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Home My WebLink About1998-12-09 Special Called Workshop of City Council e e MINUTlES OF THE SPECIAL C"'I~I,ED WORKSHOP MEEl1NG OF LA PORTE CITY COUNCn. DECEMBER 9, 1998 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Mayor Norman Malone at 6: 10 p.m. Members of City Council Present: Council persons Guy Sutherland, Chuck Engelken, Howard Ebow, Alton Porter, Deotis Gay, Charlie Young, Jerry Clarke and Mayor Norman Malone. Members of Council Absent: Council person Peter Griffiths. Members of City Executive Staff and City Emoloyees Present: City Manager Robert T. Herrera, Assistant City Manager John Joerns, City Attorney Knox Askins, City Secretary Martha Gillett, Administrative Assistant Carol Buttler and Director of Public Works Steve Gillett. Others Present: David Haws and a number of La Porte Citizens. 2. The Invocation was delivered by Mayor Norman L. Malone. 3. PETITIONS, REMONSTRANCES, COMMUNICATIONS, AND CITIZENS AND TAX PAYERS WISHING TO ADDRESS COUNCn. There were no citizens or taxpayers wishing to address Council. 4. The workshop meeting was called to order by Mayor Norman L. Malone at 6:12 P.M. The following items were discussed: A. Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone B. Upcoming Bond/Sales Tax Election on January 16, 1999. s. The workshop meeting was adjourned at 6:50 P.M. 6. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS City Manager Robert T. Herrera reminded Council of the following event: Volunteer Appreciation Dinner - December 16, 1998 7. COUNCn. ACTION Councilpersons Ebow, Porter, Gay , Young, Clarke and Mayor Malone brought items to Council's attention. e e Council Minutes 12-9-98 - Page 2 8. EXECUTIVE SESSION - PURSUANT TO PROVISION OF THE OPEN MEETINGS LAW, CJIAPI"ER 551.071 THROUGH 551.076, AND 551.084, TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, - (CONSULTATION WITH ATIORNEY, DELIBERATION REGARDING REAL PROPERTY, DELIBERATION REGARDING PROSPECTIVE GIFT OR DONATION, PERSONNEL MATTERS, CONFERENCE WIm EMPLOYEES DELIBERATION REGARDING SECURITY DEVICES, OR EXCLUDING A WITNESS DURING EXAMINATION OF ANOTHER WITNESS IN AN INVESTIGATION) There was no Executive Session. 9. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON ITEMS CONSIDERED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION Due to no Executive Session there was no action taken. 10. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before Council, the Regular Meeting was duly adjourned at 6:58 p.m. Respectfully submitted, . ~MfJ~ ~ . t!A1JJJL Martha A. Gillett City Secretary Passed and approved on this 14th day of December, 1998. )~IA/nt~~ Norman L. Malone, Mayor L tt" ' a Porte i.s a City on the 1 ittove, e' , ",:'~::"":"~"":-::::~,eC-"-::-l ";.'..;," .: 'I , I I :) I i I I I 1 \ I i Tiu~nty, years ag(J, , i the La Porte City" '! Hall was built ' I when the total City, I ,population was , ',l , less than )3,000. ,") I . .r:.' . ." "I.' a City with the vision; the foresight, the strength, and the commitment to move forward. ;', ' "~"'"'''_.~'~'_''' ,~.."..,.,J"".-,..... .. ,,'ia:p.cll pUB' qmo t.{l~ a13.Duclo paPF;'w'al:re[ 17 aq ffil\\ 1I ;AMH Jaouads pue ~Aimyd luo~,t:I ~o~uuo:> 'A'e.M. , -p'eO.1 l'n.lal-I'eue S! l,Io1sualXaaq.L 'atIIfl pA'e.Il {e;)OI a;)n,p~J Ol Pue'sialua:>,lUatII.AOldma ptffi Al~Flo'e.10~'eUI JfUF(. oj am uo-p;'1 "lIal~,pJeAaItlO8: 'ea.zyA'eS at.{lJo saAFl;)a~qo A.rellIpd ,oa:J.IOd,'err:i J(.) }ua,1tidoiaAap .zadoJd atp o~ luepodll1! A.zaA s1 SA'e.M.~ pue ~l5}a4$Jo,:~ai$ASpal'etaalufpue patxtmld Ua.M. 'e JOJpaau ~q.L' ",', ""',',,' ",pdfJ(la[n08 naJ:\{' fiV8 - ": :, C,' ",,' ,,'. " . 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'''":>~T-:: ..!"",....p'~::-,..~1~~:~";'"'::r:.';~r7~7--:-'1~..-:~:r.--:;''';"":-' 1",i f(,.,",,)'8., ,', '. ~A!.,J fJ_ tJ " / l , ./ 4 ,,,,-,,k,, .. 