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Planning Association names the Square a Great Public Space

The Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association announced April 3 that it had designated the Georgetown Square as a Great Public Space in its Great Places in Texas program.

According to the organization, Great Places in Texas exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners and planning play in creating communities of lasting value.

“The Great Place in Texas award represents decades of great planning, investment and dedication to the crown jewel of our community by many City Councils, city staff, and boards and commissions—both present and past,” Georgetown Planning Director Sofia Nelson said.

The Square was one of six places designated in the first Great Places in Texas program, which was modeled after the American Planning Association’s ongoing Great Places in America program.

“Georgetown’s Town Square, termed ‘the Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas,’ truly is a great public space,” said Lori Schwarz, chair of the Great Places in Texas Selection Committee.  “The historic Square is the focal point for community events and heritage preservation efforts, which provide opportunities for small business and restaurants to thrive in a vibrant pedestrian environment.”

Other Great Places in Texas designees include:

  • Downtown McKinney
  • North Richland Hills – HomeTown
  • Fredericksburg – Main Street
  • San Angelo River Walk
  • Springtown Tabernacle

Through Great Places in Texas, the Texas Chapter of APA recognizes unique and authentic characteristics found in three essential components of all communities—streets, neighborhoods and public spaces. APA Great Places offer better choices for where and how people work and live every day, places that are enjoyable, safe, and desirable. Such places are defined by many characteristics, including architectural features, accessibility, functionality, and community involvement.

For more information about the 2017 Great Places in Texas, as well as a list of the Great Places in America designees located in the state, visit http://www.txplanning.org/great-places-in-texas/

Library hosts Holocaust Remembrance Day event April 23

Congregation Havurah Shalom and the Georgetown Public Library will mark Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday, April 23, with a screening and moderated discussion of the documentary film “Defying the Nazis: The Sharps’ War.”

“Defying the Nazis” tells the story of Waitstill and Martha Sharp, an American minister and his wife. Over the course of two years, the Sharps made journeys to Europe where they rescued numerous refugees fleeing the Nazi occupations in Europe.

“Defying the Nazis” explores the Sharps’ work as well as the toll of their efforts on their own lives and those of their children, who were left in the care of their congregation in Massachusetts.

The event will begin at 1 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

VFW Park reopens April 6

The City will host a reopening celebration at 6 p.m. on April 6 for VFW Park at 401 E. Second St.

The event will feature a presentation from Mayor Dale Ross, who also will throw out the first pitch in the reconstructed softball fields as well as unveil a “First Purple Heart City in Texas” sign and a plaque dedicated to Purple Heart Medal recipients.

Refreshments, including hot dogs and sodas, will be available.

The Georgetown Youth Girls Softball Association will play games at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. following the ceremony.

Smith Contracting of Austin completed the park’s reconstruction, which included a complete rebuild of the three softball fields, concession stand and restrooms as well as parking improvements, field lighting, a batting cage, bleachers and a playground.

The $1.4 million project took about a year to complete and was designed by Austin-based Luck Design Team.

UDC Amendments take effect April 1

Changes to the Unified Development Code that were approved by City Council on February 28, 2017, will take effect on April 1, 2017.  After numerous public meetings over the past year, Council approved several amendments to the code.  Most of these changes were based on previous updates to the City’s Comprehensive (2030) Plan and Elements in prior years.

The newly amended code is now published and available for download. The Development Manual will be updated to reflect those changes.  The red-lined chapters, as part of the Ordinance, will remain on the website so the changes can be seen. The primary changes made to the Unified Development Code from the existing regulations include:

  • Chapter 3 – Development Applications
    • Development Application Order
    • Plat Extensions
    • Establishing a Subdivision Variance process
  • Chapters 6 and 7 – Development Standards
    • Clarified setback requirements
    • Applicability of Chapters
  • Chapter 12 – Pedestrian and Vehicle Circulation
    • Pedestrian and Bicycle mobility
    • Streets
    • Driveways and Easement
    • Road Adequacy Standards
    • Established a formula for existing and future connectivity
    • Intersection spacing
    • Cul-de-sac- protection
  • Chapter 13 – Public Improvements
    • Codification of current practice for requesting voluntary annexation
  • Chapter 16 – Definitions
    • Modified definitions for transportation related items

Click here to view the new UDC in its entirety.

