brenham”, and that children are going to love it. Fisher quipped if the splashpad is finished in May, the council may hold one of its meetings there in the summer.
Before the beginning of regular session, members of the Washington County Veterans Association (WCVA) updated the council on the recently completed security camera and lighting upgrades at the Veterans Memorial Plaza. The WCVA also offered a check to the city to cover the final cost of the upgrades, but Mayor Milton Tate declined to take the check, saying the organization should keep the money in its reserves for any other future projects.
Also in session today, councilmembers:
- Met in executive session to discuss the appointment of a presiding municipal court judge for the remainder of the term ending December 31st. The council voted to hire John Winklemann as presiding judge. It also voted to terminate agreement with Roy Burger (dba RB Film Productions) for the lease of nearly 109 acres of the old landfill property.
- Passed an ordinance authorizing the issuance and sale of $5.69 million in certificates of obligation.
- Passed a resolution approving an advance funding agreement between the City of Brenham and TxDOT for road improvements at the intersection of Chappell Hill Street and the Highway 290 feeder road. The improvements will include the addition of four signal lights at the intersection, along with additional lanes under the Highway 290 overpass that will be dedicated turn lanes. The total cost of the project is expected to be $633,000, with the city being responsible for $82,000 in engineering costs.
- Provided a 90-day notice of termination of the commercial sanitation contract between the city and Frontier Access, LLC. The city council in December authorized staff to begin contract negotiations with Brannon Industrial Group for the provision of municipal solid waste collection, transfer, removal, disposal, and recycling services to the city. Fisher said the agreement with Brannon Industrial Group should come before the council in February.
- Approved a change in zoning for roughly 77 acres of land being considered for the “Liberty Village” subdivision from a combination of Residential and Commercial, Research and Technology District to a Planned Development District. The land is located east of the intersection of Highway 36 North and West Blue Bell Road.
- Approved change orders and $39,010 in final payment to M&C Fonseca Construction for the 2018 downtown drainage and sidewalk project.
- Passed a resolution adopting a new fee schedule for the city’s Parks and Recreation department.
- Approved a resolution authorizing the submission of a grant application to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for the Recreational Trail Grant Program for improvements to the nature trail at Hohlt Park. Projected construction costs for the improvements exceed $85,000, and the grant ceiling is $200,000. Community Services Specialist Crystal Locke said the city should be notified in June if it receives the grant.
- Recognized Rhonda Kuehn, who is retiring from Brenham Municipal Court after 23 years.