1999 TfIe P!b~iW In 1984 the City of La Porte adopted its first ever Comprehensive Plan. A document that outlined the populace's vision for the City. In 1985 the vot~rs, by a large majori- ty, approved $25 million in projects to implement some of the key elements of the Plan. Some of the capital improvements included Bay Forest GoJf Course, the La Porte Recreation & Fitness Center, East "E" Street Improvements, the Little Cedar Bayou Park Complex and Wave Pool, Fire Station N~mber Two, the Fire Training Facility, Water and Sewer Treatment Facilities all of which have enhanced the quality of life for La Porte residents. ' DIe ~1t. City Council has selected Janmry 16, 1999, as the date for an ele~tion to complement and continue the much-needed capital improvements required: by the City to grow progressively. The ballot will contain proposals for a Section 4B 1/2 Cent Sales Tax, and the issuance of General Obligation Bonds. Sales tax revenu~ is pUdo/~llh:J p.1l'ch1sts anythirgin art' City linits. So, everyone who makes a purchase will contribute to the projects funded by this very minimal tax. i The Future If the voters approve, the Section 4B Sales Tax is expecte~ to generate about $750,000 in revenue per year. The projected revenue will allow the sale of bonds which will enable the City to build a new library on land donated to the City, to replace the 32 year old library that we have outgrown. These b~nds would also allow the City to complete the Bay Area Boulevard "missing link" betWeen Fairmont Pkwy. and Spencer Hwy. Just as you borrow money from the bank ~or big projects, cities sell bonds for the same reason. Bonds issued by a Section 4B corporation would be repaid by future revenues generated by the sales tax. General Obligation Bonds are backed by the current 0.71 cent property tax rate, which mu lXX'.itxrmse if the propo- sitions are approved. There are five propositions on the ballot for capital improve- ments that are needed now. Approval of these five propositiorls will allow a $3.925 million sale of bonds. AIJli4 d:xre nwld lrNO NEED firapx/xrtyt3x irxmIsetoP'Y fir ~ /xnd;. fI'" , , I ..:,..;" PrtpaiIlim 1 would finance $1,.;00,000 for ell:pansion and renovation of I)Ortions of City Hall. Since it was built, the population of La Porte has grown from 12,899 (1978) to over 33,500; an:a thc Dumber of employ- ees housed in the building has more than doubled. PrqJa;itiw 2 , would finance $750,000 for a Fire Station on the South side of L'll>orte, to replace the aging station curreutly being leased from the City of Sboreacres with a modern facility: capablc of l,..oviding for future growtJl. PrtpaiI"tim 3 I , would fin:U1ce $7,50,000 for a Fire St.'ltion on the NW side to replace the aging station in Loma..... The station needs to be replaced with a modcrn facility capable of housing current IUld future staff and equipment. i PrqJa;idm 4 would finance $675,000 for paving 5th Street, a major artery connectiug Main St. and Barbour's Cut. I 'Illis project should positively affect traffic and pedestrian patterns in th~ o~rthern portion of thl' City, while promoting redevelopmcnt. , , I PrtpaiI"tim 5 would fin:ulce $250,000 for replacement of the 38 year old San Jacinto S~imming Pool at Ccntral Park. The replacement pool wiU be a new state-of-the-art pool, similar to the Northwest Park Pool. Cast Jf1UI' IUe and htJp c/aiCh La Pone's iuture. e e Additional backup for Bond Election discussion will be placed in your box on Monday, December 7, 1998. e e !!!!!!!!!! Section 4B 1/2 Ceni Sales 1a)[ Also on January 16, 1999, the City of La Porte will ask voters to approve a 1/2 Cent (.5 %) Sales Tax to be dedicated for infrastructure improvements. Currently, the City of La Porte receives a 1 cent (1%) sales tax which is placed into the City's General Fund and is used to offset maintenance and operation expenses. This new tax of ~ cent would be used exclusively for improvements to the City's infrastructure. If approved by the voters, the revenues from the tax (estimated at $750,000 per year) could be used to support debt issued for the construction and maintenance of major infrastructure projects. The wOrding on the ballot is designed for the general approval of the tax and does not limit it to specific projects. The first projects planned to be completed from the revenues provided by this tax are the construction of a new library and the extension of Bay Area Boulevard between Fairmont Parkway and Spencer Highway. Each project is more fully described below. II Library II Through a visionary City Council and committed staff, the City of La Porte continually strives to improve the community's quality of life by providing amenities that benefit its citizens. The City determines the amenities to be pursued based on input from its citizenry to a Comprehensive Plan and from community goals. In 1984, La Porte's Comprehensive Plan called for a major library expansion to achieve a facility that would serve as the "primary book, periodical, and media resource repository" for our area. In addition, the "Visions 89" Committee Goals