To: Mark R. Hafner, City Manager
From: Aaron Rector, Director of Administrative Services
Subject:
Title
Consider a resolution supporting the FY24 Appropriations Requests to the Office of United States Representative Beth Van Duyne related to requests for the Bear Creek Water Line Replacement with the City of Southlake, the Keller Sports Park, a Police UTV, and a Fire-EMS UTV.
Action Requested:
Consider a resolution supporting the FY24 Appropriations Requests to the Office of United States Representative Beth Van Duyne related to requests for the Keller Sports Park, the Bear Creek Water Line Replacement with the City of Southlake, a Police UTV, and a Fire-EMS UTV.
Background:
On March 2, Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne’s office made the City aware it was seeking FY 24 federal appropriations requests. A resolution of support for the requests is recommended to be included with the submittals. Staff prepared 4 requests to be submitted for consideration.
First is a joint project with the City of Southlake to replace the Bear Creek water line. The shared water transmission line is approximately 27,400 linear feet - roughly 5 miles - and is made up of 30-inch and 36-inch concrete cylinder pipes. The line to be replaced is nearly 40 years old, built when the two cities it supplied had a combined population of fewer than 7,500 people. Today, it is tasked with delivering over 2.5 billion gallons per year to serve over 77,800 residents in the two communities. Due to the age of the line, the two cities have spent over $1.5 million so far to address unexpected line breaks that have occurred at an average of one per year. The water line replacement request is for $30 million and would be a 50/50 split between federal and city funds. The City of Keller and City of Southlake would provide a match of $7.5 million for a total match of $15 million.
The second request is for the Sports Park revitalization project. The Sports Park is Keller’s largest park by acreage, consisting of 192 acres with 140 acres of competition-level fields for baseball, softball, soccer, football, lacrosse, rugby, and sand volleyball. The park also features concession stands, equestrian amenities, trail connections, and a fish pond. The City is currently planning a much-needed renovation that would significantly enhance the experience of all area residents. The design is almost complete, and construction is scheduled to begin as soon as August 2023 and conclude in November 2024. Once the revitalization is complete, the Keller Sports Park will be a one-of-a-kind regional sports facility, continuing to proudly serve thousands of North Texas families throughout the year. The Sports Park revitalization request is for $30 million and includes a match of $25 million from the city. The match funding is equal to the amount of debt the City intended to issue related to revitalization project.
The third request is for a Police Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) and the fourth request is for a Fire-EMS UTV. The City of Keller features more than 300 acres of developed park land, 11 park sites and more than 26 miles of hike and bike trails. For the Police department, a UTV would allow for routine patrols through the trails which creates visibility and an environment of safety and security for the citizens who utilize the system. For the Fire department, the UTV would allow for easier access to the trail system and better response times for medical emergencies within the trail and park systems. In addition, the city currently hosts approximately thirty (30) events annually. The two (2) events are our largest: Keller Lights & Holly Days. ‘Keller Lights’ celebrates the 4th of July and has attracted between 25-30,000 attendees annually. ‘Holly Days’ is our Christmas Winter event and has attracted 10-12,000 annually. These events take place around City Hall. With these large crowds, the UTVs would allow easier accessibility for routine patrols and quicker responses when emergency responders are requested. The Police UTV is $39,781 and the Fire-EMS UTV is estimated to be $45,000. No match is required for either UTV request.
Financial Impact:
The FY 24 appropriations request for the Bear Creek water line replacement request is $30 million with a 50% match (25% for Keller and Southlake), the Sports park is $30 million with a $25 million match (intended debt issuance), the Police UTV is $39,781, and the Fire-EMS UTV is estimated to be $45,000