At its regular meeting on March 23, Katy City Council approved a measure that will allow the city's first arboretum to enter the design phase.

The measure authorized the city to enter into an agreement with Burditt Consultants, who will be in charge of designing the 3-acre arboretum to be built within Katy City Park.

Brad Barnes, director of the Parks and Recreation Department for the city of Katy, said the hiring of Burditt Consultants was the first step in beginning construction on the project which began with a $20,000 contribution from CenterPoint Energy in October 2014.

"CenterPoint already contributed [its] funding, [we were] waiting on the council to approve a contract with the consultant. The next step is to start moving things around there," he said.

The design phase of the project will likely take three to four months. Construction is slated to begin on the arboretum in the fall when conditions are optimal for planting, Barnes said.

Once complete the arboretum will be filled with native trees and plants along with informational signage, Barnes said.