Report addressed the local library as one of its goals and objectives. In January 1998, Houston Coca-Cola Bottling Company, through Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc., provided a major stimulus for realizing this goal by formally donating 2.3 acres of property to the City. This property is bounded by South Broadway on the east, South First on the west, West "En Street on the north and West "F" Street on the south. This is an excellent location for a community library as it is within walking distance of an elementary, junior high and high school as well as major residential areas. The City's current library is located at 526 San Jacinto Drive. It was originally constructed in 1966 and is a 5,000 square foot facility. If approved, the new library located on Broadway would be a much larger facility and would cost about $2.6 million to construct and equip. Bay Area Boulevard ~etween Fairmont Parkway and Spencer Highway The need for a well planned and integrated system of streets and highways is very important to the proper development of La Porte. Primary objectives of the Bay Area Boulevard extension are to link major activity and employment centers and to reduce local travel times. The Bay Area Boulevard extension is an arterial roadway, approximately nine- tenths of a mile in length, connecting the Bay Area BoulevarclJFairmont Parkway intersection with the Sens Road/Spencer Highway intersection. This project will be a joint project between the City and Harris County and is expected to be constructed as follows: > Four-lane divided, > Concrete with curb and gutter, > Connect to signalized intersections at Fairmont Parkway and Spencer Highway, and with > Flared intersections to accommodate turn lanes. The location of the Bay Area Boulevard extension follows an established pattern of spacing for north-south roadways connecting Fairmont Parkway with Spencer Highway. This project will be completed in partnership with Harris County. This project is still under design and the City's portion is not known at this time. .. ~ 2~ <';' .. ~.:~.i ....;."':. ;oJ,,! &J .;.;-- . -;,... ~ rei City of La Porte Special Election January 16, 1999 The City Council of the City of La Porte has called an election for January 16, 1999 to allow the voters the opportunity to decide on several capital projects planned for the area. This packet contains a synopsis of the projects. Listed below are your elected officials and administrative staff, any of which can be contacted if you need additional information on any project. City Council Administrative Staff Norman Malone, Mayor Robert T. Herrera, City Manager Guy Sutherland, District 1 John Joems, Assistant City Manager Chuck Engelken, District 2 Jeff Litchfield, Assistant City Manager Howard Ebow, District 3 Champ Dunham, Assistant Fire Chief Deotis Gay, District 4 Bobby Powell, Chief of Police Charlie Young, District 5 Louis Rigby, Dir. of Administrative Services Jerry Clarke, District 6 Martha Gillett, City Secretary Peter Griffiths, At Large A Steve Gillett, Director of Public Works Alton Porter, At Large B Stephen Barr, Dir. of Parks and Recreation Doug Kneupper, Director of Planning Carol Buttler, Administrative Assistant 0" The new pool would be located in the same general vicinity of Central Park. By retiring an old facility that is at the end of it's useful life, and replacing it with one that better meets the needs of the users, this proposal should move the City toward our goal of providing superior recreation opportunities for the citizens of La Porte. The City of La Porte proposes to replace the San Jacinto Pool with a new, state of the art pool, similar to the Northwest Park Pool. The new pool would be built utilizing the same zero depth concept as the Northwest Pool, which allows use by toddlers and very young children, as well as older children and adults. The pool edge on one side starts out with zero depth and then gradually gets deeper until it reaches a maximum depth of five to six feet. The graduation allows for older children and adults to enjoy the pool as well. The pool would also have a small water slide for youngsters, sunbathing capacity for parents, and volleyball facilities to enhance the overall aquatic experience. The San Jacinto Swimming Pool is located at 618 San Jacinto and is a part of La Porte's Central Park. The pool was built and dedicated by the City in 1960. As the first municipal swimming pool in the City of La