Council Meeting Preview – July 12, 2011
Today’s meeting begins with a work session at 3:30pm and then reconvenes in Regular Session at 6:30pm in the City Council Chambers. Much of the discussion for the council today will take place in Closed Session. If you are interested in seeing a full agenda, including back-up material, click here.
Some items that might be of interest:
- You love animals? The city of Denton has already agreed to help fund the construction of a new state-of-the-art Animal Care and Adoption Center. A foundation has been in place to help raise money from the community – see more about them and the shelter plans here. We will be giving staff direction on the next step in the pre-construction phase.
- The City Council hopes to fill-out any remaining vacancies among the many Boards and Commissions that help advise the city staff and council on important matters. After tonight’s meeting, I’ll be posting my nominees – a great group of citizens that I am proud to make a part of the process.
- We’ll hear about a proposal seeking city sponsorship of an upcoming Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, which is slated to take place in Denton for the first time on September 24. The issue of city sponsorships is currently under review by the city staff in hopes of creating guidelines that aid in making such decisions. Because this request is coming prior to the completion of those guidelines, we will discuss and give staff direction on this particular request.
- We will continue our discussion of whether or not to approve an economic grant incentive for use by the owners of the quirky, yet charming yellow house that sits right next to the Center for Visual Arts near the train station. They are hoping to open up an “Aw Shucks” Oyster Bar, which might just be the spark of commerce we need to attract business interest East of Bell near the train station. Look back at my comments after the last council meeting for more on this.
As always, let me know if you have comments, feedback, or suggestions – email me at kevin.roden@cityofdenton.com.
TWU Neighborhood Meeting Update
On Wednesday, June 29, 48 area citizens attended a meeting at my house to discuss their concerns and raise questions concerning the TWU Master Plan that includes expansion into the historic neighborhoods bordering the university. TWU has posted a map of their master plan, which includes both the expansion zone and the previously obtained properties, on their website here.
I made requests of the TWU administration to send out a representative to the meeting in order to field questions. Although two separate meeting dates were proposed, TWU indicated that they were unable to send a representative to the meeting. In an attempt to preempt neighborhood concerns and questions, I submitted a list of questions to the TWU administration prior to the meeting. The office of Chancellor and President Ann Stuart then submitted answers to these questions which were distributed during the meeting – you can see a PDF of my questions and TWU’s answers here.
During the 90 minute meeting, several additional questions and concerns were raised both in the direction of the TWU administration and city officials. The following list is representative of the concerns raised…
- What has the city done to invest in these neighborhoods? Specifically, what has been done in terms of road maintenance, property code enforcement, and infrastructure investment?
- Although the situation seems dire, particularly in the neighborhood to the East of Bell, most residents expressed great hope – “don’t give up on these historic homes!”
- Many neighbors were concerned at the lack of communication from either the university or the city on this issue.
- Concerns were raised over the lack of timeline given from TWU – this puts home owners in a very uncertain situation.
- Questions were raised about the apparent lack of plans for the area and whether all the destruction was justified.
- Why are there no plans to touch a large golf course, yet TWU finds it necessary to take out an existing, historic neighborhood?
- Many expressed the need for a city vision for this area.
- It is important to note the relation between these neighborhoods and a thriving downtown – many people are moving into this neighborhood precisely due to its proximity to downtown Denton.
- Several people noted the increase in young professionals and young families in the area – noting an increased interest in living in older neighborhoods near the town center.
- TWU has always had a great aesthetic sense – why not extend that to the preservation and renovation of these neighborhoods?
- How is TWU arriving at the appraised value for the offers they are making – aren’t these properties worth more money?
- What is TWU’s commitment to tree preservation in this area – many of the properties were houses have been torn down have several old-growth valuable trees?
- Several people brought up the issue of apparent SWAT team practice in the vacant houses (please see note below on this issue).
- For those wanting to “hold out” what are their options – when will TWU attempt eminent domain?
- There was much talk about pursuing the possibility of a locally-designated historic or conservation district. Although a state institution would not have to abide by the local protections, it would demonstrate a commitment to these neighborhoods from the city side, should people be interested in investing in properties in the area.
UPDATE: After conversations with city officials, I was able to verify that several law enforcement agencies, including Denton PD, TWU PD, DEA, and other area forces, have been using vacant properties for training purposes for years. Apparently, the houses that they had used are no longer in existence. I am continuing to follow-up on this and will provide more information at our next meeting.
