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Minutes September 13, 1993SEPTEMBER 13, 1993 The Council convened into a joint session with the Keep Denton Beautiful Board at 11:45 a.m. on September 13, 1993. PRESENT: Mayor Castleberry; Mayor Pro Tem Smith; Council Members Brock, Cott, and Miller. ABSENT: Council Members Chew and Perry 1. The Council held a discussion, considered locations and gave staff direction for using the $100,000 landscape grant from the Governor's Community Achievement Awards. Dick Engle, chair-Keep Denton Beautiful Board, stated that the Board would like the Council's input on where and how to utilize the money received from the Achievement Award. Cecile Carson, Keep Denton Beautiful Coordinator, presented a landscape project development flow chart which the Department of Transportation suggested using to coordinate location of a project and steps in completing the project. The Department of Transportation was projecting a year's time frame from the time the City chose a location until the maintenance/planting stage. This year the Department of Transportation budgeted the money to the regional office where the cities won the award which would facilitate receiving the money. It was anticipated that from the initial meeting to select a site until approval from the Department of Transportation would be 30-90 days. As this was not a matching grant, the City would not have to do any work and the design would be done by the Department of Transportation. The beginning of the construction would be a variable date due to weather and any extra construction necessary at the chosen site. There would be a 90 day maintenance period for replacement of any plantings. Any street or right-of-way which was state right-of-way was eligible for site selection. Council Member Cott asked if only one site could be selected. Carson replied no but that the Department of Transportation suggested using only one location as part of the money could be lost if there were barricading work, design work, etc. necessary for multiple sites. Engle suggested a continuation of University Drive for the site selection. Mayor Castleberry stated that in the area of Malone to Carroll, the utility poles would be relocated to the alleys and Denton Center was planning to upgrade the shopping center. There was also a possibility of the City performing in-kind services to help make the dollars go further such as dirt removal in the medians. University Drive would be widened to six lanes in the future. Frank Robbins, Executive Director for Planning, stated that the City had requested enhancement funding from the Texas Department of Transportation and Council had passed a resolution applying for $150,000 of funding for the medians from Malone to Carroll at an 80-20% funding. City of Denton City Council Minutes September 13, 1993 Page 2 Council Member Miller stated that with the state funding, the City did not know if it would receive the funding. He asked if the State would change its position on allocating the funds with the widening project. Carson replied that it would not disqualify the site but that the City would have to use materials which would survive the construction. Council Member Miller stated that the enhancement review would be sometime in October. Robbins stated that the COG review would be in October, the Texas Department of Transportation review would be in November and the award should be in January. Carson stated that there was no requirement as to when to submit the requests but that the Department would prefer them by the end of the year. She presented slides of some potential sites for consideration: Dallas Drive right-of-way area; Highway 77 and Eagle Drive banks and sides of the intersection; university Drive medians; I35 and University Drive on the west side for the medians and the triangle portion of the roadway; Fort Worth Drive and I35; purchase red bud trees for planting on the right-of-ways. Jeane Morrison stated that she would suggest the west side of University and I35 and the medians on University Drive which would be included in the enhancement project. If a second area were needed, she would suggest a continuation of the Dallas Drive project. She asked if there was a reason why Dallas Drive could not be continued. Mayor Castleberry stated that there were no medians in that area on Dallas Drive and could not be created. city Manager Harrell indicated that a median could be constructed from the signal to the patterned concrete. The problem was with the businesses in the area which did not want the ability to make left turns into their businesses taken away. If medians were installed, there would be no left turns allowed. Morrison suggested creating a turn lane. Council Member Cott suggested an area by Loop 288 and the Golden Triangle Mall. Gertrude Gibson suggested the triangle area west of I35 on the service road. Martha Len Nelson suggested a site on Dallas Drive where there was overgrown grass and a need for clean-up. 301 3O2 City of Denton City Council Minutes September 13, 1993 Page 3 Dave Boston suggested using the mall area and planting trees and installing picnic areas. These would be small parks in small areas for the citizens to use. Council Member Miller stated that the project had to be on state right-of-way and could not be in the mall property. Carson indicated that there were some small pieces of corner property at the Mall which was State right-of-way. Don Hayes suggested I35 and Loop 288 on the north side by the Outlet Mall. Jean Ross suggested the University Drive area. Judy Smith asked how many medians could be done for the $100,000. City Manager Harrell replied that it was estimated at $150,000 to finish University Drive including the triangle piece of property. If the City did some in-kind work, the $100,000 would be close to completing the project. Betty Kimble was in favor of the Mall area location. Morrison asked that if the Award was used for the triangle on University plus the medians and the City then received word of enhancement money, would the State not award the enhancement money. Robbins replied that the $100,000 could not be used to help leverage the enhancement funding. Other State money could not be used with enhancement funding. This was only the first round of enhancements and the City had been told that the next round of enhancement funding would begin in January. At that time, the City would apply again for funds and could ask for the same locations as were suggested above. City Manager Harrell stated that if the Board was concerned about duplicate funding, a tentative decision could be made and let the funding cycle continue until October/November. If the project did not receive enhancement funding, then formally notify the Department of the project selection. If the University Drive project received enhancement funding, then submit a second or third choice to the State. Council Member Cott suggested making no decision at this time and wait to see if the City received enhancement funding. Council Member Miller felt that the City needed to be more aggressive in applying for enhancement money including such projects as monument signs for the City's entranceways. City of Denton City Council Minutes September 13, 1993 Page 4 303 Council Member Brock stated that she would like one day to see many red bud trees in Denton which would be unique to Denton as the "Red Bud Capitol". Engle replied that that was part of the agenda for the Keep Denton Beautiful Board and they had approached the Chamber of Commerce for some type of Red Bud Festival. Morrison suggested that the trees could be planted along I35 from one end of the City limits to the o'ther. This could be a possible second alternative for the Award money. Council Member Miller suggested using the money for the University Drive project and coordinate it with the enhancement request. For the next round of enhancement projects, those mentioned this meeting could be considered and coordinated with the Council and the Keep Denton Beautiful Board. Consensus of the Keep Denton Beautiful Board was to completion of University Drive as first priority of money. select the the Award Mayor Castleberry suggested that the Keep Denton Beautiful Board propose a plan for a Red Bud Trail in Denton. Residents and businesses along with the City could be encouraged to plant red buds throughout the City. Hayes suggested getting the community involved in .a tree planting project. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:15 p.m. BOB CASTLEBERRY, MAYOR / CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS ACC00151