Porte, it has served the City's population well over the past thirty-eight years. The facility is reaching the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced with a new neighborhood swimming pool that is designed to meet the changing needs of the community . The projected cost is $675,000, and should positively affect traffic and pedestrian patterns in the northern portion of the City. This street and drainage project will improve the appearance of the affected area, will enhance the redevelopment and revitalization currently underway and allow for future beautification improvements. The addition of sidewalks as a result of this bond issue is invaluable to the area in tenns of pedestrian safety. the area should become more efficient. The reconstruction of North Fifth Street from East Main Street to Barbour's Cut Boulevard is being proposed by the City. The Project consists of the replacement of North Fifth Street with concrete, curb & gutter with underground storm sewer. Additionally, the Project will construct sidewalks with handicap access. The current building was not designed to house today's modem fire apparatus, which is considerably larger and more sophisticated than older equipment. In addition, the new station should provide for future expansions in personnel or equipment should increased growth in the City show the need for these additional resources. The City plans to rebuild Station Three at or near its current location. Fire Station Three, located at 1516 Lomax School Road, serves the northwest quadrant of the City of La Porte. The station needs to be replaced with a modem facility capable of housing current and future staff and equipment. The current facility was built in the 1970's by the Lomax Volunteer Fire Department and was absorbed by the City when the City of La Porte consolidated with the City of Lomax in 1981. Over the years, several renovations have been made to the building to accommodate the addition of full-time fire fighters and training areas for the volunteers. Bonds Bonds Proposition 5 - The Issuance of $250,000 San Jacinto Swimming Pool Replacement Proposition 3 - The Issuance of $750.000 Fire Station Number Three Replacement Repaving Bonds e Because North Fifth Street effectively splits the neighborhood, traffic in Additionally, road and drainage maintenance costs will be reduced. Proposition 4 - The Issuance of $675,000 Fifth Street e The building is located in a low The current site does not allow The City has recently purchased property at the comer of Broadway (Old Hwy 146) and McCabe Road which will be used as a site for a new fire station to replace Fire Station Four. This site is centrally located in the fire protection zone and has enough room to allow for a station to be built, which should be adequate to house larger, more modern equipment and provide limited training facilities for both full-time and volunteer fire fighters. Also, the new station should provide for future expansions in personnel or equipment should increased growth in the City show the need for these additional resources. Fire Station Four, located at 617 Shoreacres Boulevard, serves the southeast quadrant of the City of La Porte and under a fire services contract, serves the City of Shoreacres. The station needs to be replaced with a modern facility capable of housing current and future staff and equipment. The current facility was built in the 1970's, is owned by the City of Shoreacres and is provided as part of a fifteen-year agreement entered into when the City of La Porte annexed the Bayshore Municipal Utility District in 1989. The agreement will expire in the year 2004. In 1996, the City retained an architect to conduct a needs (or space) analysis and make recommendations regarding the expansion and renovation of City Hall. The study recommends an addition to City Hall that increases the building area by about 9,600 square feet and remodels 14,500 square feet of existing space at a total cost of $2.2 million. City Council has detennined the remodeling of the existing facility should be accomplished with existing funds and has set aside $720,000 for the renovation. They directed the addition to the building, which totals $1.5 million, be presented to voters for consideration of funding from General Obligation Bonds. Operations housed in the current building include Mayor and Council, City Manager, City Secretary, Human Resources, Planning and Code Enforcement, Management Infonnation