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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/26/2013 KTCB MINUTES CITY OF THE COLONY KEEP THE COLONY BEAUTIFUL BOARD SEPTEMBER 26, 2013 After determining that a quorum was present, the Keep The Colony Beautiful Board of the City of The Colony, Texas will convened into a regular session which was held on Thursday, September 26, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers located in City Hall, 6800 Main Street, The Colony, Texas, at which time the following items were addressed: Staff Present: Joe Perez, Jillian Voigt, Terry Gilman Residents Present: Christie Martin Board Members Present: Linda Van Vranken, Peggy Chenault, Roger Morehouse, Joe Zacha, and Jatun Thompson. 1.0 CALL MEETING TO ORDER Chairman Van Vranken called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. 12.0 CITIZEN INPUT No citizen input. 13.0 MINUTES 3.1 Approve minutes from the August 29th, 2013 meeting. Motion to approve the minutes was made. Board Member Zacha seconded the motion, and the board approved the minutes. 4.0 DISCUSSION/CONSIDERATION 4.1 Receive an update from staff regarding the Adopt A Street Program and the location of trash receptacles throughout the city. (Terry Gilman) Environmental Services Manager Terry Gilman introduced himself, and he gave a presentation regarding the Adopt-a-Street Program. He gave the board a printed map of the streets adopted or available for adoption, informing board members that a street must be thoroughfare in order to be adopted. Citizen desire inspired the creation of the program in 2006. The purpose of the Adopt-a-Street Program is to help control litter and to provide a routine way for streets that do not have a lot of residential activity to be kept trash-free. Terry passed out the Adopt-a- Street application packet and a list of streets available for adoption (or streets already adopted) to the board. The application packet is available at City Hall or on the City's website. Businesses, nonprofits, school, or city organizations can adopt a street through the program. Terry reviews Adopt-a-Street applications; his director signs them, and gives permission for signs to be displayed. After this, organization may begin cleanup. Once a month, groups must pick up litter in their given segment of a street. The City provides garbage bags, gloves, and traffic vests. Groups email Terry to report a completed cleanup so that he knows when to direct City Staff to dispose of the bags (unless groups of volunteers dispose of the bags themselves. Terry documents the amount of litter collected, in addition to the locations and dates of cleanups for each group. There are about five street segments available for adoption. Terry is processing two applications, so when these applications are approved, that will leave three remaining segments for adoption. Terry reported that Matthew Southwest adopted 2 street segments in The Tribute. Some organizations have adopted more than one street segment; because there are few remaining street segments available for adoption, Terry will consider limiting adoption to only one street segment. Review of the organizations usually takes place every two years, but there have been a few organizations that no longer exist, so they have been removed from the Adopt-a-Street Program list. As for the trash receptacles, Terry explained that the City can only put them where there is a left turn lane or a grassy median. For this reason, there is a limited number of receptacles. So far, this has not been a problem. Terry asked the board to bring to his attention any additional areas that need trash receptacles. Vice Chairman Chenault asked if there should be 2 containers side by side where receptacles are most frequently used. Terry replied that there may not be room to do this, and he expressed concerns about blocking traffic. He offered to look into the feasibility of 2 containers, though. Board Member Morehouse asked about adding additional streets to the program. Terry explained that this would require review by the City. Residential streets are not currently on the list because of the citizen responsibility factor. Terry mentioned The Colony's Adopt-a-Park Program and Carrollton's Adopt-a-Spot Program as ideas for other ways to address litter issues. He said that many of the City's trash problems are on private property. Chairman Van Vranken asked if the Memorial/Blair Oaks corner will likely develop litter issues with the opening of Top Golf. Terry said that the area around that intersection could be considered for adoption. Board Member Zacha asked why North Colony west of Main is not currently on the list of segments available for adoption. Terry said that there are segments that could be included on the list, such as the west part of North Colony. Board Member Zacha asked about the area around the lake, and Terry explained that Parks Department programs address that area. Board Member Thompson asked how organizations are solicited for the Adopt-a- Street Program and if there have been any issues with organizations not adhering to the program terms. Terry replied that the program is advertised on the City's website, and groups often see the Adopt-a-Street signs and call to find out how 2 0 1 they can participate. Terry mentioned that the only issues have been a church that disbanded and a business called Memory Lane that never participated in cleanups, so they were removed from the list, per the program terms. Vice Chairman Chenault asked if the board is allowed to solicit groups to adopt streets. Terry said that since available segments are limited, he will try to identify additional segments. Chairman Van Vranken was surprised that JROTC "fell off' the list, but Terry clarified that the group adopted part of FM423. Terry explained that unfortunately, the City does not know who the contact is for adopting sections of FM423. More adoptions of FM423 will likely not take place until construction is completed. Joe Perez mentioned communication problems with TXDOT; many times the City does what needs to be done if it's a safety issue (i.e. the bridge). 