On Monday, February 23, the City of Bellaire held a Press Briefing to discuss the Municipal Facilities Projects. Speaking at the briefing were Mayor Nauert, Chief Holloway, and Jeff Gerber. The Mayor's comments from the meeting can be found below. If you would like to view the briefing in its entirety, please click here.
Press
Briefing Opening Comments by Mayor Nauert
Good morning and thank you for being here.
I would like to share three important messages with you this
morning about our Municipal Facilities project.
While these are not new ideas, it is important that we take the time to
ensure we are communicating clearly and concisely.
We would then like to answer your questions.
The three messages
are:
- This project has, and always will, follow an open and public process
- This project is comprised of multiple elements, and multiple objectives
- The campus plan, and the fact that these buildings have and will have proximity to park and recreation functions, create important design considerations.
Regarding message
number one, the public process:
Encouraging public input is how Bellaire does things. On this project, public meetings specifically
organized to provide pre-design input were held in the summer of 2013. We have not lost the thread of what we heard
in those meetings, and what we heard in those meetings drive what you are going
to hear in message two.
The voters of Bellaire were asked to decide whether this
project was worthy of an additional $11 million bond issue in November
2013. Significant public information was
provided in preparation of that bond election.
Recent City decisions to select the campus option, select
the consultant, appoint an advisory committee, and create a public input
process were all made in an open and transparent way.
Future town hall meetings are planned, including on March 30
at the Civic Center.
With regard to
message number two:
Here is an overview of what we’re trying to accomplish, a
list of our multiple objectives. Again,
these are driven by what we have heard from the public and the users of the
buildings:
Functionality and Safety - One of the reasons we
selected the design firm we’re using is because of their history and deep
knowledge of our current facilities and the programs housed in those
facilities. Efficiency and safety are
key elements of the inputs received from staff and appointed officials.
Aesthetics, the relationship of the buildings to the
park, and to each other - The current buildings are, and the new buildings
will be, in a park. We’re asking the Ad
Hoc Advisory Committee to help us think through those relationships, and
provide key design input into how the buildings relate to each other. The Committee’s work is important, and I
appreciate the progress they are making.
Ensure relationship to Condit and Evelyn’s Park - Our
architect is aware of those projects and is ensuring those concepts play a role
in our project design.
Limit negative impact on greenspace, trees, and parking
- This is largely about doing the math, we do not want to move in the wrong
direction with regard to greenspace, trees, and parking.
Plan for the future library - No, the future library
is not funded, but should be in some point in our future, and not actively
considering and planning for a future library building would be shortsighted.
Budget and Schedule - Much has been made of the
“Campus Plan” selected by Council and what that decision means. The fact is, that decision was made in
response to the objectives described above, is based on a budget decision
framed by the bond election, and drives the schedule we are currently
attempting to follow. It doesn't mean the
Council cannot change its mind. It does
mean changing the direction has implications.
It means that changing our mind needs to be the result of facts and not
false assumptions.
An overriding objective in fact, has been to ensure that
Council has the ability and discretion over the final answer. Like it or not, that’s our job. It’s clear that the final answer won’t please
everyone. It’s also clear that a final
answer that intends to please everyone won’t ultimately please anyone.
With regard to
message number three:
The third message is about the “Campus Plan” and the
considerations it requires about the Court and City Hall, the Civic Center and
the Park, and the future location of the police department. There have been recent public statements about
these relationships that are built on false assumptions.
I’m asking Jeff Gerber of PGAL to describe these
relationships, and how he plans to ensure the objectives listed above are
addressed. Later, Chief Byron Holloway
will describe the functional relationship between the Court and Police
department.
Comments from Jeff
Gerber and Chief Byron Holloway here
We appreciate all of the input we have and will receive on this project, especially, but not only, from the Advisory Committee. We are providing this information, using this forum, so as to ensure public opinion has the opportunity to be based on good information. We will now respond to questions from members of the media.
