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Dateline:
Colleyville, Texas September 25, 2001
The medians along Hwy 26 continue to be a major concern to
adjacent businesses. A number of the businesses have already
announced that their revenue is off substantially as a result of
this action. LNO has reported on the public meetings. See
Recent Report
See
Newton Column
The median was the subject of an Editorial in the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram in today's issue. Click
Here to read the Editorial. One interesting
anomaly is that last week the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported
the cost of the median to be $70,000, while the Dallas Morning
News reported the cost at $700,000. Today's editorial now
reports the cost of $700,000.
The median was discussed by Mayor Donna Arp, during her appearance at the
Colleyville Lion's Club, Friday morning September 21, 2001.
Based on the mayor's comments, many in attendance were left
with the impression that the state agency TxDot was actually
responsible and coordinated the median. It was pointed out the
mayor stated that " we (Colleyville") signed off of
it (the median) after TxDot, because we figured they knew more
about roads that we did".
LNO learned that State Representative Vicki Truitt contacted
the mayor concerning these comments. Further, sources
informed LNO that the mayor informed Representative Truitt that
the conversation (between Representative Truitt, Bill Lindley,
City Manager and Arp) were being recorded.
Under the Open Records Act, LNO requested a copy of the tape.
The City Secretary responded that the "recorder
malfunctioned", therefore the conversation was not recorded.
When LNO asked for notes taken during the meeting, instead
received a copy of a letter sent to Representative Truitt.
See the City of Colleyville's reply and a copy of the Truitt
letter Click
Here.
The following are comments made at the Lion's Club meeting of
September 21, 2001 by Mayor Arp.
Mayor Arp's comment. Click
Here to hear actual recording of comments.
The
Following is transcribed from the tape:
How these medians got
started is that we had a meeting with the business owners after
this activity and we anticipate another meeting. The medians
really got started after the Myers’ project came on board there
were three (not intelligible) on Hwy 26. Hwy 26 is a state
highway, not owned by the city, sometimes people forget that, I
forget it from time to time; it is a state highway and when the
Myers’ project starting ensuing in late 1998, and he mentioned
it the other night in the public session, and ’99, the city,
TexDot, (Texas Department of Transportation) and Richard Myer’s,
the Village, starting talking together about the safety of the
area. With roads pointed out with roads that had not been before,
such as Main Street.
TexDot at that time felt
there was a safety problem, as many of you know, at that
intersection, it had been a long time problem for Colleyville at
that intersection. So they worked with Richard Myers to come up
with a plan and TexDot did approve it, to put the medians in.
Colleyville signed off on
that as well, when we understood that TexDot signed off on it, we
figured they knew more about roads than we did. The medians look
awful, the medians are hideous; we did get them repainted. I was
on vacation and when I got back and I called them Big Bird in the
middle of 26 since they were big yellow blobs. So we got those
repainted. Richard Myers did pay for that, he also paid the
medians.
The City of Colleyville did
not pay to build those medians. We are now negotiating with the
business owners and TexDot, as of yesterday, to start redesigning
those medians to make them more business friendly. The businesses
we are listening to, I wish they would have come forward even a
little faster than what they did. Its been about a month now, or
about five weeks. So we are going to work with them very quickly
to make as many cuts as we can and redesign the median. Business
is very important now especially, always have been important, but
especially with the designing economy.
I will tell you
that any of you are welcome to come to the city and look at our
files at anytime and some of you do, and we are glad to have you
do that.
We can find very
little written documentation on the median project from our city
staff and Myers and TxDot, actually we are working off of Myers
and TxDot records on this.
Mayor Arp's comment. Click
Here to hear actual recording of following comments.
Questions
from audience.
First
Question: Why were the medians built when they were?
Arp
Response:
You
know I can't, we are trying to find out from Richard Myers. Thats
a question I was asked the other night. We are trying to find out
from Myers and TexDot. He hired a construction company.
Construction companies have been extremely busy. They slide
in and slide out projects. The one thing I will say is that
we anticipated Pleasant Run and Glade road being finished before
those medians went in.
Questions
from audience.
Second
Question: Didn't Myers do this project, therefore the time
could have been controlled because it is his construction company.
Arp
Response:
Yes,
it is his construction company, but he still has to hire, as
cities do, a construction company and they still put it in their
time frame. So we are anticipating, I will tell you any of
you are welcome to come to the city and look at any of our files,
and many of you do, and we are glad to have you do that.
We
can find very little written documentation on the median project
from our city staff and Myers and TexDot. Actually we working off
Myers and TexDot's records on this.
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