Questions can be directed to planning@georgetown.org.

Garey Park construction to break ground March 31

The City will break ground on Garey Park on March 31 at 2 p.m. at Garey House, 6450 FM 2243.

The 525-acre ranch, which is located along the South San Gabriel River, was donated by Jack and Cammy Garey in 2004 along with $5 million for park development. In 2008 voters approved a bond for an additional $10 million for the park’s construction.

Upon completion, Garey Park will become the City’s largest park, which is roughly 1.5 times the size of Zilker Park in Austin.

Amenities at the park will include a playground, a splash pad, a dog park, an equestrian arena, the Garey House event space, pavilions, and more than 6 miles of hiking and equestrian trails.

Other facilities include an entry gate, restrooms and a maintenance facility.

Construction of the park is expected to be completed in early 2018 with the park opening in spring 2018.

City Council approved a $10.7 million contract Feb. 14 with Ritter-Botkin Prime Construction Co. of Pflugerville for the Garey House renovation and park construction. Austin-based Halff Associates completed the park’s design. The total budget for the project is $13.5 million.

The Garey Park site is on FM 2243 approximately 6 miles west of I-35. The groundbreaking event will be near the Garey House. Parking is available near the groundbreaking site.

Georgetown Parks and Recreation Department receives Gold Medal Award

The City of Georgetown Parks and Recreation Department was awarded the Gold Medal Award for cities with populations between 50,001 and 100,000 from the Texas Recreation and Park Society.

The award, which honors departments for excellence in recreation and park management, was presented at the 2017 TRAPS Institute and Expo Annual Awards dinner on March 2 at the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas.

From 2014 through 2016, the City completed and continued renovations to the Williams Drive Pool, San Jose Splash Pad and San Gabriel Park. In addition, the department received a $5 million donation to develop Garey Park on 525 acres of donated park land. City Council has also committed to funding maintenance and operations for the new park.

“Winning the Gold Medal is a great honor not only for our department but for the City of Georgetown,” said Kimberly Garrett, Georgetown Parks and Recreation director. “The facilities and programs we provide the community rank the best in the state. Our Parks and Recreation Department could not be so successful without the support of our City leaders.”

Garrett accepted the award at the annual awards ceremony.

This is the City’s fifth Gold medal award since 1993, and the first in the category of cities with populations between 50,001 to 100,000.

TRAPS is an educational and professional organization for parks, recreation and leisure services in Texas with approximately 2,000 members.

San Gabriel Park improvements to break ground March 24

The City will break ground on Phase 1 of improvements to San Gabriel Park at 10 a.m. on March 24 at Chamber Way and Morrow Street.

The project includes a new playground with sensory walk, improved entry and directional signage, and the restoration of the spring habitat to its natural state through the re-establishment of the spring channel and native vegetation.

Other improvements will include parking, roadway, utility and drainage improvements; realignment of the Morrow Street and Chamber Way intersection; additional restrooms and pavilions; upgraded park furnishings throughout; and trail and accessibility improvements throughout the park.

The approximately $2.5 million project will be completed by Georgetown-based Weststar Construction and should be completed in 10 months. Austin-based RVi Planning and Landscape Architecture completed the master plan and design.

City Council approved the construction contract at its regularly scheduled Jan. 24 meeting. Funding for the project was approved by voters in a 2008 bond package.

Access to the park will not be affected; however, short-term road closures and detours are expected to happen throughout construction in the Phase 1 area.

The San Gabriel Park Master Plan, which was completed in June 2015, identified improvements to be completed in phases to limit park disruptions.

Georgetown Police Department hosts self-defense class April 1

The Georgetown Police Department will host a free self-defense class April 1.

