Council to revisit new city hall construction and hold District 3 council election on Jan. 17, 2009

By Brandi Hart
McKinneyUpdate.com editor

The McKinney City Council will revisit the issue of whether or not to demolish the six-story former courthouse at 210 S. McDonald St. where a new city hall will be either be built or the current building renovated in 2010 as the council will not vote on a contract for architectural and engineering services at the Nov. 18 council meeting as originally planned.

The agenda for the Nov. 18 council meeting includes a resolution to approve a contract with an architectural and engineering firm for phase one of the civic center campus. However, the council directed City Manager Frank Ragan to withdraw the item from the agenda and to bring it back to the council so members could further discuss it in detail as a council workshop meeting.

The issue was discussed at the council workshop on Nov. 17. Ragan apologized to the council for the item being on the Nov. 18 agenda. Ragan said he did not want the item to be on the agenda and it will be withdrawn from the agenda

Council member at-large Pete Huff said he thought the city was moving too fast on the issue and wanted more time for the council to discuss the item before approving a contract to engineer and design phase one of the center.

"I have no love or hate of that building, but we need to look harder at what can be done to that building.This is the biggest piece of the whole puzzle and I feel like we were kind of sliding into it without the council looking at all of the options," Huff said.

Council member for District 4 Ray Ricchi said he's in favor of demolishing the building. However, his only concern is ensuring the staff gets input from the city's historic preservation office about demolishing the down the building since in the Historic District. The current six-story former courthouse is owned by the city, was built in the 1980s and also has a time capsule located in the building that was placed there by members of a local Masonic lodge.

Council member for District 1 Gilda Garza said that she didn't want the current building to be demolished.

Council member at-large Bill Cox said he thought the council was first going to talk about the cost to demolish and rebuild a new city hall before voting on the resolution to approve a contract with a firm to provide architectural and engineering services for the civic center.

The council also met in a brief closed meeting to discuss phase one of the Bridge Street Town Centre project, but took no action on the issue in open session. The council will vote hold a public hearing on an amendment to the city's hotel agreement with McKinney Shores Hotel Partners, Inc., which is subsidiary of O & S Holdings, Inc., the developer of the Westin Hotel and McKinney Convention Center.

The council will also vote on Nov. 18 to increase the incentive from the McKinney Community Development Corporation from $16.2 million to $21.2 million to be given to O & S Holdings to construct the hotel and center at US 75 and Spur 399. The council will also vote on am amendment to the master development agreement for the Bridge Street project on Nov. 18.

During the council meeting on Nov. 18, the council will also vote on a resolution to authorize the city manager to execute a contract with Brinkley Sargent Architects of Dallas to create a recreation and aquatics feasibility study and master plan.

Huff asked Parks, Recreation and Open Space Director Lemuel Randolph if the city will share the cost of a feasibility study with the McKinney ISD to jointly use a recreational facility and aquatic center. The city is paying for the entire study and the city staff members have not asked the McKinney ISD to help pay for it, Randolph said. He added that the McKinney ISD currently does not have enough money to pay for an aquatics center without help from city funds.

City officials have previously said they wanted to build a new recreational center and an aquatic center, which could be an indoor or outdoor swimming pool, or a natatorium. somewhere west of US 75. Ragan said he does not think that McKinney ISD Superintendent Tom Crowe is anticipating a free ride on building an aquatic center.

Council member for District 2 Geralyn Kever praised Ragan for working with McKinney ISD officials on the issue and building a partnership with them for joint use projects.

Cox also volunteered to fill the council liaison positions formerly held by former District 3 Council member Bill Vitz, who resigned from the council on Nov. 11 due to health concerns. The council only discussed the issue and could not vote on it because it was not listed as an action item on the agenda.

All council members and Mayor Bill Whitfield agreed that Cox should serve as the liaison to the McKinney Economic Development Corporation's Board of Directors, the McKinney Convention and Visitors Bureau's Board of Directors.

In other news, Garza asked the city's finance staff members about a budget amendment that included $1,170 for a bronze plaque for a horse that the city no longer has in the Public Safety Department. Garza said that $1,170 is a lot of money for a plaque for a horse.

The council also heard an update about plans to build a fire station at 3445 Alma Road, west of US 75 that will serve southwest McKinney until August, 2013, when the city will have the fire station completed in Craig Ranch.

We do know we have plenty of opportunity and there is an element of the unknown of what the conditions are going to be, Wallace said. Kever suggested about getting the message about the city preparing to build a new fire station in Craig Ranch that will open in 2013 to be published in the Craig Ranch newsletter, she said.

Garza asked what would happen to the Alma Road Fire Station after the Craig Ranch Fire Station is built. Ragan said that it could be used as a warehouse, public works personnel could be moved to the facility and it's a good investment no matter which way you go with this.

The council will vote on moving $400,000 from the capital improvements project fund, which that originally set aside for the Craig Ranch Fire Station budget, to the Alma Road Fire Station budget, said Fire Chief Mark Wallace.

Assistant City Manager Rick Chaffin said the city's goal is to get into the Alma Road Fire Station as quickly as the city can and in five years from now we'll have to decide what we want to use that station for.

The city will be required to have a certificate occupancy by Aug. 15, 2013 for the Craig Ranch Fire Station, Wallace said.

At least three council members said they were in favor of withdrawing an item from the Nov. 18 agenda that involves an appeal regarding impact fees associated with the Meeting Hall and Maintenance Facility that will be constructed at the Pecan Grove Cemetery.

However, the item will remain on the agenda and the council will have to vote on the issue as Pecan Grove Cemetery Association submitted an appeal to the city, said City Attorney Mark Houser.

The association, which is a non-profit association, wants to build a maintenance building and meeting hall where family reunions, meetings and weddings could be held on the south side of the cemetery.

Mayor Bill Whitfield said he just didn't know where the Pecan Grove Cemetery Association was going to get the money to pay for it.

Ragan said he's sympathetic to the association asking the city to waive the impact fees to help cut costs to construct the buildings. However, he thought he used bad judgment in putting the item on the agenda because there are so many similarly valuable non-profits organizations in McKinney who could also ask the city for the same thing, Ragan said. Huff, Kever and Ricchi agreed with Ragan.

Some of the items the council will vote on at the Nov. 18 council meeting include:

For more information, call the city at 972-547-7500 or visit it's Web site www.mckinneytexas.org and click the "city council" link to view a meeting agenda.