Council Receives Beltway Trail Project Update | |
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The Beltway Trail Project was identified as a Phase I project in the City-Wide Trails Master Plan (CWTMP) that Council adopted on May 25, 2021. In late 2021, Council approved a professional services agreement with Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Inc. (MIG) for the conceptual design of the Beltway Trail Project. An important component of MIG's scope was to conduct public input to gather information to help guide the development of the conceptual design. During the August 23 City Council Meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Janna Tidwell shared the results of the survey along with staff's conceptual design recommendations which include:
- Include a two-way buffered bike lane between Marsh Lane and Le Grade Drive on the north side of Beltway Drive. This recommendation minimizes the number of intersection crossings for the bike lane.
- Keep the existing sidewalk between Surveyor Boulevard and Le Grande Drive in place but consider widening if future redevelopment occurs. There are numerous utility conflicts in this section of the sidewalk that impacted staff's recommendation.
- Transition the two-way buffered bike lane to an off-street bike lane between Le Grande Drive and Midway Road. Note that the bike lanes and wide sidewalk at Addison Grove will need to merge to cross the Midway Road intersection.
- Transition from buffered bike lanes to a bike boulevard between Midway and Belt Line Roads.
- Keep the green space south of the Addison Grove Development passive with enhanced landscaping and seating.
You can watch Council's Beltway Trail discussion here and read the presentation here.
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Athletic Club Renovation Update | |
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On October 12, 2021, Council approved a construction contract in the amount of $4,035,083 with Northridge Construction Group, LLC for renovation work at the Addison Athletic Club with an original substantial completion period of 195 days. Council also established a total project budget in the amount of $5,077,631 to allow for contingencies, bid alternates, construction management, design services, and other third-party services.
Renovation work began on November 29, 2021. As was anticipated, demolition revealed previously unknown conditions that required Change Orders to resolve. To date, staff has issued 12 Change Orders totaling $335,325.37 and adding 78 days to the project. The major changes include the need to replace or update plumbing and electrical services to meet current code, replacing building components in areas impacted by previously unknown water damage, and performing additional work identified to renovate the facility with a long-term philosophy in mind. Correcting these previously unknown conditions consumed the contingency funding and thereby limited staff's ability to authorize alternate bid items except for the replacement of the Community Room cabinets. There was only one supply chain issue that impacted the schedule. This related to a critical component of the indoor pool dehumidification system and represented 31 of the total days added to the project.
Staff is currently working to resolve several remaining issues with the project. The most pressing issue is the need to replace the entire indoor pool deck tile. It was originally planned to replace only portions of the pool deck impacted by the hot tub renovation. As the project progressed, it was determined that additional tiles were damaged randomly across the pool deck and also needed to be replaced. There was an insufficient quantity of stock to replace all the needed tiles. Despite efforts to find matching tile or to create a combination of existing and new tile, no plausible solution was found that would maintain the aesthetic expectations of the facility.
Other remaining project issues relate to the outdoor pool splash feature and shade structure. The splash feature did not work properly and is being disputed with the manufacturer. The feature was removed for safety. A shade structure was scheduled for installation in May. During excavation for the piers needed to support the shade structure columns, the contractor encountered undocumented utilities in most of the 5 pier locations. There was not enough time to determine a solution and complete the associated work without delaying the opening of the outdoor pool for a month or more. Staff directed the contractor to fill in the pier holes and delay the work until after the pool closes in September. The exact solution will not be known until after the pool closes.
The bid contained alternate items that the community hoped may be included in the project if the funding was available. These include replacing all of the ceiling tiles and grid structure throughout the facility, replacing the skylight panels above the indoor pool, painting additional areas, and other improvements. Since the contingency funds are exhausted, staff will present future Change Orders for Council consideration to address these issues once the costs have been identified.
Staff is working on a grand reopening event in mid-September and more details will be available soon.
You can watch the Council's Athletic Club renovation update here and read the presentation here.
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Council Receives Cotton Belt Trial Update | |
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The Cotton Belt Trail (CBT) is a regional trail that is part of the Regional Veloweb which is a 1,883-mile network of off-street shared-use paths designed for multi-use trip purposes by cyclists, pedestrians, and other non-motorized forms of transportation that connect 10 counties and 105 Cities in North Central Texas. In Addison, the CBT will span between the North Dallas Tollway and Marsh Lane as part of the hike and bike trail planned to run beside the new DART Silver Line from Plano to DFW Airport. At the August 23 City Council meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Janna Tidwell discussed recent updates from the North Central Council of Governments (NCTCOG) regarding the design and funding of the CBT, as well as a grant application to request funding for a portion of the CBT.