We will meet again on Wednesday, July 13 at 7:30pm back at my house at 322 Texas Street. We also created a Facebook page for use in spreading the word and keeping you informed and involved. You can find that page right here.
Here’s a list of recent news coverage on the issue:
- THINKDENTON.com article that raised the issue to the general population.
- TWU Expansion Fuels Some Concerns – Denton Record-Chronicle
- Residents Share Concerns with Roden – Denton Record-Chronicle
- Little Sister Hires an Accountant – Denton Record-Chronicle editorial
- TWU Expansion Worries Neighbors – NBC-DFW Channel 5 story
- Citizens Express Concern over TWU Expansion Plan – DENTONEER.com
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at kevin.roden@cityofdenton.com or 940-206-5239.
Follow-up from June 27 SEDNA Meeting
The following is a gathering of information I gathered from discussions with various city officials that seek to answer a number of questions raised during this week’s Southeast Denton Neighborhood Association meeting. As always, please let me know if you have further questions about any of these topics. You can contact me at kevin.roden@cityofdenton.com or 940-206-5239.
June 27, 2011 SEDNA Meeting – Answers to Questions Raised
Gathered by Kevin Roden, City Council Member, District 1
DCTA Questions
What is the status of the committee charged with advising on grant fund issues relating to A-Train mitigation in the SE Denton neighborhood?
Dee Leggett will be in contact with Carolyn about this shortly to get the process started.
If there is an accident relating to Quiet Zones, which entity is “responsible” for this – the city, since they requested the zones, DCTA, or someone else?
Dee is checking with others to find an answer to this question.
Regarding sound barriers – there appear to be many more in Corinth neighborhoods than in Denton neighborhoods, particularly the SE Denton area. After riding the train, it does not appear that distance is the only factor – some houses in SE Denton seem as close as those in Corinth who have much more sound barrier structures. Can you explain the system that decided where these went? Also, if Corinth did not pay for member inclusion in DCTA, how can spending money on that community be justified?
This is the response of Dee Leggett: “DCTA followed FTA guidance which is consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act. We did this to prevent the arbitrary determination by DCTA or other parties of where mitigation measures or enhancements would be constructed. The main factor for determining sound mitigation was based on existing noise levels. In areas where the project noise generated an impact of 3 DB or greater, we committed to mitigate the impact whenever possible. When quiet zones were assumed in the model, the majority of the impacts were mitigated. The remainder of the impacts over 3 DB were from vehicle noise or noise generated from the crossing warning bells. These impacts required either sound walls or sound insulation. The difference between the two communities is more about existing noise levels and not distance from the track. SEDNA is a more urban setting with existing freight, adjacent industrial properties and higher traffic volumes. Another good example is Quail Run in Corinth and Jackson Ranch in Lake Dallas. Both are surburban residential settings. Both areas are equal distance from the track. However, Jackson Ranch is closer to I-35E and Swisher. It’s existing noise levels are high therefore DCTA’s impact is minimal. If you would like to read more, section 4 of our FEID goes into great detail. Your question about financial justification is a fair and understandable question. However, we followed NEPA which does not look at funding source as one of the factors in determining impact. And while we received no federal funds, TXDOT accepted our environmental procedures because we followed NEPA. Following NEPA was a strategic decision by our board that helped expedite delivery of the funds through TXDOT and (I would think) helped create a sense of good-will with the communities we pass through.”
CODE ENFORCEMENT
Questions regarding Code Enforcement action taken on Saturday, June 18 in SE Denton – the same day much of the community was celebrating the Juneteenth holiday. There was one resident present with a letter from code enforcement that involved her grill being in the front yard. There was concern that many of the other letters issued that day involved grills in the front yards – something that is standard practice during a weekend when neighbors are barbequing in order to celebrate the holiday. I checked with the Code Enforcement office and asked for a complete run-down on the type of violations that were noted that day. It turns out only one of the cases (out of 20 that day) involved a grill. Here is their response, from Todd Varner (via Lancine Bentley):
“I reviewed all 20 cases that Rebecca opened on Saturday June 18, 2011. Of the 20 cases, 3 were for outside storage. Of those three, 1 case included a grill along with furniture on the front porch and two animal carriers that Rebecca called cat boxes. The case number is 1106-0671. I have attached a photo from this case along with photos from the other two outside storage cases. All 20 case types are listed below.
