10111965 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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regu I ar meet i ng, october II, 1965 page two R.C. Van Gundy appeared before the Counci I representing downtown business men on Lyndon B. Johnson Drive. He asked that a more thorough study be made of the pro- posed one-way traffic regulation of the two main s~reets downtown, before action is taken by the Counci I. He ex- pressed the opinion that when construction is completed on downtown traffic lanes, much of the present congestion wi I I be eliminated. Tne Mayor said that Thomas K. Woods, newly appointed Engineer of Texas Highway Department District 14, and Ed Bluestein, retiring District 14 Engi- neer, had cal led on City officials in regard to one-way I traff i c regu I at i on, and had adv i sed aga i nst it. Mr. Serur said it would be given further study before action is taken. The Mayor introduced an ordinance annexing property in Oak ~eights belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Jack Clark. The pet i t i on for annexat i on had been rece i ved Sept. 13, 1965. Alderman Pool moved that the Annexation Ordinance be adopted. Alderman Froh seconded the motion and on rol I cal I, the following vote was recorded: AYE: NAY: Damon, Froh, Pool, Tuttle, Whittenberg None The Mayor declared the Ordinance Passed, Approved and Adopted. The Mayor read aloud a letter of resignation from Dr. Joe Wi Ison as Commissioner of the Urban Renewal Agency (Local Public Agency). He said he regretted that i I I health required that Dr. Wi Ison resign, and praised him for "a grand job" as Commissioner. The Mayor said a new appointment would be required to fi II the vacancy. I Alderman Whittenberg said he had a Resolution to pro- pose that might make an appointment unnecessary. He said that he had been on the Counci I a year and four months, and that he felt that Urban Renewal had been a mi I Istone about the Counci I's neck. He moved that "the Counci I go on record to instruct the LPA to conclude the Chautauqua Hi II Project, and not to receive any new pro- jects; to conclude and liquidate their business and close their office", Alderman Froh seconded the motion. The Mayor said he felt that after the years that had gone into p lann i ng and work on the Urban Renewa 1 Project, it wou I d be an injustice to tl\re people of San Marcos, and to all the people who had worked so hard, to abandon the prbjecfrs under plan. He reminded the Counci I that the Urban Renew- al Referendum had approved the projectS! to I ~n Septem- ber, 1962. A I derman Poo I sai d th is move came as a com- plete surprise to him, and was a shock. "I can't support it", Dr. Pool said, and added: "The River Project had first priority..." Alderman Whittenberg said that khey had not been able to get any action out of the Fort Worth office. The Mayor said he had been assured the City would get some- thing definite in a few days. Mr. Froh said ~e felt there had been "speculation" on the project; that people were always looking for "something for nothing", begging with their hands out; and that some people seemed to be capi- ta I i zing on it. The Mayor sa i d the proj ect was' for the public benefit, and not for individuals. Alderman Damon said the project had been "in the mi II" an extremely long time and he could understand why the patience of tKe citi- zens'might be exhausted. "Yet there are so many facets - I