The design for the trail is completely funded. Addison has $3,792,027 available for construction of sections of the trail. Of the funds available, $2,697,457 has been identified for the Midway Pedestrian Bridge which is a considered a critical trail section. Until recently, NCTCOG indicated the Midway Bridge was completely funded. However, that was based on 10% design plans that required additional information such as a site survey, location of utilities, completion of a geotechnical report, and design of the bridge and abutments. The estimates also did not include four years of inflation and estimated that the construction would be in conjunction with the adjacent rail line. The current Opinion of Probable Cost estimates recently received by Town staff indicate the construction of the Midway Pedestrian Bridge segment will be closer to $11 million.
NCTCOG has invited Addison to respond to a call for Regional Transportation Alternatives Projects to request funding of $11 million for the Midway Pedestrian Bridge. The grant application indicates high priority will be given to regional Veloweb trail connections such as the Midway Pedestrian Bridge. If the funding requested were awarded this would allow $3,792,027 in funds available to Addison to be applied to the construction of the remaining trail sections. During its August 26 meeting, Council approved a resolution supporting the application to Regional Transportation Alternatives Program for Council consideration.
You can watch the Council's Cotton Belt Trail discussion here and review the presentation here.
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Council Discusses Cost of Living Adjustment for Retirees
Since 1994, Addison has provided pension benefits for all of its full-time employees through a hybrid defined benefit plan in the state-wide Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS). TMRS is an agency created by the State of Texas and administered in accordance with the Texas Government Code. During the August 3 Budget Workshop, a representative from TMRS and Town staff presented Council with information on TMRS's Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). Addison has not adopted a COLA since 2016.
At the August 23 City Council meeting, Staff shared additional information requested by Council during the Budget Workshop. Council directed staff to include a 30% recurring COLA in the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget. Despite the addition, the revised proposed tax rate of $0.609822/$100 is lower than the current tax rate of $0.614660/$100.
You can watch Council's TMRS COLA discussion here and read the presentation here.
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Council Approves Agreement with Grapevine to Provide Jail Services
In October 2016, the Addison Police Department contracted the City of Carrollton Police Department Detention Center to house its arrestees and inmates through an Interlocal Agreement (ILA). The Town was notified by Carrollton in December of 2021 of their intent to terminate the ILA effective September 30, 2022.
After a thorough search, staff identified the City of Grapevine Police Department as a viable partner to provide detention services for Addison inmates. At its August 23 meeting, the City Council approved an ILA with Grapevine to provide those services.
You can watch the Council's jail discussion here.
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Council Receives Quarterly Financial Report for the Third Quarter of Fiscal Year 2022
Addison's financial policies require the publication of a financial report 60 days subsequent to the end of each fiscal quarter. The financial and investment reports presented to Council at its August 23 meeting covered the financial performance for the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2022 (April 1, 2022 - June 30, 2022). The financial report includes information for the following funds: General, Hotel, Economic Development, Airport, Utility, and Stormwater.
Key highlights for the third quarter include:
- General Fund revenue totaled $37.9 million, which is 93.1 percent of the fiscal year budget.
- General Fund expenditures totaled $28.2 million, which is 69.1 percent of the fiscal year budget.
- Sales tax collections totaled $11.9 million, which is 87.1 percent of the fiscal year budget.
- The Hotel Fund had revenue of $3.8 million, an increase of $1.9 million from this time a year ago, and expenditures of $3.1 million.
- Performing Arts expenditures are at 100% percent due to the full payment of the WaterTower Theatre grant.
- Special Events revenues totaled 50.7 percent, and expenses totaled 37.9 percent of the fiscal year budget due to the timing of events.
- Airport Fund operating revenue totaled $5.0 million or 70.9 percent, and operating expenditures totaled $3.3 million, or 63.0%.
- Utility Fund operating revenue totaled $10.8 million or 75.0 percent, and operating expenditures totaled $10.5 million, or 71.3%.
- Stormwater Fund revenue and expenditures are in line with historical averages.
The Third Quarter Investment Report adheres to the Town's Investment Policy as adopted by Council and is in keeping with all State laws. You can watch the Council's quarterly update discussion here, review the presentation here, and read the Financial Report here.
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Midway Road Overnight Closure Planned for September 1 | |
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DART's Silver Line contractor, Archer Western Herzog (AWH), will be setting the beams for the new bridge over Midway Road during the day on Monday through Wednesday of next week which will require periodic lane closures. They are planning another full closure of Midway Road from 8pm on Thursday, September 1 until 6am on Friday, September 2 to set the actual bridge spans over Midway Road.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact AWH Manager Marvin Jackson at [email protected] or Addison's Director of Public Works and Engineering Shannon Hicks at [email protected].
