Focus On... visit our website at Richwood City Directory RICHWOOD. Boards & Commissions Meeting Schedules

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2 Dear Fellow Citizen: As grows, our infrastructure needs to grow with it. RICHWOOD In This Issue Focus On... RICHWOOD Focus The need for better streets, sidewalks and additional water sources are on our agenda. The difficult part of the process is how to fund these projects. We are completing two new water wells at this time. The process has not been an easy one. It took an increase in water rates to start the process. Then came permitting for TCEQ which took about 90 days. Next came the bid process and finally construction. Construction wasn t easy either. Drilling companies were booked up and it has taken a year to get where we are now. Our plan is to have total completion within 60 days of the writing of this letter. We are also preparing to start rehabilitation on two of our sewer lift stations and on Oyster Creek Drive. We hope to start work on the city hall complex very soon. We were able to utilize Texas Department of Criminal Justice inmates to do the demolition of the old interior of the building. This netted a savings of $30,000 to the citizens. They also did remodeling on the City s community center and clean up in the city park. Unfortunately as we continue to work on our infrastructure, it is not going to be without a cost to us. As the City Council and staff weighed in on these projects, we were cognizant of the costs because what costs you as a taxpayer costs us also. As we enter the new budget year, there will be a tax increase of This will be used to fund the city hall expansion. Also you will notice a $5.00 road fee on your water bill. This fee will be used solely for improvements to streets, drainage and additions to sidewalks. A lot of time and energy were put into these decisions by the Council but these repairs and additions were badly need and as we continued to put these projects off in the past, they did not go away. They only continued to get worse and more expensive. It is our sincere desire to make a better place to live so that we can attract more development. Sincerely, Clint Kocurek, Mayor Boards & Commissions Meeting Schedules City Council 2 nd Monday at 7:00 p.m. Keep Beautiful 2 nd Thurssday at 4:30 p.m. Crime Control and Prevention District 4 th 6:30 p.m. Planning and Zoning (also serves as Board of Adjustments) As called All meetings, unless otherwise noted, are held at City Hall, 215 Halbert. The public is not only invited to attend but encouraged to do so. Page New Look for....2 Moving Forward Upcoming Events New Water Wells....4 Made for Walking...5 Household Garbage & Recycling City Directory City Council Mayor Clint Kocurek...ckocurek@richwoodtx.gov Councilmembers John Pitts Lee Bryant....lbryant@richwoodtx.gov Roy Woody Welch... rwelch@richwoodtx.gov Morgan Laird mlaird@richwoodtx.gov Donna Lacy.... dlacy@richwoodtx.gov Department Directory City Administrator Glenn Patton.... gpatton@richwoodtx.gov Police Chief Brad Caudle...bcaudle@richwoodtx.gov City Secretary Karen Schrom...kschrom@richwoodtx.gov Court Administrator Peggy Tyler....court@richwoodtx.gov Interim Public Works Director Kenny Williams..kwilliams@richwoodtx.gov Phone Numbers Emergency Only (police, fire, and ambulance) Dispatch (police, fire, ambulance and animal control) Police (Non-Emergency) City Hall Utility Billing Public Works (including inspections) City Administrator Municipal Court Published by Frances Schultz Direct Effect Marketing 642 CR 605 ANGLETON, TEXAS Project Manager Stacey Barnhart Art Director Sarah Romero This publication is produced for the City of. No portion can be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Not responsible for errors or omissions on the part of Publisher or City of. Copyright 2012 Frances Schultz - Direct Effect Marketing Want to advertise in Focus? Contact Stacey Barnhart barnhart.stacey@gmail.com visit our website at Find us on Facebook as the City of and follow us on Twitter as TX City of City of 1

