Council approves park improvement project

By Miranda Rogers

POST-REGISTER

Talk of a joint project to improve Lockhart City Park turned ugly on Tuesday night when one member of the Lockhart City Council riled against a proposal for the construction of a Frisbee golf course.

The project, w

hich was proposed by the Lockhart Economic Development Corporation to fund up to $100,000 for improvements to the amenities drew unquestionable support from the council, but not before Councilmember Richard Banks bucked passionately against the idea.

Among the items suggested in the project are benches and water fountains, as well as places for games like washers and horseshoes. But it was the idea of a Frisbee Golf Course that Banks made very clear was undesirable.

Stating that absolutely nobody in District Four wanted Frisbee golf, and accusing the LEDC of “sneaking it in” overnight to present as a package deal, Banks instead suggested a dog park.

Currently there is no ordinance against having leashed pets in the park, he said, and made a motion that the proposal be sent back to LEDC to have the Frisbee golf course replaced by a fenced in dog park, a request he claimed was made on behalf of his wife, Leslie Banks, Becky Perkins and her dog, Quincy, and Linda Barron, the vice president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Although Banks declared that it would be a very popular choice amongst the people in District 4, the motion died for lack of second.

Councilmember Juan Mendoza offered a motion that the funds would be used solely for playground equipment and Banks seconded, saying that he was for anything other than Frisbee golf. Mendoza”s motion failed, as well, and the proposal finally passed on a 5-2 vote to accept the proposal as it was originally presented.

While he said he is not against having a dog park in Lockhart, Mayor Lew White stated that several issues regarding a dog park needed to be worked out, and said it should be addressed later.

The Lockhart Fire Department will be submitting a grant application  for The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 2012 Community Resilience Innovation Challenge.

Fire department representatives said they hope receiving the grant will enable them to do more to help the community against natural disasters and enhance the current Community Wildfire Protection Plan that they have been working on for the past two years.

If the grant is awarded, Lockhart will be notified by Nov. 23, 2012. Also, for requirements for Lockhart”s fiscal year, LFD will submit their forfeiture report stating that they do not expend any funds and do not receive or claim assets.

As required by the Property Tax Code, City Council has approved the yearly appraisal roll with tax amounts. The assessment value currently shows $400 over budget. Also needing council approval was the Quarterly Investment Report. The Fourth Quarter for the 2012 fiscal year showed that investments went down by as much as $2 million, as expected, and were predicted to start gaining again in March.

In other news, Council has decided to appoint Benny Hilburn to the Community Action, Inc., of Central Texas Board to replace previous Councilmember Richard Wieland.

Oct. 21-26, 2012, has been proclaimed as “National Friends of the Library Week.”

The Greater Caldwell County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce presented a token of appreciation to the City of Lockhart for assistance during the 2012 Cinco de Mayo and Diez y Sies events.

Also, a property on MLK Industrial BLVD that borders a transitional area between the Industrial Light District and Heavy Commercial District will be approved for a zoning change to Commercial Heavy Business.