3 – Outside Storage (one case involved a grill along with other items stored in the front yard)
7 – Trash and debris
3 – High grass and weeds
3 – Parking in the front yard (unimproved surface)
2 – Tree limbs below 13 1/2 feet
1 – View obstruction
1 – Trash bins at the curb”
STREET CONSTRUCTION ISSUES
Several questions were raised about the nature, timing, and concerns relating to the recent street/utility work in the neighborhood that began a couple months back on Chambers Street. Here are questions I raised to the city officials in charge of this project and the responses from Frank Payne, Traffic Engineer:
What is the nature of the work being done in the area?
“There have been and will be a number of projects going on in and around Chambers Street to improve the wastewater system in the general area. A total of approximately 1,939 feet of sewer was replaced along Boardwalk and Chambers beginning in mid March 2011 and just completed (CDBG project completed by in-house crews). The street still needs to be patched/repaired, which should commence sometime this week perhaps as early as tomorrow.”
Each of the neighborhood notifications about current or upcoming road closures had the end of August as their estimated finish date – even Chambers, where the major work seems complete and only patching remains. Will the Chambers work actually take that long, or will it be completed prior to then?
“We provided notices for each street, but it is just one project. They may mobilize to Chambers first or Boardwalk first, I don’t really know at this point. The work on Chambers involves mill and overlay of the entire street beyond any patching or curb repairs that may be on tap for the street, and that work has not yet started. The August end date is thought to be a “safe” or conservative estimate of the time required.”
Several folks who live on Chambers were in attendance tonight – there were questions about the safety procedures in place when large holes are dug (as was the case on this street with the wastewater repairs). They claimed that there were many large and deep holes left open without safety barriers to keep kids or others from falling in – could this be addressed in future projects in the neighborhood?
“There are exceptions of course, but our crews, and the contractors that work for us for that matter, do not leave unprotected pits open overnight. I wasn’t out on this jobsite, but the supervisor in Wastewater assures me that the work was either backfilled, plated over or fenced each and every night. We appreciate the feedback and will continue to be sensitive to jobsite safety.”
Some of the repair work went into the front yards of the houses, in some cases impacting grass cover and mailboxes. Will these areas be restored to their original condition?
“Yes, the front yards, mailboxes, sidewalks, curbs, etc. will all be restored. That work is also underway.”
SCHOOL ZONE ON WOODROW NEAR MORSE
According to Frank Payne, city Traffic Engineer, this issue is currently being examined and here is his assessment and plan:
“The Police Department removed the crossing guard at Morse and Woodrow based on the fact that no students were using it. The City and DISD have gone back and forth on this issue a number of times. One thing we are considering is “bagging” the signs in the near future to gauge reaction and get feedback, if any, prior to putting together an ordinance for removal of the zone. I would communicate to SEDNA that staff is taking this action. This will allow the City time to gather feedback and to discuss the issues further with DISD and the Police.”
I did raise the issue, brought up at the meeting, that some of the students might be coming from the apartment complex on Spencer. Here was Frank’s response to that:
“I’m not sure where the students are coming from, but from the Spencer direction the students would have two signals and two crosswalked intersections to take advantage of to get to the school (inherently safer than a crossing at Morse). School zones are installed where there are children crossing, and the Police Department has removed their crossing guard because there were no children crossing Woodrow at Morse. Hence, no need for the school zone. If there are students coming from the Spencer direction, DISD will have to advise the City that there is a need, and right now there does not appear to be one. We will go ahead and bag the signs and see if any feedback comes our way.”
TRAFFIC LIGHT ON THE CORNER OF MORSE AND WOODROW
According to Frank Payne, this intersection went through an official traffic study in 2007 to gauge the necessity of this. There are 8 criteria engineers look at to determine the necessity of a traffic light – a particular area must meet at least one of those criteria. According to the study in 2007, the area did not warrant a traffic light.
I provided Carolyn Phillips with a copy of the traffic study along with a document outlining the criteria.
Neighborhood Meeting About TWU Expansion Plan
I will host a citizen town hall meeting for people who live in the neighborhoods surrounding TWU. We will report on the TWU expansion plan, which aims to take-over the entire neighborhood to the East of Bell and part of the Austin Street area. You will have a chance to comment, raise concerns, and ask questions. Some neighbors, particularly in the Austin Street area, have asked about the possibility of creating a historic district – we will discuss these options as well. I will host the event at my house at 322 Texas Street (just South of TWU).