The class will be 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Public Safety Operations and Training Center, located at 3500 D.B. Wood Road, and will be instructed by GPD’s defensive tactics cadre. All instructors are certified and have a combined 75 years of training and experience.

During the hands-on class, attendees will learn striking techniques as well as ground and choke defense.

The class is open to women age 16 and older. Because of a limited class size, interested individuals must register at pdtraining.georgetown.org/non-tcole.

For more information contact Sgt. Jamieson Allen at jamieson.allen@georgetown.org or Officer Shane Rogers at shane.rogers@georgetown.org.

Summer camp registration begins March 27

Georgetown Parks and Recreation will offer a variety of summer camps for area students from June 5-Aug. 18. Resident registration will begin on Monday, March 27, and nonresident registration begins, Tuesday, March 28.

Age requirements, pricing and schedules vary for each program. Summer camps are not licensed child care programs.

Participants can select from:

  • Abrakadoodle Art Camp: Ages 5-9; June 12-16, June 26-30, July 10-14 and July 24-28; $175 resident/$220 nonresident
  • Adventure Camp: Ages vary from 11-17 based on program; weekly sessions offered from June 5-Aug. 2; rates vary based on program
  • Basketball Skills Camp: Ages 8-17; June 12-16, June 26-30 and July 31-Aug. 4; $115 resident/$145 nonresident
  • Camp Goodwater: Ages 5-12; weekly sessions offered from June 5-Aug. 11; $140 resident/$175 nonresident
  • Hoop Dance Camp: Ages 7-18; July 24-28 and Aug. 7-11; $100 resident/$125 nonresident
  • Junior Fire Academy: Ages 12-14; June 19-23; $100 resident/$125 nonresident
  • Junior Tennis Academy: Ages 11-18; weekly sessions offered from June 5-Aug. 11; $80 resident/$100 nonresident
  • Kid City: Ages 5-11; weekly sessions offered from July 10-Aug. 4; $10 resident/$15 nonresident; child must qualify for free or reduced lunch program within Georgetown ISD
  • Lego® Robotics and Engineering Camp: Ages 5-14; Aug. 14-18 (morning or afternoon); $185 resident/$230 nonresident; Aug. 14-16 (morning or afternoon); $111 resident/$138 nonresident
  • Munchkin Tennis Camp: Ages 5-7; weekly sessions offered from June 5-Aug. 11; $70 resident/$90 nonresident
  • Sporties for Shorties Camp: Ages 5-7; July 17-21; $115 resident/$145 nonresident
  • Sports Mania Camp: Ages 8-10; June 5-9; $115 resident/$145 nonresident
  • Teen Self-Defense Camp: Ages 12-18; June 5-9; $150 resident/$190 nonresident
  • Tennis Camp: Ages 7-12; weekly sessions offered from June 5-Aug. 11; fees vary
  • Volleyball Skills Camp: Ages 7-14; June 19-23 and July 10-14; $100 resident/$125 nonresident

For more information and to register, visit parks.georgetown.org/camp or call 512-930-3596.

Fixed-route bus system open house planned for March 21

The City of Georgetown is hosting an open house meeting to share with the public progress on delivering the City’s new fixed-route bus system.

The meeting will be held 4-7 p.m. on March 21 at the Georgetown Public Library, 402 W. Eighth St.

At the open house meeting, attendees will be able to learn about the Transit Development Plan that was adopted by City Council in September 2016 and the process to develop the fixed-route bus system. City staff will be on hand to discuss the process as well as various aspects of the TDP, including policies that will guide bus fares, discounted fares, service hours and ridership as well as answer attendees’ questions.

Bus service is scheduled to begin in August. City staff has been working with their partners at Capital Metro, Capital Area Rural Transportation System, the Georgetown Health Foundation, The Caring Place and Faith in Action Georgetown to refine service planning recommendations to present to City Council. The council is expected to consider adoption of the policies during its regularly scheduled March 28 meeting.

For more information about the TDP, visit transit.georgetown.org.