Services, Utility Billing, Finance and the La Porte Tax Office, which contractually provides tax collection services for the La Porte Independent School District and the Cities of Morgan's Point and Shoreacres. Because these operations have grown in conjunction with the population they service, areas originally designed for record storage have been converted to office areas and the demands for space have resulted in hallways and common areas being used for file storage, mail distribution, and in some instances, employee work areas. La Porte City Hall, located at 604 West Fainnont Parkway, was constructed in 1978 when the population of La Porte was 12,899 and the number of employees based at the building was 24. Since that time, the City has grown to its present population of 33,500 and the building contains 52 personnel. In addition, there are ten employees being supervised by City Hall staff who, because of space limitations, are based in satellite locations. On January 16, 1999, the voters of La Porte will be given the opportunity to approve the issuance of $3.925 million in General Obligation Bonds. The City plans to issue the Bonds for a teon of 20 years. This debt issuance will not require an increase in the La Porte Tax Rate, which has not been above the current 71 cent rate since 1984. The City is able to absorb this increased debt without an increase in the tax rate. A description of the proposed projects follows. Bonds Replacement - The current building is a one and one-half story metal building with two bays. elevation area and is very close to a tidal ditch, which has flooded in the past for future expansion. Synopsis of January 16, 1999 Election for General Obligation Bond Projects, and The Section 4B 1/2 Cent Sales Tax 500,000 City Hall Addition Bonds Four General Obligation Bond Projects Proposition 2 - The Issuance of $750.000 Fire Station Number - The Issuance of $1 e 1 Proposition JANUARY 16, 1999 ELECTION . Status Update as of December 9, 1998 The following steps have been taken in e preparation of the upcoming Bond and Sales Tax Election: -- We have ordered 1 ,000 copies oJ: the Project Synopsis that was reviewed by City Council at the last City Council meeting. - Since the draft was well received by the Council, there were very little changes made to the document. e We plan to give each Councilmember 50 copies to give to voters who desire more detail about the projects. e Additional copies will be available if any Councilmember needs them. e - We have developed a brochure that provides historical bond project information as well as condensed information about the election process and projects. . I to buted s designed to be distri all voters. t I e e The City Attorney has rendered an opinion as to what the City can and cannot do related to advertising the upcoming election. e The general rule of thumb is the City cannot spend public funds to promote the passage of items; the City can state specific facts, only. e We have taken steps to assure that both the brochure and project synopsis documents meet the intent of the law. Section 251.015, subparagraph (c) , of the Texas Election Code, reads as follows: · e "It is unlawful for an officer or employee of any political subdivision of this state to expend or authorize the expenditure of the funds of such po itical subdivision for the purpose oJ: political advertising. - The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any advertising which describes the factual - reasons for a measure and which does not advocate the passage or defeat oJ: such measure." - There can be a committee of citizens established that can accept private donations and spend those funds on promoting the passage of the projects. - The City can assist and provide the catalyst for the creation oJ: the committee. e e We are working to help establish a committee of interested people who can promote the election at the grass roots level. - - In addition, the committee could place advertisements in the local newspaper and provide the manpower and funding necessary to send a mail out to all voters in the City. iI out would occur the week of January. The ma fi rst - - Neil Woodard Brenda Harper Berdon Lawrence Pat Muston Lawrence McNeil Bob McLaughlin Boots Ayo Grant Sexton David Brady Bob Capen Mike Cooper Lois Fields Imogene Pulleine John Williamson Melton Wolters Steve Valerius Robert Swanagan Judy Nieuwenhuis Kathleen France Spero Pomonis - - Mary Osmond