3 New Look for A recurring theme in the two comprehensive plans done by the City, in 1984 and again in 2011, is that relocating city hall should be considered an urgent priority. They recommend it be visible, centrally located and highly accessible, offering a dominant city image for visitors and passing traffic. All this was considered when the City chose the new location. By locating the facilities on the highway, the municipal building can serve as a landmark, create a visual identity for the City and serve as a functional anchor for commercial development. The clean up and demolition work has been completed for the new city hall. The building which formerly housed Freedom Motor Sports was stripped down to the bare walls at little cost to the taxpayers by using trustees from the Clemens Unit prison. Raymond Burroughs, Architecture Etc., is working on the completed plans. Once these are done, then work will begin in earnest turning the 12,000 building into the new Municipal Complex which will house City Hall, Police Department, Municipal Court, and Public Works. The exterior conceptual drawing can be seen at City Hall as well as on the sign in front of the building. Moving forward Sometimes looking to the future requires a hard look back. The city is working on preparing for future growth. That means taking a hard look at the city s current infrastructure. One of the first projects addressed was streets. The worse single year drought in Texas history wreaked havoc on city streets, Oyster Creek Drive in particular. The City was able to crack seal the asphalt roads to halt further damage and can take advantage of the Interlocal Agreement with Brazoria County to do repairs on those streets. However, concrete streets in the Glenwood Bayou Subdivision were also affected, especially Oyster Creek Drive. After reviewing all the options, including replacing the street entirely which would cost in excess of $1 million, the City chose a more affordable alternative which is still a long term solution. The City contracted with Uretek USA using a state program. The firm pumps a foam under the street to level it. They ve done a great deal of work throughout the state, including the Port of Freeport and comes highly recommended. They guarantee their work for 2 years and the product for 10 years. Once the road is leveled, the City will then let bids for the asphalt overlay of Oyster Creek Drive. The work is being paid for out of money from the current year s fund balance and from money budgeted for street repair for Another infrastructure that has been band-aided over the years are the City s six sewer lift stations. The City recently paid off older utility bonds and this has freed up money. City Council chose to spend the approximately $160,000 on the rehabilitation of 2 of the lift stations, including the large one on College Boulevard. This is the last one before entering the transmission line to the sewage treatment plant and the only one that all the other lift stations dump into. Plans include revamping the electrical systems, piping and then securely coating both lift stations. Both these projects are being done with no increase in taxes or utility fees. City of 2 City of 3

4 Upcoming Events City Wide Clean Up November 10th 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon Its that time of year again. Join Keep Beautiful as they make a difference. It s a great way to demonstrate pride in the city, build teamwork and have some fun in the process. You can register at the PK Forrest Community Center beginning at 8:00 am. All registrants are invited to enjoy a free lunch at the PK Forrest Community Center. Christmas in the Park December 7th 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Santa will be in on December 7 th. Come by and tell Santa what you want for Christmas this year. He will be arriving in the park by Fire Truck. There will also be games and refreshments. Keep Beautiful will also be hosting a food drive that night so please remember the less fortunate and bring a food item if possible. New Water Wells 2011 found Texas in the worst ever single year drought ever experienced. It brought home the need to effectively plan to provide for human water needs for the future, something many municipalities put off because of the cost. However, it was quickly shown that the lack of planning or poor planning for future water needs could very quickly set the stage for the dewatering of Texas rivers, acquifers and the subsequent collapse of our vibrant coastal ecosystem. We have known since at least 2005 that one of the City s three wells had a split screen. Repair was not an option and replacement was deferred for years because of the cost. Last year, the City took the lessons learned from the drought and began to take steps to correct this. Certificates of Obligation were issued to replace the failing well with two new wells. They are now in and city crews are beginning the work on the electrical panels. Once this is completed, then the City will seek bids on tying the new wells into the water system. Once this is in place, the City will be in a much better position to meet the water needs of it citizens for years to come. made for w al k i n g One of the issues residents commented on the most during the survey portion of the Comprehensive Plan, was the need for sidewalks throughout the city. The lack of a connected set of sidewalks not only poses a mobility issue but also a safety issue. Sidewalks provide a safe place for children to walk, run, skate or ride their bikes and play. They also significantly reduce pedestrian collisions with vehicle traffic by providing separation. Walking is also a pleasant way to exercise, relax and socially interact with others in the community. The City recently received a $135,000 grant from the Federal government through its Community Block Development program. The grant funds allow the City to do projects we could not normally afford to do. The money from this grant is being used to install sidewalks along N. Mahan. This money can only be used in those areas of the City that qualify. The older areas of the city, with open ditches, fall within the federal guidelines. N. Mahan was chosen because its often used by children walking or riding their bikes to and from school. In 2013, the City will again receive a CDBG grant in the amount of $190,000. This money will be used to install sidewalks either along Moore or San Saba. These plans are a part of the City plan to provide a safe path for children as they head to and from school. Eventually, the City plans to incorporate the sidewalk system into a hike/bike trail throughout the city, connecting the city s parks and Polk Elementary School. Household Garbage Residential garbage is picked up every Wednesday. Please have your trash can at the curb by 7:00 a.m. Please Note: The driver is not always the same each week, therefore the route can be changed from week to week so there is no specific time for trash pick up. Recycling Recycling is picked up curbside on Tuesdays. Please have your recycling out by no later than 7:00 a.m. Current items being recycled are paper products, white/clear plastics and aluminum cans. Cardboard boxes should be put out for heavy trash. City of 4 City of 5

5 City of 215 Halbert, TX Rich in History. Focused on the Future. City of