A significant layout task is underway for downtown Montgomery with plans to change dirt by Spring 2022.
Assistant City Administrator and previous Town Councilman Dave McCorquodale reported the town is nevertheless in the early phases of the project, which aims to enhance the aesthetics and infrastructure of the downtown region, including the historic district.
“The design and style workforce has just about finished up their web-site evaluation and they are starting up with the conceptional style function in the coming weeks,” McCorquodale reported.
Mayor Sara Countryman claimed the city officers had a “successful” meeting very last 7 days with the structure workforce to guarantee the city’s would like and needs have been recognized.
“They were rather spot on,” Countryman mentioned.
The metropolis issued a Ask for for Quotation final winter and that the successful team was the Magnolia-based mostly engineering company, Gunda Company, and the Houston-based landscape architecture agency, White Oak Studio, McCorquodale stated.
At the time the conceptual patterns are completely ready, the layout staff will fulfill with the metropolis, including downtown business enterprise owners and other local community customers, to appraise the layouts and additional ahead, he additional.
The town expects the design venture to wrap up by September. Then the town will do an overview style and design that will guide to smaller layouts for shovel-prepared assignments.
“It’s an 18-thirty day period setting up procedure, then roll up your sleeves and get ready,” Countryman said.
The task is a piece of the comprehensive program the metropolis adopted, which was produced with the assist of Texas A&M’s Local community Resilience Collaborative.
In 2018, Montgomery applied to a Texas A&M Neighborhood Outreach Software known as Texas Concentrate on Communities to improve the group. Montgomery was not one particular of the towns picked for the plan.
On the other hand, for the reason that of the application, the director of that plan arrived at out to Walter Peacock who is a community preparing professional with TAMU’s Texas Sea Grant with this alternative application termed the neighborhood resilience collaborative, which is a partnership of Texas Sea Grant application and Texas Concentrate on Communities.
The two calendar year method has included two classes at Texas A&M College in College Station with 30 students and two TAMU faculty customers, five public meetings and 67 participants, like 65 people today from the Montgomery group.
The city’s adopted program involved downtown Montgomery as a most important objective to deal with and boost for the upcoming eyesight. Countryman mentioned the venture will concentrate not only be the aesthetics, but the “guts” of the city.
The town officials prepare to scale down the ideas proposed in the extensive strategy to what is realistic and applicable for the metropolis. Some priorities incorporates infrastructure, this sort of as water and sewer lines, as nicely as the pedestrian experience, and parking.
McCorquodale stated it has been important to the council to assure that the project is phased in a way where by the lines would not have to be uprooted. Countryman famous there will be “give and get” and the moment the structure is ready the city officials will meet with the organization group.
The town officers are also fired up to work with the staff, who they mentioned has a fantastic marriage with the Texas Division of Transportation, to uncover remedies that are the correct match for the downtown district.
“One of the key factors that I consider was eye opening for me, is their romantic relationship with TxDOT,” Countryman stated. “We know that TxDOT wishes to widen (FM 149) and they are likely to get the job done close to, with and via TxDOT for that downtown piece. I imagined that was a great addition and form of a shock, simply because I really do not know that the town and TxDOT has normally been on the similar website page.”
“We didn’t discuss the exact language in some cases and they are ready to be that middle conduit for us which is incredibly crucial,” she additional.
Just one of the concepts that the town is also considering implementing is a way to carry collectively the aged with the new locations of the city, like the downtown district, Kroger Market, Brookshire Brothers, and Montgomery Superior College this sort of as by setting up matching light-weight poles from town restrict to city limit.
“We want you to know that you have arrived,” Countryman reported.
TxDOT, as a person of their obtain administration plans for Montgomery County, has a widening venture that features an region from Metropolis Hall to about the Grimes County line. Although it may perhaps be a several several years absent, there are plans to set up a sidewalk from downtown Montgomery to Montgomery HS, the town officers explained.
Due to the fact this is a Montgomery Financial Advancement Corporation funded project, setting up upcoming thirty day period the staff members will be providing a month to month update to the MEDC. Taxes are not anticipated to go up for the challenge, McCorquodale said.
“I believe a significant portion of the funding we do hope to pursue by way of grants,” McCorquodale stated. “The Texas cash fund is a great put for downtown grants, even TxDOT has grants to do their portions of the work.
“I believe all people on the council is fully commited to not using absent sources from someplace else in the metropolis to fund this task,” he mentioned. “We unquestionably have various ideas on the city’s share of the charge and where to seem for cash but none of them contain a increased tax amount or getting revenue absent.”
On that note, Countryman reported inspite of the pandemic that the town additional 11 new company final 12 months.
“Our tax earnings is rising,” Countryman mentioned. “So, we are fortuitous and to be certain to give back again and to proceed to have a charming, walkable downtown that lets individuals to engage with us and continue to take a look at us and shell out their revenue in this article. We anticipate that tax income to proceed to increase.”
As the “Birthplace of the Texas Flag” which has included the town goat into its marketing, Countryman stated the group can count on special characteristics of Montgomery to be included into the design.
“You will know where by you are at all moments, highlighting our background,” she reported with a chortle.