Thursday, March 28, 2024

Building and Maintaining Southlake – Top Priorities in the FY 2020 Budget

Southlake is a highly functional city and it’s sometimes easy to take that for granted. But it takes work: From water, trash and sewer services to zoning, park maintenance, and traffic management, our engineers are working around the clock to make sure we stay clean, safe and efficient.

One of the City’s tools used to help it stay highly functional is to provide funding for the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) projects. This five-year program identifies construction projects to implement the Southlake 2030 and Southlake 2035 master plans.

CIP projects provide travel convenience within the city and region and provide attractive and unique open spaces for those who live, work and visit Southlake. These projects also ensure that the City will meet demands for water, sewer and drainage.

Year one of the CIP is called the Capital Budget and allocates dollars to build the identified projects. The $18.7 million Capital Budget helps ensure dependable infrastructure that makes daily life in Southlake better and in FY 2020, will be 100% cash funded.

Building and Maintaining Southlake

Public Works construction projects figure prominently in the FY 2020 budget.

Funds for citywide pathway improvements, like the new sidewalks included in the N. White Chapel widening project, and annual street rehabilitation projects will be provided. Major roadway projects such as intersection improvements at FM 1938 and W. Continental Boulevard and S. Peytonvillle Avenue and Continental Boulevard will kick off in FY 2020 with engineering services. A partnership project with TxDOT and Cities of Southlake and Colleyville to rebuild the bridge that connects Pleasant Run in Colleyville to White Chapel Southlake will also start.

Dollars will also be allocated for improvements to Southlake’s water, sewer and drainage systems. Overall system capacity improvements will be addressed. Drainage improvements on public land near Peytonville Avenue, Raven Bend, W. Highland Street, N. White Chapel Boulevard, Shady Oaks and Florence Road are also funded. The Miron Elevated Storage Tank is set to be repainted in FY 2020 as well.
Southlake engineers and inspectors have the responsibility to design, build and ensure the quality of the City’s infrastructure. Once these items are constructed, crews take on the responsibility of maintaining them.

With more than 296 miles of water distribution pipes, 208 miles of sewer mains, 211 linear miles of city roadways and 174 miles of sidewalks/trails, maintenance responsibilities are significant. And these numbers don’t even account for public drainage ways and associated infrastructure like fire hydrants, meters, valves, manholes and lift stations! The new construction will complement the current infrastructure and makes sure that facilities meet future demand.

Don’t forget about the Parks?

City parks, open space and recreational amenities for all ages are a top priority. The good news is that special funding makes it possible to implement the park master plan in an ongoing and steady timeline. In FY 2020 this means improvements to the Southlake Sports Complex and the barn at the Bob Jones Nature Preserve.
The Southlake Sports Complex project includes field improvements, shade structures, restrooms, a playground, batting cages, trails, parking, and other amenities. Construction will take a few years, things will get started in FY 2020.

While the current barn, built in the 1970s at the Bob Jones Nature Preserve has not been safe to use as classroom space, plans for FY 2020 aim to change that. This CIP includes funds for the City to move forward for improvements.

The City owns or leases 1,197.8 acres of parkland and open space, and is responsible for the maintenance of the property and the related improvements, including 51 practice fields/game facilities, seven playgrounds, 21 tennis courts and 14 pavilions.

The CIP paves the way for ongoing infrastructure development, making sure that Southlake continues to be a premier community in which to live, work and play.
Interested in learning about all of the FY 2020 CIP projects? Visit the FY 2020 Budget page and click on the CIP link at the bottom of the page in the budget documents section to see the entire list.