Travis County Commssioners Court
January 13, 2004
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Item 2
2. Discuss request to take 2.35 acres of east metropolitan park land for the widening of blake manor road.
>> move that the public hearing be opened.
>> second.
>> all in favor? That passes by unanimous vote.
>> good morning. Joe gieselman, transportation natural resource department. We had discussed the realignment of blake manor road when we adopted the master plan for east metro park. This is the master plan. This is the existing blake manor road. As you can see, it's a fairly curvacious roadway. We are not realigning, we have completed the design of the realignment of blake manor road through what we call the taylor tract. Part of the realignment also includes a widening of blake manor road, which will take a portion of the park, which we will purchase with park bonds, in this location, and in this location. This gives you a better indication of this is the taylor tract here, so we are now in the proper over owe the park itself, which was purchased about [indiscernible] half ago. We are needing some additional acreage along the park here and along the park here to do the realignment and widening. This requires a public hearing under chapter 26 of the Texas parks and wildlife code. We have duly posted in the newspaper for three consecutive week as required by law, that is what this morning's public hearing is about. I only want to say win more thing about this. That is in the acquisition of the taylor tract, the road bonds pay not only for the right-of-way of blake manor road through the taylor tract and the second house that is going to be destroyed in the process of realigning the roadway. But the road bonds also paid a higher proportional share in the acquisition of the taylor tract to compensate for the purchase of these tracts here. So what -- what that says is that the park bonds are made whole in this transaction. That this was not a grant by the park bonds. This is actually a substitution of road bonds for park bonds for these particular acquisitions about 2.35 acres. So the park is made whole in the process. That's all that I have to add. Today is the public hearing.
>> is the widening of blake manor road coincidental or intentional --
>> its both. It serves the park. This is a major arterial in the campo master plan. What we are doing is acquiring right-of-way for the ultimate cross-section. We are realigning the roadway, but the roadway is just a realignment, a two-lane roadway with intersection improvements at the park. So the park benefits by the realignment, but it also benefits the county road system as a whole.
>> so road bonds are being used to pay for the actual work, the cost, but because this was part of the parkland acquisition, we triggered the, if you take part of the parkland that --
>> the road bonds paid for the acquisition of this and at the end of the day, the road bonds paid for these takes of the county park. Reimbursing the park bonds for this piece of property that was purchased re that I did.park bonds. [laughter]
>> let's say i'll let that answer do. Would anyone like to give testimony during this public hearing?
>> joe, I would like to --
>> hold on. If so, please come forward. Commissioner?
>> joe, before we close the public hearing, joe, I would like to thank you and your staff and also the community in and around this area. That really had been a bad spot out there in that area, curving, and widening it will definitely be a benefit for those folks that use blake manor road. Again I would like to thank you and your staff for doing such a great job, also the community who has worked real close with us on this particular issue. I would like to move for closing of the public hearing.
>> this is on the agenda today as action item no. 11.
>> correct.
>> all in favor? That passes by unanimous vote.
Last Modified: TUesday, January 13, 2004 7:18 AM