Low-cost housing, new fire station, location intelligence software on horizon
At this month’s regular scheduled Whitesboro City Council meeting, a representative for PK Companies proposed a development for affordable rental housing at 2000 US HWY 82 West (currently Brookhollow Apartments) and 500 4th Street (currently Whitesboro Park Apartments). The proposal seeks to redevelop these areas into one company to be collectively known as Emerald Park Apartments in the City of Whitesboro.
Resolution 8697, expressing support for the Emerald Park Apartments Project, was passed with five agreed and one opposed.
This new development would mean PK Companies would completely renovate all apartments. The renovations would cost about $45K and would be completed in three phases: external renovations such as re-shingling the roof and adding vinyl siding; interior renovations like updating old appliances, replacing cabinets, painting units and replacing windows, HVAC and hot water heaters; and repairs of the sidewalks and parking lot.
Renovations would be done in place, meaning residents would be moved temporarily and interior renovations would take about three to five days.
Emerald Park Apartments is operated under the auspices of USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Rural Development. The representative said rents are set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and charged at no more than 30% of income minus a utility allowance. The heat, hot and cold water, sewage and trash removal are all included in the basic rental rate.
According to an article on rentspree.com, rent in Texas can average from $615 a month for a studio and up to $1,388 or more for a house or four-bedroom apartment. With the housing market and rental prices on a continual upward climb, area citizens may be glad to hear of more affordable rental options.
PK Companies will re-address the city once they’ve secured HUD approval, a process which could potentially take 30-60 days.
Later, after discussing in executive session for nearly 90 minutes, the council approved City Administrator Julie Arrington to move into negotiation with the purchase of Tract B of 1.669 acres on 4th Street. The purpose of the purchase is for a new station build for the Whitesboro Fire Department (WFD). The WFD is quickly outgrowing its current fire station and is working with the city to begin planning for the future of the department and the care of its citizens.
The family selling the property has agreed to sell the land for $100K. The land surrounding the property is owned by the City of Whitesboro. Arrington will contact them and open the discussion for the possible purchase.
The City Council also authorized Arrington to enter into a contract with Placer AI with Arrington and Economic Development director Lynda Anderson as users.
Placer AI is a location intelligence and foot traffic data software that provides insight into property, region, brand or industry based on consumer foot-traffic data and market intelligence. This data can be collected through WiFi, GPS, beacons and user motion.
Representatives from Placer AI were present via a conference call where they answered questions and concerns from council members. Aldermen Colby Meals had several questions concerning how the company collects information and how much information data they collect.
Placer AI informed the council that the company collects data where individuals are going, but also collects license credit card sales. Placer AI does not share the information collected. They get their data by tapping into apps that have high-quality tracking. Placer AI only captures time stamps and location data stamps.
Anderson said this has so many advantages and can benefit business owners and the Chamber of Commerce alike. She said this tracking information can help business owners target how and when they are getting more foot traffic. Anderson said the advantage of purchasing this subscription is that it can be utilized for one year and be re-evaluated to see whether it has been beneficial for Whitesboro or not.
Also in this council meeting, Ordinance 1219 amending the fiscal year 2023-2024 budget was adopted with the exception of page 210 and line item #3, which covers a comprehensive plan that needs further clarification. Another Budget Amendment will be presented in April for the finance side.
Resolution 8699 was adopted, authorizing the City Secretary Teresa Nino to consolidate, add, close and change the city bank accounts with First State Bank.
Mayor David Blaylock was authorized to enter into a participation agreement with Texpool Investment Pools, which handles grant money and donated funds. Nino, Alderman John Moore and Mayor Pro Tempore Ben Edwards have been selected as the designated authorized representatives to participate in the Texpool Investment Pools.
The City Council accepted the Board of Adjustment resignation of Fire Chief Steve Pinkston, who has served on the board for many years.
Whitesboro’s Housing Authority requested approval for members to be reappointed to the Housing Authority Board. Council members said they would like to educate themselves more about the role of each of the Housing Authority board members before moving forward with this approval, so this item was tabled for two weeks.
Lastly, the City Council discussed and approved any expenditures exceeding the City Administrator’s authority. The expenditures included a crack in the Godwin Park pool with $5,115 in repairs and two culverts for Kelly St. with $8,514 in street repairs.
Department heads gave their monthly reports, and Communications Supervisor Lisa Whitten said the Police Dispatch Department has hired two new dispatchers, bringing their total to six dispatchers for the department. Whitten said the department is very appreciative to the council for acknowledging how much the department was in need of more workers. She said there were a total of 13,176 calls received for 2023, which is very good for only six dispatchers.
Interim Police Chief Rob Sherwin acknowledged and thanked the WFD for recognizing those in Dispatch for their hard work and efforts. Sherwin said the number of arrests are down, but he has noticed officers are doing a great job at recognizing who needs to be arrested and who doesn’t.
He also mentioned what has stood out to him the most has been traffic citations and speeding in 2022 versus in 2023. He said the number has doubled to 1,475, and the officers’ efforts on HWY 82 are having a positive effect, especially during school. He believes having officers out there giving citations is reducing the number of accidents in that area.
“Remember, the goal of traffic enforcement is compliance. I am very impressed with that,” Sherwin said.
Sherwin also shared that the Police Department is short an officer and he has been authorized to make a selection and fill that role in the next couple of weeks.
56 Deli owner Coley Wade was approved for a Downtown Building Improvement Grant of up to $7,500 and a fee waiver of $50. The purpose of the grant is to give the business a facelift, as the owners are looking into painting and giving the building more curb appeal.
Ordinance 1218 was adopted, ordering the May 4, 2024 election. This election will be for three Aldermen, each for a two-year term, and one Alderman for a one-year term. Additionally, the City Council approved a contract with Grayson County Election Administration for election management of the City of Whitesboro and Whitesboro Independent School District joint election on May 4, 2024.
