PHOTO CREDIT: THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIPNews
Township Meets, Approves New Fire Engine, Sportsfield Lights, and More
THE WOODLANDS, TX – The Woodlands Township Board of Directors held a regular meeting on Thursday, October 20, 2022, and approved the purchase of a new fire engine as well as approved converting sportsfield lights at Wendtwoods Park to LED lighting. The Board also extended the Energy Corridor Commuter Service Pilot Program for The Woodlands Express bus service through 2023 and concurred with a request from the City of Conroe to partially fund the extension of David Memorial Drive using Regional Participation Agreement funds.
Following public comment, Township President and Chief Executive Officer Monique Sharp opened the meeting by recognizing two recent Township awards: the Perk Your Park Grant Award and the Outstanding Community Forestry Program Award.
The Woodlands Township has been awarded a $75,000 grant by the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) and Niagara Bottling Company to build a bird blind in the George Mitchell Nature Preserve. The bird blind will be located off the Creekside Park – West Trailhead and will provide viewing opportunities for birds and other wildlife. The Township received this grant through a social media competition which generated over 26,000 votes. In comparison, it took five agencies combined to accumulate the same number of votes in last year’s campaign; emphasizing that our community is passionate about creating opportunities for people to enjoy the outdoors in new ways. An official announcement of the awarded grant is set to be made by NRPA and Niagara Bottling Company on October 20. View the presentation.
The Woodlands Township was also recognized with the 2022 Texas Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture Award for Outstanding Community Forestry Program. The award was submitted by Allen Selmer (Forestry Foreman) and Amber Barnes (Education Specialist). Allen received the award at the 2022 Texas Tree Conference in Waco on September 28, 2022.
The award recognizes individuals, organizations, or municipalities that promoted community forestry through a program that significantly engages, educates, or enhances the community. The project or program must clearly engage with the community and actively promote best practices. The submission included the creation of an Integrated Forest Management Plan which discusses the programs and events to aid in the community’s upkeep of a healthy forest, including an invasive vine removal program, community reforestation program, community tree planting, and Arbor Day. View the presentation.
“We are very proud of these awards as they both symbolize the dedication of our Township staff to promoting the environment, and they both are of great benefit to our residents. Congratulations to all on these outstanding awards,” said President & CEO Sharp.
On the Regular Agenda, the Board discussed and acted on the following as noted.
The Board of Directors received a report on Drought Management. View the presentation.
The Board also voted to approve a request from the City of Conroe to concur with the David Memorial Drive extension project to be partially funded under the Regional Participation Agreement (RPA) between The Woodlands Township and the City of Conroe and to allow the City of Shenandoah rather than the City of Conroe to act as the Project Manager, as provided in the RPA.
The project will extend David Memorial Drive from Conroe’s southernmost limits to SH 242 and is expected to improve mobility and emergency response in the I-45 corridor from Woodlands Parkway to SH 242. The project is being constructed in conjunction with the City of Conroe, the City of Shenandoah and Montgomery County. The City of Conroe’s portion of the project cost is currently estimated to be $2 million. The Township Board concurred with Conroe’s request to use the fund balance of $501,021 toward its funding commitment for this project.
This project marks the City of Conroe’s first request for concurrence with the use of the Regional Participation Funds for projects deemed to be mutually beneficial in accordance with the RPA. Expenditures and capital outlays from the regional participation fund are recognized as projects are identified, and disbursements are made in accordance with the terms of the RPA.
After review of the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant-funded Energy Corridor Commuter Service Pilot Program, the Board opted to extend the program through 2023 which funds schedules of The Woodlands Express bus service from The Woodlands Sawdust Park and Ride to locations throughout Houston’s Energy Corridor District. View the presentation.
The Board received a proposal for the conversion of the sportsfield lights at Wendtwoods Park to LED lighting and voted to approve Option 1 of the proposal from Miam Electric to convert the sportsfield lights at Wendtwoods Park to LED fixtures for $144,770 utilizing funds from the capital replacement reserve.
This field will be used as a test site for these fixtures, installation methods, and glare/spillover control. Additional light conversion proposals will be presented to the Board in the coming months. It is anticipated the lights will be installed by the end of the year. Staff is also working with Entergy and CenterPoint on rebates and incentives for the installation of LED lights at this field, as well as other fields identified in the 2022 Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment.
Lastly, the Board approved the purchase of a replacement ladder truck for The Woodlands Fire Department, utilizing the Siddons-Martin Emergency Group, LLC prepayment proposal to purchase one Pierce-Custom Velocity Aerial, HD Ladder 100′ Mid-Mount for the amount of $1,759,242.87, plus an additional $75,000 for replacement hose and equipment, for a total of $1,834,242.87, utilizing the Capital Replacement Reserve.
The Woodlands Fire Department’s Capital Budget five-year capital reserve replacement plan for FY 2024 includes funding for one replacement ladder truck in accordance with the fleet replacement program.
Earlier in the meeting, the Board approved the following on the Consent Agenda:
- Administrative Reports for Community Services, Law Enforcement and Community Policing and The Woodlands Fire Department.
- Bids for the 2023-2025 concrete services contract, the 2023-2025 tree removal and other arboriculture services, custodial/gate and facility maintenance services.
- Purchase of replacement and new vehicles for The Woodlands Fire Department fleet.
The Board recessed to Executive Session and took no action upon reconvening.
Members of the public were able to address the Board at the beginning of the meeting.
The Woodlands Township Board Meetings may be attended in person, watched live online or viewed later via recording at www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/meetingvideos . The agenda and attachments may be viewed at www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/991/Agendas-Minutes-and-More.
Source: The Woodlands Township
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