For more information on the TWU expansion plan, check out this story from THINKDENTON – and click here to go to the Facebook event page for this meeting.
June 21 – Council Meeting Post-Script
Here’s a quick follow-up to tonight’s meeting – I’ll try to tie the points to the earlier preview points:
REDISTRICTING
Heard a report and spent time with two options presented by consultants on modifying the city’s four council districts in order to account for the change in population from the last time this was done back in 2001. District 4 has grown significantly while other parts of town have not. The goal of redistricting is to attempt a total population balance among the various districts without significantly disrupting the voting power of traditional minority pockets within the city (District 1, my district, happens to have the largest population of minorities when you consider the high number of Hispanic and African-American residents.
The following is one of the options – an option the council is considering modifying a bit in order to prevent the break-up of certain neighborhoods:
This would bring the four districts into relative equality in terms of total population. But a question I continue to have, which is important to my district, is how this pans-out in terms of actual registered voters and actual voters. In other words, does the total population always give you an accurate picture of the voting power of a particular district? Provoked by that question, I crunched some numbers and my suspicions were confirmed. Below is a table that shows the current district situation and the two proposed options – it shows the disparity, particularly in District 1, between the total population and the number of registered voters (and ultimately the number of voters). So while we are balancing out the population, the practical situation is not balanced at all – but realize we are dealing with Department of Justice rules that have legal precedent guiding the consideration. This may not be as big of an issue when it comes to elections for district specific seats. But it does come into play when we have at-large elections. If I were a sleazy politician running for an at-large position, I’d take a look at these numbers and might have a good reason to ignore the interests of District 1, given their low voting power relative to the other three districts. Here are those stats that I crunched and provided to council today:
So what do you think? This issue will be brought to the citizens for further discussion and even the opportunity for you to propose your own redrawing of district lines. I have asked that the process be presented online for your consideration, along with readable maps of the proposed lines. The goal is to finalize a plan in September and have the plans approved by the Department of Justice in time for the May 2012 at-large elections.
STATE LEGISLATION
We received an update on the legislation (some still in progress in special session) that might impact Denton. The Texas Tea Partiers came into power with the assumption that they would yield influence. Unfortunately, their enthusiasm to return powers to the individuals didn’t play out in many of their legislative priorities. This session saw many attempts to take away local control of many issues in favor of state control (ironic given their approach to state vs federal issues and their desire to keep power in “local hands”). Fortunately, apart from some financial grabs where the state is giving itself more local money (for instance, a greater percentage of the mixed beverage tax that would normally go to local municipalities), most of the harmful legislation did not survive. This, of course, is not to mention the strike against local public education…
One particular item of interest – the Voter ID bill passed. This initiative tended to cut along party lines, with Republicans pushing for it and Democrats seeing it as a way to diminish minority and low-income votes. Instead of being able to simply show your voter registration card at the time of voting, voters need to also be able to present a state-issued photo ID at the point of voting. Read this article for more information about it. I have asked that we have a discussion about how the city can get on top of this issue and best educate our citizens about the changes in laws and voter expectations prior to the May 2012 city elections.
CITIZEN BOARD AND COMMISSIONS
To read more about these options, go here. The council tonight began the option of nominating citizens to the various positions available on these boards. We will visit this option again at the next meeting. As soon as I finalize my nomination list, I will post it here for all to see. With the exception of only a couple of boards, I am opting to retain the majority of the very helpful citizens appointed by my predecessor, Charyle Heggins.
DOWNTOWN INCENTIVE GRANT MONEY
Mellow Mushroom’s request for a $15,0000 grant was approved as part of the consent agenda. The property owners of the elevated yellow house on Bell just beside the Center for the Visual Arts building, along with the anticipated business owners of Denton’s own “Aw Shucks,” presented their case at the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting. The city’s Economic Development Partnership Board had previously voted not to grant their $5000 grant request for facade improvements. I see this project as a much-needed spark of business interest on the “other side” of Bell Avenue. It will be a great amenity near the train, it will no doubt attract more interest in the area, it will be much more accessible to folks in the surrounding neighborhoods (in traditional SE Denton), and it begins the process of extending the downtown area in this direction. Because questions of why it wasn’t recommended for approval, I along with others asked for further discussion to be had at the next council meeting.