4.2 Discuss potential partnership with Lakeside Arts Foundation regarding the Anti-Littering Campaign. (Joe Perez) Joe Perez mentioned that a potential partnership with LAF could be advantageous when applying for grants because the organization has 501(c)3 status. He asked the board for their feedback on this proposed partnership. Board Member Morehouse said that he loved the ideas and goals of LAF, but he was unsure as to what a partnership with LAF would look like, other than sharing ideas. Christie Martin explained her vision for a partnership between the KTCB board and LAF, which included an art contest for the Adopt-a-Street sign design. She said that the board members could serve as judges and LAF could administrate the contest. Board Member Morehouse explained that the KTCB Board is an advisory board; it would still need to seek Council's approval. He said that he was unsure about the purpose of a formal partnership with LAF. Board Member Morehouse continued by saying that LAF could bring their ideas directly to Council. He expressed a desire for LAF to discuss its ideas with the board. Vice Chairman Chenault said she liked the idea of a design contest as long as contestants knew their artwork could be altered or may not even be approved. She expressed concern about a possible situation where a child's artwork could be rejected for use on the signs after winning a design contest. Board Member Morehouse said that Council would need to authorize someone to choose the design, and Council would likely want a voice in the process. Christie Martin pointed out that the CDC and the Cultural Arts Board made decisions. Board Member Morehouse reiterated that the KTCB Board is not a decision-making board, although it has some decision making abilities. Christie Martin said that there are some things that an individual cannot do that a board can do, such as gaining access to city staff and resources. Board Member Morehouse said that Citizen Input would be LAF's access to staff. He also said that if the KTCB Board attempted to form a partnership with LAF, that partnership could be misconstrued by other organizations. Vice Chairman Chenault suggested bringing the Council Liaison to the next board meeting to 3 discuss this. Chairman Van Vranken said that the former Code Enforcement Advisory Board had a different role than the KTCB Board under Keep Texas Beautiful; she said that the board needs to think about the "rollback" of what it does. Vice Chairman Chenault said she liked the idea of having a contest for the sign design and emphasized that community involvement is "a win." Joe Perez offered to schedule a design contest as a future workshop item for Council. The discussion continued about a potential design contest. 4.3 Discuss upcoming Make A Difference Day. (Joe Perez) Next, for item 4.3, Joe Perez gave a presentation to the board about Make a Difference Day (MADD) to take place on October 26, 2013. Joe Perez explained to the board that The Colony's MADD projects would be part of the national MADD. The volunteers will be completing Volunteer Assistance Program (VAP) and graffiti cleanup projects. Joe began by summarizing the upcoming VAP projects for MADD. Twelve projects had been approved at that time. Typical VAP projects are fence repairs, tree trimming, and chipped paint, which do not require a high level of volunteer expertise. Joe reported that the majority of applicants this year have been elderly. The Young Men's Service League is expected to bring 103 volunteers out high school boys and their moms. Joe mentioned that the VAP does not usually tackle large, costly projects like complete fence replacements. He explained that in the past, residents receiving assistance partially contributed to the funding of fence replacements, making this type of project possible. Vice Chairman Chenault asked why the City doesn't just knock down fences if residents are not able to maintain them. She said that she understands hard times, but that fences do not deteriorate overnight. She raised the question: why is the VAP repairing fences if residents will not be able to maintain them? Board Member Zacha asked Joe Perez if there were many people requesting assistance who didn't receive it because of fence repairs. Joe Perez answered that most of the people who do not receive assistance have requested pool repairs. Joe Perez said that replacing fence sections bides the owner more time repair the fence, but knocking down fences is something to consider. Board Member Morehouse suggested giving homeowners the option of: 1) fence repair and receiving information fence maintenance, or 2) tearing down the fence. Board Member Zacha raised the question: at what level of disrepair should the VAP offer fence repair? Joe Perez said that the fence repairs have not been an issue, and he doesn't think they will be because Council is supportive of the VAP. In addition, the VAP serves veterans. Board Member Morehouse expressed concern about the impact tearing down fences would have on property values. Next, Joe discussed a potential roof repair project that would require outside funding. The biggest obstacle to completing the project is purchasing materials. 4 - M- I The board asked Joe about the details of the project and offered to reach out to companies for donations. However, the board expressed concerns about possible liability issues of mold and more extensive roof damage than expected. Joe Perez said that he would like to have another assessment done for the roof. The board also expressed concerns about the property being a duplex. Finally Joe discussed the graffiti cleanup projects planned for MADD. Normally, the Facilities Maintenance Department handles graffiti cleanup. Joe Perez said that graffiti cleanup is a good project for younger groups. Board Member Zacha suggested taking photos before removing the graffiti. Linda Van Vranken adjourned the meeting around 7:45 p.m. Jrtlian Voigt, Recordi Secretary Linda Van Vranken, Chairman 5