By Scott Allen —
Fredericksburg City Council met Monday and approved consulting services with Dunkin Sims Stoffels, Inc. for a new sports complex and trails development for the city’s parks.
The future athletic complex will be on land adjacent to Oak Crest Park and the council is awaiting appraisal of that land before continuing the planning process.
Additionally, trails are planned to be developed at Oak Crest, Lady Bird Johnson and Cross Mountain Parks.
The speed of the planning process will depend on how quickly the city can acquire land.
“Approve the contract, but Dennis Sims (principal for Dunkin Sims Stoffels, Inc.) doesn’t need to lay this out until the property is secure,” City Manager Kent Myers said. “Have Dennis take it slow for the first 30-60 days until we’ve finalized something on the property.”
The city is looking at proposing a bond during the November election to help finance the improvements that were listed in the parks master plan.
“If we are going to be on the November ballot, we basically have got to move forward with the consultant, and the planning study and cost estimate pretty soon, because we have to have all the council’s decision by August to be on the November ballot,” Myers said.
If it doesn’t make it to the November bond election, it will be available in the May, 2017 election.
The cost of the consulting services will be a total of $18,750 and will be contingent upon the land acquisition.
The council directed Sims to take it slow, until they learn the status of the appraisal of the desired land.
“If you want to move forward, perhaps the initial process should be meeting with Andrea Warren, our new parks and recreation director, and some of the folks with the ball fields that might be best,” Mayor Linda Langerhans said.
Historic District
Council also approved historic preservation ordinance guidelines for new construction in the city’s Historic District.
“As you recall, there was much discussion about not just new construction all over town, but the size of construction and the size of buildings around town,” Director of Development Services Brian Jordan said.
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