NOISY PARTY REQUEST
The request was put in to allow a late night loud party on Myrtle Street between the hours of 10pm and midnight at the beginning of July. The Parks department recommended denial of the request after learning that there have been 5 complaint calls about this residence in the last year. Unfortunately, the nature of those calls or the source of them was not available. I was not comfortable punishing folks who were trying to work through the system with such little information. Ultimately, another council member suggested that we split the difference and allow the noise exception until 11pm instead of midnight. I went along with that compromise.
As always, let me know if you have any questions! kevin.roden@cityofdenton.com
June 21, 2011 Council Meeting Preview
In my attempt to make your city government more accessible to you, here’s a rundown on some highlights of this week’s council meeting. Our council Work Session begins at 3pm at City Hall and we’ll convene in Regular Session at 6:30pm. Work Session is a time to go over details relating to upcoming votes in the Regular Session – a way to vet issues and gauge council direction on upcoming votes. No votes are taken in the work session – votes on items and public hearings typically take place during the Regular Session. As always, you can access the meeting agenda and back-up information (more detailed information for each agenda item) here on the city website.
Here are some of the highlights…
- REDISTRICTING – as a result of the 2010 Census, the city district maps show disparity in populations among the 4 council districts. Council has started the process of looking at options (since April) and we will hear about a couple of proposals that seek to bring the districts into balance.
- STATE LEGISLATION – been following the drama in Austin over the summer? We’ll hear a report on how the recent budget cuts and other legislation impact Denton for better or for worse.
- CITIZEN BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS – Each summer, the council examines the make-up of the various citizen-run boards and commissions and takes the opportunity to select new people to serve in these various capacities. This will be the first meeting where the council addresses vacancies and re-appointments to these bodies. We will revisit this issue next month before finalizing our decisions.
- DOWNTOWN INCENTIVE GRANT MONEY – two property owners in the downtown area have applied for grant money (from a pot of $50,000 per year) to help in the revitalization of older properties. Mellow Mushroom Pizza is slated to come to Hickory Street (previously Garbage Kings) in the Spring of 2012 and is seeking $15,000. Aw Shucks Oyster Bar (with a location on lower Greenville in Dallas) is hoping to be one of the first businesses to invest to the East of Bell Ave. You know that funky-looking yellow house just to the South of the Arts Center? Imagine SE Denton neighborhoods and train riders having access to a mostly outdoor cajun seafood joint, thus sparking business interest on the other side of Bell… they are seeking $5000 from the grant program to help with facade work at that location.
- LOUD PARTY REQUEST – don’t be too loud at your house party, because some irritated neighbors may try and keep you from being allowed to do it again. A house on Myrtle Street is requesting a noise ordinance exception for a party and is being recommended for denial due to their track record of complaint calls.
If any of this interests you, come on out and observe the dialogue and deliberation. You are also welcome to comment on any of the consent agenda items at the onset of the 3pm Work Session meeting.
Let me know if you have any thoughts on these issues or questions – kevin.roden@cityofdenton.com.
Downtown Living Focus Group
A preference for urban living is growing, even right here in Denton, Texas. There is an increased desire among many to live in a place where you can work, shop, play, and socialize all within walking distance. We are already beginning to notice this in many of the core neighborhoods connected to our historic square. A slow renaissance is emerging as young professionals and young families are opting for a post-suburban experience and willing to take a chance on neighborhoods previously in decline. Additionally, with the continual revitalization of the downtown area and the new train line, interest in urban-style apartments and condominiums has and will continue to attract new development projects in this part of town.
As the council member representing this area of town, I’d love to hear from those of you on the front-lines of this emerging living option, so that we can be better advised on livability issues in this area – what are the joys and struggles of downtown living? what infrastructure is needed to help you get around sans cars? what amenities can the city or developers provide in order to make this area a more attractive choice for future residents? etc…
If you live in the heart of downtown or one of the surrounding neighborhoods, please consider serving your city by chatting with me over drinks this Thursday, June 23 at 8pm at Simone Lounge – 222 Hickory Street #104.
RSVP at this Facebook event page.
