Motorists on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive north of Interstate 10 will soon have lower speed limits plus two school zones. The Orange City Council Tuesday approved two ordinances that were requested by the Texas Department of Transportation.
Also, the council approved the $489,344 contract for the new playground at Lions Den Park. The park will be handicapped accessible and the total price includes a concrete sidewalk with a rubber coating for easy use of wheelchairs.
The speed limit will be reduced to 50 miles per hours for a fifth of a mile north of the city limits of Pinehurst. Also, the speed limit will drop to 60 mph for 1.11 miles north of that area.
The two school zones will have 35 mph speed limits during times of school. One zone will be at Little Cypress Junior High, which is at the MLK intersection with FM 1130. That zone will be 0.212 miles. The other zone will be at Little Cypress Christian Academy, 3800 MKL. That zone will be 0.13 miles.
Public Works Director Jim Wolf said TxDOT asked for the changes. MLK Drive is also FM 3247 and is maintained by the state agency. Cities, though, set speed limits within their boundaries.
The council approved the changes on first reading. The ordinances will need to pass a second reading before taking effect.
In June, the council chose the May Recreation design for the new Lions Den Park playground. The city gave three difference playground companies a $450,000 budget for the park. All three companies are part of a state bid co-op.
The total contract with May adds the special sidewalk to the equipment budget.
The council met through the GoToMeeting program available online or on phone. The online video showed members were watching, but no one spoke during the citizens comments or during a public hearing on Hurricane Harvey infrastructure disaster recovery Community Development Block Grants.
The city has three projects under the grant for a total of $4.31 million. A regional emergency radio tower will cost $1.8 million. The addition of 22 storm gates in East Orange is designed to stop river flooding back flow from coming into streets. The cost is $1.8 million. Also, the city plans an additional $608,000 in improvements to the Cooper’s Gully channel.
The council also voted to remove the limits on years that a citizen may serve on a volunteer committee, board, or commission. Mayor Larry Spears Jr. said the limit on years was set more than 40 years ago. The mayor stressed the removal of limits is only for the council-appointed positions. Term limits are still set on terms for council members.
Other business included appointing Susan Pennington the Historical Preservation Commission. The council also re-appointed Dr. Suzonne Crockett and Anna Smith to the Convention and Visitors Advisory Board. Rusty Dollar was also appointed to that board. Dollar had previously served on the board.
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