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City of Waco - Public Notices

The City of Waco regularly posts public information and legal notices to keep the community informed. For more information contact the City Secretary at 750-5750 or come by the office on the 1st floor of City Hall, 300 Austin Avenue.

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 NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY FOR REVIEW: 2011/2012 ANNUAL
ACTION PLAN

The City of Waco’s Housing and Community Development Service’s Citizen Participation Plan requires that the City make available to the public, for at least 30 days prior to the approval by the Mayor and City Council, a draft of the Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan including the City’s plans for the use of the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and, HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) funds. This allows citizens opportunity to examine and submit comments on the proposed plan. These Plans will be available for review beginning May 6, 2011 through June 6, 2011.

The estimated amounts for the program year 2011 funds that will be available October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012 and types of activities that can be funded are as follows:

  • Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG): $1,511,308          
  • Program Administration: Administrative cost and carrying charges to the planning and execution of community development activities assisted in whole or in part with CDBG funds.
  • Public Services: Includes but not limited to job training and employment services, health care and substance abuse services, child care, crime prevention; fair housing counseling; energy conservation, welfare services (excluding income payments), recreational activities, and the operation or maintenance of a facility in which a public service activity is located.
  • Other: Includes acquisition of real property for any public purpose, disposition of real property that is acquired with CDBG funds or through the urban renewal program, or the retention of such property for public purpose, public facilities and improvements, clearance activities, relocation assistance, homeownership assistance, construction of housing if carried out by a community based development organization, rehabilitation of residential buildings, low income public housing, and publicly or privately owned commercial or industrial buildings, code enforcement, historic preservation, renovation of closed buildings for use as an eligible public facility or housing, and economic development activities.
  • HOME Investment Partnership Act (HOME): $921,855
  • Program Administration: Administrative and planning costs of the HOME program
  • Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO): Funds must be set aside for investment in housing that is to be developed, sponsored, or owned by a CHDO.
  • Other: Homeowner rehabilitation, homebuyer activities (acquisition, rehabilitation, and construction), rental housing (acquisition, construction, rehabilitation), and tenant based rental assistance.

Draft copies of the 2011/2012 Annual Action Plan will be available to the public from May 6, 2011 through June 6, 2011 at the following locations:

City Secretary Office                            Housing and Community Development Services
City of Waco                                        City of Waco
City Hall                                               City Hall, Ground Floor
300 Austin Avenue                               300 Austin Avenue
Waco, Texas 76702                             Waco, Texas 76702

Waco-McLennan County Library locations:

Main Library                                        East Waco Library
1717 Austin Avenue                             901 Elm Street
Waco, Texas 76701                             Waco, Texas 76704

West Waco Library                              South Waco Library
& Genealogy Center                             2737 South 18th Street
5301 Bosque Blvd. Suite 275               Waco, Texas 76706
Waco, Texas 76710

Written comments on the proposed plan should be submitted to the Housing and Community Development Services at the address listed below no later than 5:00 p.m., June 6, 2011.

Housing and Community Development Services
City of Waco
City Hall, Ground Floor
300 Austin Avenue                              
Waco, Texas 76702                            

 

Patricia W. Ervin
City Secretary

SPECIAL PUBLIC NOTICE

A Special Meeting of the Waco City Council, Texas or
The Parkside Village Community Meeting will be held on

Thursday, February 10, 2011

WACO OPERATIONS CENTER TRAINING ROOM
1415 N. 4TH Street, Waco, Texas at 6:00 p.m.

AGENDA 1. Presentation and Discussion concerning the redevelopment of land currently occupied by the Parkside Village Apartments located at 1423 N. 9th Street.

This notice is being posted at Waco City Hall on the 7th day of February, 2011.

Patricia W. Ervin, City Secretary

Note: Persons with disabilities who plan to attend this meeting and who need auxiliary aides or services should contact Patricia Ervin, City Secretary, at (254) 750-5750 at least twenty-four (24) hours before this meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

It is the opinion of the City Attorney's Office that this meeting is being held and conducted in accordance with Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code.

Leah Hayes, City Attorney

 FEDERAL GRANT REVIEW

The City of Waco is working with the National Park Service (NPS) and others to develop a Memorandum of Agreement for mitigation of adverse impacts to historical property and the conversion of property at Fort Fisher to remove recreational use only restrictions relating to a 1967 Land and Water Conservation Fund (L&WCF) Grant. 

In 1967, the City of Waco obtained a L&WCF grant for Outdoor Recreation through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) for development of parks along the Brazos River.  The grant was to assist (a) with acquisition of 4.62 acres to complete a 35 acre Lake Brazos Recreation area and (b) with the construction of service storage building, concession building, restrooms and shower facilities, camping units, picnic units, fishing piers, hiking, trails and walks, roads, parking facilities and utilities in the Park site.  The land that was used for the L&WCF project included several tracts that had been acquired by the City of Waco at different points in time and had been used as a cemetery as well as property obtained from Southern Pacific Railroad through condemnation. 

When Byron Johnson was hired as the Director of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in 1996, one of his charges was to develop a master plan for the Museum. He attempted to locate records relating to the work done starting in 1967, but located very few records.  In the period between 1967 and 1996, files related to the initial L&WCF project and grant agreement in 1967 were misplaced, lost or disposed of.  The files that were maintained were stored and not indexed in a manner that allowed them to be easily located.  Consequently, the development of master plan did not take into consideration the restrictions of the L&WCF grant.  Mr. Johnson was aware that a cemetery had been located in at least portions of Ft. Fisher Park, so out of an abundance of caution he proposed that the City conduct an archaeological survey prior to beginning work the foundation for the proposed Texas Rangers Headquarters and Education Center to see if anything remained from the cemetery underneath the proposed site for the new building.  American Archaeology Group (“AAG”) was retained to perform the survey. 

The October 2006 archaeology survey of the planned building footprint area was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit Number 4255 issued by the Texas Historical Commission (“THC”).  During the survey, two burial features, i.e., crypts, were found, but no remains.  AAG’s report to THC concluded with the recommendation that “the City of Waco be allowed to proceed with the current proposed project and archaeological monitoring is not necessary.”  That report was filed with THC on or about October 22, 2007.  THC accepted the recommendation of AAG on or about December 6, 2007. 

When work on the building foundation started, some remains were discovered on May 11, 2007.  Additional remains were discovered when work began on a sewer line a short time later.  Since that time, several different Antiquities Permits have been acquired from THC to perform archaeological work on the site in conjunction with the Texas Ranger Headquarters and Education Center and the Riverwalk extension. 

The City of Waco is seeking removal of the Ft. Fisher area from the 1967 L&WCF grant restrictions regarding outdoor recreation use by substituting another parcel for outdoor recreation use.  A Section 106 review of the Ft. Fisher area is a necessary part of the conversion process under the NHPA.  As part of the Section 106 process, it is necessary to develop a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the National Park Service, the Texas Historical Commission, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the City of Waco to minimize or mitigate adverse impacts on historic properties. 

The National Parks Service, as the agency responsible for the oversight of the conversion process, has now issued a second draft of a proposed MOA.  The NPS cover letter and that MOA draft can be downloaded for review.  Interested parties are invited to review the draft MOA and provide their comments to NPS.  Comments may be sent to:

Mr. Roger Knowlton
Outdoor Recreation Planner
Recreation Grants Division
National Parks Service
601 Riverfront drive
Omaha, Nebraska 68102
Roger_Knowlton@nps.gov

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