Gas Drilling Fee Vote – Some Context
June 7, 2011
No doubt there will be some chatter regarding my vote tonight at my first city council meeting regarding the reduction of fees for gas drilling operations in Denton. I voted with the rest of council to adopt an ordinance effectively doing away with the fees voted in by the council nearly a year ago as part of their Phase I review of the city’s gas well ordinances and instituting a new fee structure as recommended by an outside consultant. The Denton Record-Chronicle’s Lowell Brown already caught up with me after the vote with a very honest question: “During the campaign, you argued that you would nickel and dime the hell out of the industry. How does your vote tonight match with that claim?” (in reference to a statement I made regarding local gas drilling regulation at the Denton Neighborhood Alliance forum.)
I invite everyone to spend some time with the back-up agenda material that is available online relating to this item (4N of the Consent Agenda) – go here and then click on the link for the “Agenda with Backup.”
The city Planning Office admittedly “shot from the hip” when they suggested the new fee structure voted on by city council last August. The fees were attempting to cover the costs of needed employees and support that would allow the city to effectively regulate the industry. And this is a good thing – it would be a bad idea to essentially subsidize the gas industry on the backs of taxpayers. Unfortunately, without having the Gas Well Inspection Division in place, the planning team had very little internal background in order to justify their fee suggestions. Without this justification, the city risks a legal challenge that they are imposing a fee beyond what the service actually costs. J. Stowe and Co., LLC came in to attempt a more thorough analysis. It is unfortunate this issue played out in this way. The increase of fees was a more popular component of the Phase I process. I imagine the fees suggested under the current proposal would have been welcomed had they been a part of the original proposal last August. Unfortunately, it now appears that the city is actually lowering the fees – and this perception is meaningful.
Here’s one silver lining – the council opted not to assess annual inspection fees of gas well sites in the Extra-Terrestrial Jurisdiction areas following their August 2010 review. The consultant has argued that this should happen and tonight’s ordinance made this happen. Considering there are 762 wells to be inspected in the city’s ETJ (and only 210 in the actual city limits), at $580 per annual inspection, this means a yearly increase of around $400,000 in fees assessed to the industry that resulted from tonight’s ordinance that wasn’t in play in the previous fee proposal approved last August.
Unfortunately for the general public, most of the discussion on this issue happened during a closed session called by the city’s legal department. I can say this: concerned citizens would have appreciated the rather spirited discussion that took place on this issue. Several questions remain about the new fee structure – and here are some of mine:
- Little to no analysis was done on certain items by the consultant, making some of his fee suggestions seem as arbitrary as the original city analysis. This came to light specifically relating to the fee for the Gas Well Development Site Plan, which is why this suggestion was pulled out from the motion to approve the ordinance tonight.
- It is still unclear how the books balance between the costs associated with the new Gas Well Inspections Division (which now stands at 6 Full Time Employees – an increase of 2 since last August) are completely covered by the new suggested fees. Taking into account just the annual inspection fees (which cover all wells – even those that have been around for a while both in they city and the ETJ), assuming a 85% collection rate, the salaries of the Division are covered. Other items still need to be accounted for such as vehicles, equipment, office space, technology, administrative support, etc. We will continue to examine this – there should be NO subsidization of the industry with tax payer money.
- Much of what we mean by “inspection” will not be filled-out until we proceed with Phase II of the ordinance review – the costs associated with this may certainly rise depending on the levels of protection we afford our citizens from these sites.
Rest assured, this issue of drilling and production fees will be fully vetted as we move through the Phase II process – and the fees can be re-examined at any point where it appears discrepancies exist.
It should be noted that two other encouraging decisions were made tonight for those concerned about natural gas drilling activity in Denton. First, the council voted unanimously to adopt the Fair Share Resolution in order to encourage TCEQ to mandate new control measures for the release of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from the gas drilling industry ahead of its upcoming vote on a new DFW Air Plan. The technology is already in place that can help both our air quality and the industry save more money – a rare win, win for this issue.
Second, there was support on the council to examine how citizens will be involved in the process of the Phase II gas well ordinance review. Denton’s citizens are up for the task. If you are interested in helping out, let me know.
As always, please share with me your thoughts and your questions – you can email me at kevin.roden@cityofdenton.com or call me at 940-206-5239.
Roden for Denton T-Shirts
We now have a new and fun campaign t-shirt on limited supply… This is a great way to spread the word about our vision for Denton as we head into the final weeks of the campaign.
For a minimum donation to the campaign of $12, this shirt can be yours! Just click on the PayPal link to the right and put your shirt size in the comment section of your donation submission. But don’t feel confined to $12 – please consider a $20, $50 donation or more. We need help as we push to get the word out to as many District 1 voters as possible!