Doctor Moosa Susan Passmore Vicki Smith Jim Hodges Dottie Kaminski Guy Rankin Russell Ybarra Jim Zoller Les Bird Dennis Dunham John Paul Zemanek Jessie Garcia Rod Rothermel Lindsey Pfeiffer Reed Tolles Bill White Barry Beasley Lou Lawler Betty Waters e We have had a volunteer establish a checking account and address for the committee. e If anyone wants to make a donation to the committee, checks can be made to: - - "Citizens for a Better La Porte" P.O. Box 624 La Porte, Texas 77572-0624 - City staff will be available to speak to local community and civic groups about the upcoming election. - Following is a list of organizations and meeting dates we have targeted for speaking on the election: Dec. 14 e Dec. 14 Dec. 16 Jan. 4 e Jan. 5 Jan. 6 ~ Friends of the Library ~ Chamber Board ~ Volunteer Banquet ~ Heritage Society ~ Rotary ~ Ladies Civic Club - - Jan. 7 Jan. 7 Jan. 11 Jan. 11 Jan. 12 Jan. 14 ~ La Porte Optimists ~ La Porte Rodeo Assoc. ~ AARP ~ Main Street Assoc. ~ Ministerial Alliance ~ La Porte Community Civic Assoc. . Also on January 16, 1999, the City of La Porte will ask voters to approve a 1/2 Cent (.5 %) Sales Tax to be dedicated for infrastructure improvements. Currently, the City of La Porte receives a 1 cent (1%) sales tax which is placed into the City's General Fund and is used to offset maintenance and operation expenses. This new tax of 'Yz cent would be used exclusively for improvements to the City's infrastructure. If approved by the voters, the revenues from the tax (estimated at $750,000 per year) could be used to support debt issued for the construction and maintenance of major infrastructure projects. The wording on the ballot is designed for the general approval of the tax and does not limit it to specific projects. e Section 48 1/2 Cent Sales Tax City of La Porte Special Election January 16, 1999 The City Council of the City of La Porte has called an election for January 16, 1999 to allow the voters the opportunity to decide on several capital projects planned for the area. This packet contains a synopsis of the projects. Listed below are your elected officials and administrative staff, any of which can be contacted if you need additional information on any project. City Council Administrative Staff Norman Malone, Mayor Robert T. Herrera, City Manager Guy Sutherland, District 1 John Joems, Assistant City Manager Chuck Engelken, District 2 Jeff Litchfield, Assistant City Manager Howard Ebow, District 3 Champ Dunham, Assistant Fire Chief Deotis Gay, District 4 Bobby Powell, Chief of Police Charlie Young, District 5 Louis Rigby, Dir. of Administrative Services Jerry Clarke, District 6 Martha Gillett, City Secretary Peter Griffiths, At Large A Steve Gillett, Director of Public Works Alton Porter, At Large B Stephen Barr, Dir. of Parks and Recreation Doug Kneupper, Director of Planning Carol Buttler, Administrative Assistant The first projects planned to be completed from the revenues provided by this tax are the construction of a new library and the extension of Bay Area Boulevard between Fairmont Parkway and Spencer Highway. Each project is more fully described below. Library Through a visionary City Council and committed staff, the City of La Porte continually strives to improve the community's quality of life by providing amenities that benefit its citizens. The City determines the amenities to be pursued based on input from its citizenry to a Comprehensive Plan and from community goals. In 1984, La Porte's Comprehensive Plan called for a major library expansion to achieve a facility that would serve as the Kprimary book, periodical, and media resource repository" for our area. In addition, the KVisions 89" Committee Goals Report addressed the local library as one of its goals and objectives. In January 1998, Houston Coca-Cola Bottling Company, through Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc., provided a major stimulus for realizing this goal by formally donating 2.3 acres of property to the City. This property is bounded by South Broadway on the east, South First on the west, West KE" Street on the north and West KF" Street on the south. This is an excellent location for a community library as it is within walking distance of an elementary, junior high and high school as well as major residential areas. The City's current library is located at 526 San Jacinto Drive. It was originally constructed in 1966 and is a 5,000 square foot facility. If approved, the new