Council to explore beautification plan, fee

At a time when there seems to be a pushback against a fee to fund a much-needed Stormwater Utility, City Manager Scott Sellers plans to ask the City Council Tuesday to "explore instituting a monthly rate of $1 per residence and $5 per business" to pay for a citywide beautification/anti-litter campaign.

The idea is obviously still in its formative stages because Sellers has yet to attach a price tag to any of the programs that will comprise the plan.

There is no public hearing attached to this agenda item, so any citizen wishing to speak on this item will have to do so during the Public Comments period which comes at the beginning of the 7 p.m. council agenda meeting.

"The goal of the beautification plan is to improve the overall appearance of and the quality of life within the City of Kyle," according to the city manager’s proposed presentation. "The elements of the plan will be combined to enhance the brand of Kyle to create a unique sense of place for our growing community. Smart investment in beautification programs will support both existing and proposed private and public investments in the area. As a living document, the Beautification Plan will continue to identify projects that will beautify our community, increase desirability and quality of life, and encourage residential homeowners and business owners to invest in landscaping and clean up of their properties."

Although the goals of the program seem admirable, my sense is the City Council will be hesitant to seriously consider a fee, probably attached to water bills, at a time when it (a) is also considering the creation and funding of a Storm Water Utility and (b) less than six months earlier voted to increase property taxes to a level that made them the highest in Hays County. Especially not before next month’s election.

Sellers’s plan consists of seven initiatives — Corridor Beautification, I-35 Maintenance, Litter Control Programs, Downtown Revitalization, Uniform and Attractive Signage, Community Garden, Code Compliance — and several of the initiatives contain more than one program element.

"The City of Kyle Beautification Plan is a comprehensive proposal intended to guide policy and community programming that supports the beautification of public and private properties in the city limits of Kyle, Texas," Sellers’s documentation states. "The plan includes an analysis of the city’s beautification needs and offers recommendations on fulfilling those needs."

The document says "Corridor beautification would involve the planting of street trees and sidewalk improvements, in addition to the Litter Control Programs outlined in the subsequent initiatives of this plan."

Although Sellers acknowledged TxDOT "is required to conduct right-of-way maintenance twice yearly along the nine miles of I-35 that pass through the City of Kyle," his proposed beautification plan calls for the City to "Invest in the hiring of a two-person crew to be managed by the Public Works Department. Safety and mowing equipment would be purchased for this express purpose." An alternative, he wrote, would be to have inmates from the Kyle Correctional Center "to collect trash from the I-35 corridor." He also recommends the City create task forces to plan a pilot "Adopt a Highway" program and separate "Adopt a Street" program. In both, he would want to "partner with the Chamber of Commerce to determine the best approach to engage the local business community, and with civic organizations and HOAs to discuss the design for neighborhood outreach."

Sellers also wants to expand the "Kyle Clean Up" program, a day each year when citizens join in clean up efforts in Plum Creek. Sellers would like to "establish a recognition program to incentivize businesses and community organizations to participate, and encourage more individuals and groups to donate their time to support the event in future years."

Sellers’s Downtown Revitalization effort contains four components:

1. "Providing sufficient lighting along West Center Street with additional pedestrian light poles will encourage pedestrian activity in the evenings, encouraging new retail and commercial redevelopment projects.
2. "Partnering with the Parks and Recreation Department’s summer camp to create garden planters using shutters from the Kyle Train Depot will make West Center Street a more attractive and appealing stretch of downtown. Planters would add color to downtown, inviting more pedestrian traffic to visit shops and restaurants in support of local businesses.
3. "Working with Verizon and Time Warner Cable to move utility pole lines underground would make for a dramatic change to the streetscape of downtown Kyle. The curb appeal that would result from the change is worth an investment of time and community attention.
4. "The city has budgeted funds to support improvement projects at Mary Kyle Hartson Park, formerly City Square Park. Possible upgrades include lighting and landscape improvements. Pedestrian light poles could brighten the space, but canopy lighting would create a unique and attractive environment for park visitors. Gary Job Corps has expressed a willingness to provide volunteers to assist with labor. Given the park’s central location and ample size, the grass and gazebo are well suited to serve as an outdoor venue for music and community events. Investment in improvement projects could be offset by the revenue generated from the sale of use-of-space permits over time. This priority also falls in line with plans to rebuild the park’s water feature/fountain in 2019. This project is currently being spearheaded by the Kyle Area Youth Advisory Council (KAYAC). A preliminary concept has been approved by the Parks Board and next steps will involve working with a landscape architect to put their plans on paper."

Sellers said the city is designing gateway signage for I-35 at the north and south city limits and he is also proposing similar tombstones for "the east and west arterials." But, in addition to those, Sellers is recommending backlit street signage he wrote "will allow automobile drivers to identify street names at night while adding an aesthetic value to our roads and major intersections."

Sellers will also inform the Council that the City "has set aside an eight-acre tract of land west of Dacy Lane, between Seton Hospital and Bunton Creek, for a future community garden or some similar use. Being within a floodplain prohibits traditional park development but provides proper soil conditions for plant growth. Shared gardens promote community engagement and foster civic pride. Access to fresh, locally grown produce also improves the health and wellness of the city’s residents. The space could also serve to host education programs and workshops in conjunction with local schools and civic groups." Sellers would like to institute a pilot program to gauge potential community interest in such a project.