April 5th City Council Agenda
City Council Agenda
Monday, April 5, 2010 ~ 7:00 p.m.
LAW ENFORCEMENT CENTER ~ 1601 East Main Street
1. Call to order.
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Approve minutes of February 2010 meetings.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
4. Receive results of ART Main Street Trolley pilot program. (Gary Washington and Ben Herr)
5. Receive and consider presentation from Former Texas Rangers Foundation.
NEW BUSINESS
6. Discuss and consider ordinance or other action regarding graffiti removal from private property. (Hoover and Musselman)
COMMENTS
7. Public Comment.
8. Council Comment.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
ADJOURNMENT
I read all comments and reply directly to the authors by email for follow-up. -Tom
Tom – I am so glad that your “economist’s eye” will be on the Texas Rangers Foundation. Having worked so many years with foundations I know that the workings of a foundation may not mirror the reputation of the organization that it supports.(No reflection on any foundations in this area.) As you and fellow councilmen review any committment to the Texas Rangers Foundation that you may make on behalf of the City of Fredericksburg, I asked that you closely review the financial statements and answer one central question of all foundations: What does it cost this foundation to raise $1.00? If the answer is more than $1.00, how will that short-fall affect the foundation and the city? If I can be of assistance, please let me know.
A few of us have been closely watching the Main Street Trolley and feel that it needs to do it’s trial period all over again. Volunteers should have given store owners flyers on when and where the trolley would operate. None of the store owners I spoke to had any other knowledge, such as schedule, cost, where the stops are. Eventually some figured “it would stop where the fire-plugs are”. Also, they went only from the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center along downtown Main Street (right side headed uptown) turned left at Orange & Main so they could turn right on Main at the Historical Society Uptown Visitor Center, and back to the C of C Visitor Center. Thus, they missed three blocks of both the downtown and the uptown historic district…and a good number of shops!
Then, the sign on the trolley looked like it was Tourist Bus from San Antonio tending to tourists from San Antonio.
It is not fair to disregard so many shops on either end of the Main Street Historic District. It would only have amounted to three blocks more on either end. I wanted to hop on the Trolley to go on the whole route. I waited and waited. But gave up when it didn’t return. I even was prepared to cross the street should I see it coming the other way.
If the merchants don’t know what’s going on, how do you expect them to alert the visitors about the Trolley? It’s almost as if you want it to fail. I will be interesting to hear their report. Let it be run by a local committee of merchants. Thanks.