Here’s the front:
And here’s the back:
DCTA Tower Update and Thoughts
The Denton City Council tonight voted to approve a controversial DCTA communications tower set to be built just off Teasley Lane in the SE Denton neighborhood. The vote passed by a margin of 6 to 1 with District 1 council person Charlye Heggins voting against it. At issue was the approval of a Special Use Permit allowing the construction of a 180 foot tower on DCTA property. Prior to approval, the council attached three conditions to the permit including: 1) landscape screening surrounding the tower, 2) monitoring of possible TV, radio, or cell interference complaints for six months, and 3) only DCTA communication can be used on the tower. DCTA claimed the site was the best of possible options. Neighborhood concerns centered on neighborhood aesthetics, electrical interference from communication equipment, health and safety concerns, and placement decisions.
After a lengthy work session discussion with DCTA officials, council members at tonight’s meeting said they felt comfortable that the neighborhood concerns were met with the answers to their questions and the conditions placed on the project.
This entire issue sheds light on the problem of a decision-making process that tends to treat otherwise connected issues in isolation from one another. Sure, the city council tonight technically addressed some of the concerns raised by the neighborhood critics concerning this tower. But there is a larger narrative at play with this A-Train issue that runs beneath the surface of this specific neighborhood fight. The fact is that the SE Denton neighborhood, more than any other Denton neighborhood, has bore the brunt of the issues relating to the upcoming A-Train. They have had to deal with a rail line suddenly becoming active again. They have had to deal with the future knowledge that a train would soon be running through their neighborhood. They have had to deal with the constant construction with its associated road closures for the last couple of years. They have had to deal with the possible safety issues for their children who might play around the tracks. And much more…
Add to this the more fundamental subtext of a neighborhood that has a tragic history of being slighted by the city ever since the citizens voted to uproot and forcibly move historic Quakertown to make way for a city park back in the early 1920s.
To be sure, DCTA has made attempts to work with the neighborhood on a variety of issues: investing in previously non-existing infrastructure, insulating a house near the train, working with local schools to provide education to the students, and communicating with neighborhood leaders and businesses on key issues. But at the end of the day, it is not DCTA’s responsibility to make sure neighborhoods are treated fairly with such a process – that is the job of the city council.
Although attempts have been made throughout the process to ease the burden of the coming train and its associated construction, the impression has been that these attempts are “just enough to get by.” But a more important question must be addressed by our city council: What has been done to get the SE Denton neighborhood on board with the train?
What has been done to meaningfully sell them on the great possibilities this train can create for their families, neighborhood, and businesses? All the focus of the potential of the train has been aimed in one direction – away from SE Denton and toward the downtown area. No doubt, the square area stands to benefit from this, as it should. But what plans are in place to make sure the neighborhood most impacted by these changes stands to gain considerably from this train?
As the train comes to town, it’s time for District 1 to have an experienced, proactive, and visionary voice sitting on the City Council to make sure their interests are represented. Given the large sacrifice put upon the SE Denton Neighborhood, here are just some of my ideas of how they should benefit:
- Every school age child living within a certain proximity to the A-Train tracks should be given a free train pass that is good for the entire summer. This should be done as a joint partnership between DCTA, the City of Denton, and private donors who can even set-up SE Denton neighborhood outings to help the children learn more about train safety and to sell them on the benefit of the train.
- DCTA is planning a series of Rail Safety days to introduce the train to the public. The Denton day, scheduled for May 21, is set to be held at the Med Park station. No such day is scheduled for the downtown station – the station closest and most available to residents of SE Denton. This is a mistake. Either the location should change or an additional day should be scheduled to accommodate the needs of that neighborhood.
- Through adequate signage and brochures, the city should work with SE Denton businesses to develop a “Discover SE Denton” marketing campaign to direct out-of-town train visitors to the amenities to the East when they pull into the Downtown Transit Station. This should highlight SE Denton eateries and businesses as well as other historic attractions in this historic neighborhood.
- The city should fast-track a mobile food cart pilot program aimed at helping SE Denton businesses take advantage of rail traffic. There are already existing taco stands along McKinney and other local businesses just waiting for the relaxing of regulations that would allow such an option. The A-Train station is a great place to try out such a program and the SE Denton businesses should be given special consideration.
- and let’s keep brainstorming…
The train is coming – let’s make sure it is a good thing for ALL of our residents. Justice requires as much.