library located on Broadway would be a much larger facility and would cost about $2.6 million to construct and equip. Bay Area Boulevard Between Fairmont the proper Parkway and Spencer Highway The need for a well planned and integrated system of streets and highways is very important to development of La Porte. Primary objectives of the Bay Area Boulevard extension are to link major activity and employment centers and to reduce local travel times. The Bay Area Boulevard extension is an arterial roadway, approximately nine- tenths of a mile in length, connecting the Bay Area Boulevard/Fairmont Parkway intersection with the Sens Road/Spencer Highway intersection. This project will be a joint project between the City and Harris County and is expected to be constructed as follows: ~ Four-lane divided, ~ Concrete with curb and gutter, ~ Connect to signalized intersections at Fainnont Parkway and Spencer Highway, and with ~ Flared intersections to accommodate tum lanes. The location of the Bay Area Boulevard extension follows an established pattem of spacing for north-south roadways connecting Fairmont Parkway with Spencer Highway. This project will be completed in partnership with Harris County. This project is still under design and the City's portion is not known at this time. The City has recently purchased property at the comer of Broadway (Old Hwy 146) and McCabe Road which will be used as a site for a new fire station to replace Fire Station Four. This site is centrally located in the fire protection zone and has enough room to allow for a station to be built, which should be adequate to house larger, more modem equipment and provide limited training facilities for both full-time and volunteer fire fighters. Also, the new station should provide for future expansions in personnel or equipment should increased growth in the City show the need for these additional resources. The current building is a one and one-half story metal building with two bays. The building is located in a low elevation area and is very close to a tidal ditch, which has flooded in the past. The current site does not allow for future expansion. Fire Station Four, located at 617 Shoreacres Boulevard, serves the southeast quadrant of the City of La Porte and under a fire services contract, serves the City of Shoreacres. The station needs to be replaced with a modem facility capable of housing current and future staff and equipment. The current facility was built in the 1970's, is owned by the City of Shoreacres and is provided as part of a fifteen-year agreement entered into when the City of La Porte annexed the Bayshore Municipal Utility District in 1989. The agreement will expire in the year 2004. The new pool would be located in the same general vicinity of Central Park. By retiring an old facility that is at the end of it's useful life, and replacing it with one that better meets the needs of the users, this proposal should move the City toward our goal of providing superior recreation opportunities for the citizens of La Porte. The City of La Porte proposes to replace the San Jacinto Pool with a new, state of the art pool, similar to the Northwest Park Pool. The new pool would be built utilizing the same zero depth concept as the Northwest Pool, which allows use by toddlers and very young children, as well as older children and adults. The pool edge on one side starts out with zero depth and then gradually gets deeper until it reaches a maximum depth of five to six feet. The graduation allows for older children and adults to enjoy the pool as well. The pool would also have a small water slide for youngsters, sunbathing capacity for parents, and volleyball facilities to enhance the overall aquatic experience. Proposition 2 - The Issuance of $750.000 Fire Station Number Four The San Jacinto Swimming Pool is located at 618 San Jacinto and is a part of La Porte's Central Park. The pool was built and dedicated by the City in 1960. As the first municipal swimming pool in the City of La Porte, it has served the City's population well over the past thirty-eight years. The facility is reaching the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced with a new neighborhood swimming pool that is designed to meet the changing needs of the community. Replacement In 1996, the City retained an architect to conduct a needs (or space) analysis and make recommendations regarding the expansion and renovation of City Hall. The study