The Orange City Council learned prices on several previous suggestions on projects for the city, including a sports and recreation complex that would cost $9 million to nearly $12.5 million.
No one supported that proposition, but the council members want to build a new replacement pavilion at Lions Den Park and the boat ramp. In addition, the council informally agreed to install a fence at Sunset Park along 16th Street.
In June, the council held a workshop to discuss future projects to improve the city and quality of life. City Manager Dr. Shawn Oubre said in 2019 the city will have finished paying debt on the police station and fire station on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. With the debt paid, the city could borrow more money for large projects and continue paying $490,000 budgeted each year without a tax increase.
Some council members talked about a sports complex like the one at Ford Park to attract tournaments for baseball, softball, soccer and football. Public Works Director Jim Wolf said the complex would be $7.9 million. Land would cost more.
The city owns acreage along Simmons Drive and the Sabine River. The property was the former site of the World War II era Riverside housing project. Wolf said the city would need to spend $4.4 million to prepare that land for a recreational complex. He estimated about $837,000 to buy land for a complex.
One councilor asked about improved street lighting on 16th Street similar to the set-back light poles on Texas Avenue in Bridge City. Wolf reported the Texas Department of Transportation would have to approve any lighting. He estimated the lighting would cost $599,300. Oubre said the wooden utility poles would have to remain up for electrical, telephone and other wires.
A citizen asked for a sidewalk on Sunset Drive west of 16th Street. The estimates to build a sidewalk from 16th Street to 28th Street are $581,691. Wolf said the street has open drainage ditches. The ditches would need to be filled in for the sidewalks. The city would need to install drainage pipes underneath the sidewalks.
Sidewalks on Park Avenue in the Shangri-La area would be cheaper because the street has curbs and gutters with a drainage system. The estimate is $191,750 for a sidewalk from 16th Street to 28th Street. Wolf reported the city does not know if utility lines are under the right-of-way.
Councilor Essie Bellfield has been asking for an orange to be painted on city water towers. City staff said an orange had been painted as the ‘O’ in the name ‘Orange’ on one tower, but it had been painted over. The city staff reported the water towers could also be used to sell advertising to businesses or industries.
The council also suggested landscaping and beautification projects. The staff estimated $10,000 to pay for planting 180 crepe myrtle trees. The expense would include the labor to plant 12 trees at 15 different locations.
Councilor Dr. Wayne Guidry asked about a new covered pavilion at Lions Den Park. Wolf reported that demolishing the old one, which is more than a half-century old, and installing a metal covered pavilion would cost about $103,730. A second option is for a wood-frame pavilion with shingle roof for $304,175.
Several council members want a covered pavilion at the Boat Ramp on the Sabine River because of the fishing tournaments and boat races. A metal-covered pavilion for that site’s uses is estimated at $209,300 and a wood-frame pavilion at $589,375. Wolf said adding a bathroom would cost about $50,000 more.
A splash park with sidewalks and shade canopies would cost an estimated $995,000. The estimate did not include the cost of property if it would not be built on land the city currently owns. The cost also didn’t include fencing or parking.
After a citizen request for flags to be displayed for holidays on thoroughfares, the staff research showed the cost could run from $7,300 to $10,000 for 3-foot-by-5-foot flags on different kinds of poles. Flags of 12-inches-by-18-inches on 30-inch poles would cost $1,875. Oubre said American flag etiquette requires flags to be lit at night or city workers would remove them at night.
The estimate for getting a new marketing slogan and logo for the city was $50,000. The current slogan, “Small town charm, world class culture” was adopted in 2008.
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