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Benihana on Belt Line is Officially Open | |
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On August 24, Mayor Joe Chow was joined by Mayor Pro Tempore Kathryn Wheeler and Council Members Darren Gardner, Guillermo Quintanilla, and Eileen Resnik at the official ribbon cutting for the new Benihana Japanese Restaurant at 5000 Belt Line Road. Also in attendance were Interim City Manager Hamid Khaleghipour, Deputy City Managers John Crawford and Ashley Shroyer, and Metrocrest Chamber President Hayden Austin.
During the spectacular event, CEO Tom Baldwin welcomed guests with a Taiko Drum Performance and the traditional breaking of the Kagamibiraki Sake Barrel. Taking over the old Kobe Japanese Steakhouse location in Addison Walk, Benihana features 23 teppanyaki tables and a full-service sushi bar. The newest Addison restaurant officially opened to the public on August 26.
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VisionsForConfidence Makes Donation to George Bush Elementary School for Fine Arts Program | |
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On Monday, August 22, VisionsForConfidence (V4C) team members Madeleine Chen, Elizabeth Echt, and Ariana Wang presented a check for $5,000 to George H. W. Bush Elementary School Principal Carol Crowling for the school's fine arts education program. DISD Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde and Mayor Joe Chow were on hand to thank these three Hockaday School students for their generosity. They raised the money by teaching dance and music lessons during the summer.
V4C is a non-profit performing arts organization co-founded by Madeleine and Elizabeth who have dedicated their passion for the performing arts to providing scholarships supporting talented young artists with financial needs to pursue continued art training. V4C also provides financial support and works with children who have special needs, introducing them to a world of Performing Arts to which they never would have had access.
Many thanks to V4C for supporting Bush Elementary.
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Pop Up in the Park on August 27 | |
Come out to Addison Circle Park on August 27 for food, games, and FREE yoga from 9am - 11am. Bring your mat and find your center for a yoga session hosted by Addison Circle Yoga from 9am - 10am. After your free class, head to the Addison Outdoors pop-up trailer until 11am for giant Jenga, corn hole, and much more. | |
Silver Line Breakfast and Coffee Set for August 30 | |
DART's Silver Line Contractor Archer Western Herzog (AWH) is hosting a Breakfast and Coffee on Tuesday, August 30 from 9:30am - 10:30am at La Spiga Bakery at 4203 Lindbergh Drive to provide updates on the Silver Line construction. Seating is limited so please RSVP at www.awhsilverline.com. For more information, please call 972-833-2856. | |
Are You Interested in Competing in an Addison Pickleball League? | |
Attention all Addison Pickleball Players! Are you interested in some friendly competition on the new Pickleball Courts? The Athletic Club is hosting a meeting on Wednesday, August 31 from 7pm - 8pm in the gym to discuss the creation of a doubles Pickleball league beginning September 28. Please RSVP to Recreation Coordinator Luis Ibarra at [email protected]. | |
Are You Ready for Game Day? | |
It's almost football season, which in Texas is one of the most anticipated seasons of the year. Dazzle your friends with your football knowledge during this year's Addison Parks and Recreation Fantasy Football League. Draft day is Thursday, September 1 starting at 6:30pm. The league will be using the ESPN Fantasy Football app, so the draft will take place virtually. Prizes will be awarded to first, second, and third place winners.
The registration fee is $20 and interested residents can register at the Athletic Club front desk. The deadline to register is August 31 at 5pm. If you have questions, please contact Recreation Coordinator Luis Ibarra at [email protected].
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Parent Night Out on September 2 | |
No need to book a Friday night babysitter on September 2. The Athletic Club staff has you covered. Don't miss the Paint N' Pizza Parent Night Out on September 2 from 6:30pm - 9pm (ages 3 - 12). Make sure to stop by the Athletic Club front desk to register. | |
Learn How to Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft | |
The Addison Police Department will be sharing tips on how to protect yourself against identity theft on Tuesday, September 6 from 7pm - 8pm at the Addison Athletic Club. Mark your calendar, grab your neighbors, and plan to join us for this informative session. | |
Doggie Splash Day Returns September 10
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The Athletic Club outdoor pool is going to the dogs on September 10 during Doggie Splash Day. Let your pup enjoy some time in the water after the pool officially closes for the season. For the safety of our four-legged friends, times are staggered:
9:30am - 10:30am: Small dogs
10:45am - noon: Big Dogs
All dogs must have up-to-date rabies tags or proof of vaccination to register and attend. Registration is $5 per dog and pet owners can register at the front desk at the Club.
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Important Numbers and Websites | | |
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