It’s official! The newly opened Stephenville Senior Citizens Center has been named The Cross Timbers Legacy Center, or The Legacy for short.
Several names were proposed by committee members and the council chose The Legacy out of the selections.
Former County Commissioner Joe Brown’s contribution on behalf of the county was mentioned as being integral to the project and the city said he will be honored during a future ribbon cutting ceremony.
Rhea Marrs, a senior citizen in the community and a member of the Parks and Leisure Advisory Board, spoke at the meeting in public comments about the project encouraging the selected name and stating that the name would allow it to be utilized for more than just senior citizens, even for rentals for weddings etc.
“A $1.7 million building needs to be utilized by people of all ages,” she said.
Approval was also given for two projects whose costs came in significantly over budget.
The city had budgeted $300,000 to address acute flooding concerns on the 900 block of Chamberlin Ave. by installing stormwater inlets and lines under the roadway between Frey and Mulberry Street.
However, the projected project cost is $472,44.50. After receiving confirmation from the finance department that the funds were there, council gave approval to move forward with the project.
The second project is to relocate a 21-inch sewer line to the south side of the Rec. Hall. On Dec. 9, 2024, a sinkhole opened in the northern Rec. Hall parking lot adjacent to Long Street due to a collapse of the 21-inch clay sanitary sewer main, located approximately 10-feet under parking lot pavement. The sinkhole has been covered and the parking lot was blocked until the new sewer line is installed and the sinkhole can be filled.
The approved budgeted item was $325,000 and preliminary design work budget for $24,500. However the proposed project cost is $717,050.00 – an unbudgeted difference of $416,550.
After receiving confirmation from the finance department that the funds were available in reserves, the council gave unanimous approval.
Bothprojectsareanticipated to be 125 to 150-day projects.
Representatives from Tarleton were also on hand at the council meeting to continue conversations about a potential joint project between the city and the university.
Stephenville Main Street has been having conversations with the university about improving sidewalks from Mcllhaney Street to the entrance of Bosque River Trail.Theprojectisanticipated to focus on sidewalks, accessibility ramp installations, preparing broken and missing curb and gutter. Tarleton has expressed their interest in assisting with this project in conjunction with their 125th anniversary celebration.
The project has been mentioned by current and former council members as a way to enhance navigability on foot and bicycle infrastructure from campus to downtown, much like how students would access downtown when the college was first established.
A formal agreement is anticipated for some time in February.
Approval was given after a public hearing for the rezoning and preliminary plat for a piece of property from B-2 (Retail and Commercial) to R-2.5 (Integrated Housing) for representatives with Habitat for Humanity Erath County.
The property is anticipated to be used for six additional Habitat for Humanity homes.
An additional 212 acres off CR 256 was rezoned from agriculture into Integrated Housing (R-2.5) zoning for a subdivision of approximately 944 homes done in phases.
Developer Mike McCowan, representing Pete Muzyka and George Grissom spoke about the project to council outlining smaller quality homes on smaller lots.
“This will be a project you will be proud of. We want to build nice houses in a city that needs them for affordable prices,” McCowan said.
The homes are anticipated to be between $350,000 up to $425,000. In a work session after city council, councilmembers and staff continued discussions about the possibility of debt issuance. Discussions about the city borrowing money in the form of Certificates of Obligation has been on the table through several work sessions. This money, if approved eventually, would be utilized for street repairs andanewcityhall.Preliminary amounts range from a range of $5 million to $21.5 million. The item is expected to be discussed during the Tuesday, Jan. 21 city council meeting.