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City to install lights at LL Woods Park
By Heather M. Goodwin, hgoodwin@starlocalnews.com
After assessing safety and ADA concerns, the Lewisville city staff requested additional funding for one local park.
During Monday's Lewisville City Council meeting, council members approved $30,000 in supplemental appropriations for improvements to L.L. Woods Park. Improvements will include two solar lights to be mounted on poles along the trail in the park, as well as the addition of two ADA accessible drinking fountains and various ADA accessible walkways.
The improvements come after a late-2012 sexual assault in the same park. In the late evening on Dec. 31, a woman was jogging in L.L. Woods Park when she was sexually assaulted. The 32-year-old female said two males who were hiding behind a tree confronted her. She struggled with her attackers but was knocked unconscious. According to police, that was the first attack of its kind at any Lewisville Park in a long time.
Kunke said the ADA updates were already on the agenda for the aging park.
"The requirements for ADA weren't in place when the park originally opened. The federal government says that because the park is a public facility, it must comply with ADA rules," Kunke said. "ADA rules have evolved over the years, but these improvements will bring the trail to compliance."
Also during Monday's meeting, council members approved spending $265,094 to repair the Old Town City Hall fountains, which were constructed in September 2003. According to city officials the foundations have deteriorated within the past 10 years, and there has consistently been electrical issues. Kunke said the fountains have been shut off for a few months.
"The more we use it, the worse the conditions get," Kunke said. "We've had issues with the fountains off and on for a number of years for various reasons. It's a lot of different issues and a lot of equipment replacement."
The city hopes to have the repairs finished by the 2013 Keeping Tradition Alive Honor Guard, Pipes & Drums Symposium scheduled for May 9 and 10.
City council members also approved an application for the Brownfields Assessment Program, which is grant money given by the federal government to the state. The grant money may be used on properties that have had possible environmental exposure in the past. The approved application is for a Denton County Transportation Authority-owned property at 640 State Highway 121.
"It's very expensive to analyze the site to see what environmental impacts there have been. The cost could deter people from buying properties and then those sit unoccupied. The grant money pays for the assessment only, not the clean up," Kunke said. "We know there's a history of illegal dumping and fuel storage tanks at this site, which makes it a perfect candidate for the grant money."
An appointed committee reviews applications and distributes grant funds. The city was granted $400,000 at the beginning of the program, and it currently has about $100,000 left that must be used by the end of 2013.
"We might reapply for the grant, but it depends on what requirements there are now. This one has worked out well, so assuming there are no major changes to the program and that we use all the money, it's likely that we'll reapply," Kunke said. "The advantage to the city is that it's not city money used for the program. These are properties that need to be put to better use to boost commerce, and it's not likely to happen without the grant money."
Finally, the city council approved a contract for mowing city properties to Carruthers Landscaping Management, Inc., for approximately $212,830.
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