Brays Oaks Management District Beautification and Urban Design Committee met Aug. 3

Brays Oaks Management District Beautification and Urban Design Committee met Aug. 3.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

The Brays Oaks Management District Beautification and Urban Design Committee held a meeting via Zoom video conference on August 03, 2023, at 1:30 PM.

District Board and Committee members present: Cindy Chapman, Marsha Fisk, Ronnie Plotkin Staff members present: Xavier Herrera, Cosme Garcia

Public present: Erin Lewandowski – Price Wagener, Sonia Chavez – SMC Logistics, Evan Rodriguez – SMC Logistics, Stephen Polnaszek, Brenda Jackson, Naomi Ostfeld, Bill Burhans – WWGC, Naomi Ostfeld, Gerda Gomez, Abraham Zorrilla – City of Houston P&D, Lynn Henson – City of Houston P&D, Tina Ortiz – City of Houston Parks and Recreation, Ed Williams – Williams Arch. Signage

Committee Chair Cindy Chapman called the meeting to order at 1:30 PM, and the committee meeting adjourned at 2:35 PM.

THE COMMITTEE CONSIDERED THE FOLLOWING:

1. Call to order

2. Public Comment

a. No public comments were made.

3. Minutes of 07/06/23 B&UD Committee Meeting

a. Committee meeting minutes were submitted for reference and review.

4. Receive a report on landscaping and porter services from Price Wagener and SMC Logistics for the month of June, and proposals for recommendation to BOMD Board for consideration.

a. Landscaping - Price Wagener

i. Ms. Lewandowski presented the report for Price Wagener for the month of July. Full report available in committee packet. The irrigation techs located two leaks that need to be repaired. Ms. Lewandowski will follow-up with staff on the issue.

b. Porter Services - SMC Logistics

i. Ms. Chavez presented the report for SMC Logistics for the month of July. Full report available in committee packet.

5. Field Service Operator Report

a. Mr. Rodriguez presented the FSO report which is available in the committee packet.

6. Receive update from Houston Planning & Development Department regarding the Braeburn Neighborhood Resilience Study

a. Mr. Zorrilla and Ms. Henson gave a presentation on neighborhood resilience and the Braeburn Neighborhood Action Plan. Three public meetings will be held to gather community feedback; the first meeting was held on July 13th . A survey link is available and will be shared with the public to receive feedback from people that are unable to share their thoughts in-person. Ms. Henson advised that they want to make sure CoH P&D is a good partner and intends to include the district. Director Plotkin inquired if P&D has reached out to commercial property owners, Mr. Zorilla advised that they have not, however, they want to reach as many stakeholders as possible and he requested contact information.

7. Discussion, Updates and Recommendations

a. Consider policy to allow BOMD executive director to authorize repairs of district assets without board action.

i. Executive Director Herrera advised that multiple districts have policies in place to allow their Executive Director to authorize repairs to district assets without board action.

ii. Committee Chair Chapman advised that it makes sense to give the Executive Director some flexibility regarding the repair of district assets; the board should determine the dollar amount.

iii. Director Plotkin was in favor of giving the Executive Director and Director of Services the ability to approve the repair of district assets.

iv. The committee agreed to send the item to the board for consideration.

b. Consider proposal for repairs to damaged BOMD monument at South Gessner and Braeswood

i. Mr. Williams reviewed the proposal for repairs and replacement. Director Plotkin inquired if the sign could be moved further back to keep it from being hit. Mr. Williams advised that it’s already far back and he was surprised that it was hit.

ii. Committee Chair Chapman asked for the status of the previous sign that was repaired. Mr. Williams advised that he will need to review what was authorized for the spare sign.

iii. Executive Director Herrera inquired if the district should consider placement of bollards to protect the monuments. Mr. Williams advised that this may present a liability issue to the district.

iv. The committee agreed to send the proposal to the board for consideration.

c. Consider proposal from the Houston Parks and Recreation Department to accept Council District funds in the amount of $25,000 for a construction project at the Willow Waterhole

i. Ms. Ortiz presented this item. The project will be funded by a combination of district funds from VMPT Castex-Tatum and fundraising for WWGC. The ILA between CoH and BOMD will need to be amended to include the sculpture as an asset in the agreement. Additionally, the district will need to serve as the facilitator for the $25,000 coming from VMPT Castex-Tatum’s office.

ii. The committee agreed to send the item to the board for consideration.

d. Parks & Facilities in BOMD

i. No updates.

e. Gasmer Site Update

i. Mr. Burhans advised that TIRZ 20 is working with CoH to purchase the property and WWGC is still working to have CoH secure the property.

f. Willow Waterhole Greenway Conservancy

i. Mr. Burhans reported on the ongoing projects at Willow Waterhole; Wesbury Lake has 1.5 miles of trails and an additional 3.1 miles of trails are being funded by foundation grants.

8. Adjourn

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Consider proposal for repairs to damaged BOMD monument at South Gessner and Braeswood.

• Consider proposal from the Houston Parks and Recreation Department to accept Council District funds in the amount of $25,000 for a construction project at the Willow Waterhole.

• Consider policy to allow BOMD executive director to authorize repairs of district assets without board action.

https://www.braysoaksmd.org/who-we-are/board-materials/