recommends an addition to City Hall that increases the building area by about 9,600 square feet and remodels 14,500 square feet of existing space at a total cost of $2.2 million. City Council has detennined the remodeling of the existing facility should be accomplished with existing funds and has set aside $720,000 for the renovation. They directed the addition to the building, which totals $1.5 million, be presented to voters for consideration of funding from General Obligation Bonds. Bonds Proposition 5 - The Issuance of $250,000 San Jacinto Swimming Pool Replacement Because North Fifth Street effectively splits the neighborhood, traffic in Additionally, road and drainage maintenance costs will be reduced. Bonds the area should become more efficient. .' Operations housed in the current building include Mayor and Council, City Manager, City Secretary, Human Resources, Planning and Code Enforcement, Management Infonnation Services, Utility Billing, Finance and the La Porte Tax Office, which contractually provides tax collection services for the La Porte Independent School District and the Cities of Morgan's Point and Shoreacres. Because these operations have grown in conjunction with the population they service, areas originally designed for record storage have been converted to office areas and the demands for space have resulted in hallways and common areas being used for file storage, mail distribution, and in some instances, employee work. areas. The projected cost is $675,000, and should positively affect traffic and pedestrian patterns in the northern portion of the City. This street and drainage project will improve the appearance of the affected area, will enhance the redevelopment and revitalization currently underway and allow for future beautification improvements. The addition of sidewalks as a result of this bond issue is invaluable to the area in tenns of pedestrian safety. The reconstruction of North Fifth Street from East Main Street to Barbour's Cut Boulevard is being proposed by the City. The Project consists of the replacement of North Fifth Street with concrete, curb & gutter with underground stonn sewer. Additionally, the Project will construct sidewalks with handicap access. La Porte City Hall, located at 604 West Fainnont Parkway, was constructed in 1978 when the population of La Porte was 12,899 and the number of employees based at the building was 24. Since that time, the City has grown to its present population of 33,500 and the building contains 52 personnel. In addition, there are ten employees being supervised by City Hall staff who, because of space limitations, are based in satellite locations. Proposition 4 - The Issuance of $675.000 Fifth Street Repaving Bonds Proposition On January 16, 1999, the voters of La Porte will be given the opportunity to approve the issuance of $3.925 million in General Obligation Bonds. The City plans to issue the Bonds for a tenn of 20 years. This debt issuance will not require an increase in the La Porte Tax Rate, which has not been above the current 71 cent rate since 1984. The City is able to absorb this increased debt without an increase in the tax rate. A description of the proposed projects follows. 1 - The Issuance of $1 500.000 City Hall Addition Bonds The current building was not designed to house today's modem fire apparatus, which is considerably larger and more sophisticated than older equipment. In addition, the new station should provide for future expansions in personnel or equipment should increased growth in the City show the need for these additional resources. The City plans to rebuild Station Three at or near its current location. Fire Station Three, located at 1516 Lomax School Road, serves the northwest quadrant of the City of La Porte. The station needs to be replaced with a modem facility capable of housing current and future staff and equipment. The current facility was built in the 1970's by the Lomax Volunteer Fire Department and was absorbed by the City when the City of La Porte consolidated with the City of Lomax in 1981. Over the years, several renovations have been made to the building to accommodate the addition of full-time fire fighters and training areas for the volunteers. General Obligation Bond Projects e Synopsis of January 16, 1999 Election for General Obligation Bond Projects, and The Section 4B 112 Cent Sales Tax . Proposition 3 - The ssuance of $750.000 Fire Station Number Three Replacement . e Bonds