Councilman Dale Mitchell came up with an idea after attending the Jonestown Police Department building dedication in December.
At the dedication, Jonestown Mayor Deane Armstrong thanked the city facility design committee, a temporary group of local residents, police officers and city staff that overlooked the police building’s progress and gave recommendations to the Council as needed.
So when the city of Lago Vista began planning for its own police building—a first step in creating a new city municipal complex—Mitchell figured what’s good for Jonestown is good for Lago Vista.
At its regular meeting Feb. 18, the Lago Vista City Council approved Mitchell’s idea to create the City Municipal Complex Design Committee, which aims to provide recommendations on the exterior design of city buildings that will be located in the complex. The committee held its first meeting Feb. 25, and will meet weekly for the next two months.
The committee is comprised of city building committee members Mike Beal, John Leak and Harold McCreary; library advisory board members Dan Olson and Don Brown; Keep Lago Vista Beautiful members Richard Brown and Glen Overton; city staff and Lago Vista Police Sgt. Daniel Reid. The group will discuss what is appropriate in terms of Hill Country architecture for the police building and come to a consensus in order to give its recommendation to the Council.
Mitchell said Hill Country architecture is so varied that the committee should spend its next meeting getting everyone “on the same page.”
“There are so many varieties that we’ll probably spend some time in the next meeting to see what the committee’s collective opinion is on this,” he said.
The committee has two months to give a recommendation to the Council as the city moves forward in the bidding process for the police building. In December, City Manager Bill Angelo said without any setbacks the building could be constructed as early as October 2010.
Mayor Randy Kruger showed concern over the committee halting the building process, but agreed the committee should be created. “I don’t disagree about the committee, but I hope we prevent delaying this project any further,” he said at the Feb. 18 meeting.
Mitchell said the committee will not delay the process, as it focuses only on the aesthetics for the exterior of the building.
The city bought about six acres on Dawn Drive from the Lago Vista school district as a site for the new police building, which Angelo said should be about 7,500 to 8,000 square feet. The city has also bought lots adjacent to City Hall for future construction in the complex.
According to the Capital Improvement Plan, the city will begin expansion of the Lago Vista Public Library in 2011, though Mitchell said the economy could slow progress. The city also signed an agreement with North Lake Travis Fire & Rescue to gain ownership of its building next to the library in exchange for the current Lago Vista police building on Bar-K Ranch Road. The exchange will occur after the new police building is built.