Published: April 23, 2008 03:06 pm            

Council wants Cedar Creek Lake on brochure

GUN BARREL CITY — The city council adopted a new procedure Tuesday night that will allow property owners associations to work through the city to get street light agreements, including municipal energy rates, as opposed to home rates.

City Manager Gerry Boren explained the process and the council quickly approved it on a night when the only thing that even vaguely resembled a debate was further discussion on a city brochure.

Even then, the panel voted unanimously to approve a brochure that will include councilman Marty Goss’s request for a picture that includes a sunset. over Cedar Creek Lake.

The council also unanimously approved a bid that will allow work on the Welch Lane culvert project to begin in June.

Ten construction companies picked up booklets about the culvert project, but only two submitted bids, and the council, operating on the recommendation of city engineers, accepted the bid of G Bar S. Site Services, LLC, which was $151,624,04.

The project will provide 10 more feet of road on each side, giving motorists four lanes of traffic. The amount of water that can flow through the area will also be doubled.

Contractors say the work can be completed in 30 days, but Boren told the council to expect more like 45 days. Traffic control issues may be a problem during that period.

Boren said the reason the project won’t begin until June is because the city wants to wait until students are out of school.

As for the city brochure, the council looked at more offerings brought by council member Kathy Cochran, which included pictures and mock-ups of potential covers and backs for the brochure.

The council looked at brochure candidates like “Gun Barrel City — Come Float Your Boat,” “Gun Barrel City Shoot, Why Not,” “Straight Shot to Cedar Creek Lake” “Take a Step Back” and finally, the winner, “Gun Barrel City — on Cedar Creek Lake.”

The council split two-two on the issue, with Mayor Paul Eaton having to cast the vote to break the tie.

Boren explained that POAs who want to have street lights posted in their neighborhoods can vote to put an estimated one year’s energy cost into an escrow fund. The city will then pay those costs to TXU monthly.

This procedure allows POAs and their residents to benefit from municipal rates, which are cheaper, while still illuminating their neighborhoods.

The city receives a modest fee for handling the funds and paying them to TXU each month. Each POA negotiates its own contract with the utility company.

In other action taken at Tuesday evening’s regularly-scheduled meeting in Brawner Hall, city council members voted:

• unanimously to proclaim the month of April as “Fair Housing month to satisfy a requirement of the Texas Community Development grant;

• unanimously adopted an amended map, giving the city and official boundary map;

• unanimously approved an amendment to this year’s budget that allows for the hiring of four employees, two of them temporary.

        

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