Oak Ridge North City Council unanimously approved the Teddy Bear Park project cost during a regular meeting Feb. 28.
The total cost of renovations to the park will cost $264,127, and the city will fulfill the project payment with American Rescue Plan Act funds. The payment for the park is not due until 30 days after park completion. The city received about $391,626 in the first installment of federal funds in September, and the city will receive the remaining funds in May. As previously reported by Community Impact Newspaper, the city is expected to receive about $783,000 total in ARPA funds.
Teddy Bear Park, located at 27207 Robinson Road, will receive new play structures, swings and a percussion play area. In addition, the park will have a rubber ground for wheelchair accessibility.
“I know Teddy Bear Park will be a lot better off with these improvements,” Oak Ridge North Mayor Paul Bond said during the meeting.
The city is also in the process of reviewing designs for a new and larger LED city sign, which is located at the corner of Patsy Lane and Robinson Road. The sign may be moved backward from its current spot as well, according to the city.
“The existing sign is great if you [have] 20/20 vision,” Bond said during the meeting. “But if not, if you’re like a lot of folks, it’s really not that visible, and you don’t really pay much attention to it.”
In addition, the council briefly discussed introducing additional city sidewalks in the future.
“We will do our best to address it,” Bond said. “But it’s like anything else: It takes money. ... And it may take time, but that hopefully will eventually happen.”
Additional approvals
Also during the Feb. 28 meeting, council approved additional documents in regard to the opioid settlement secured by the Texas attorney general against opioid manufacturers and distributors. The approval will allow the city to participate in the settlement and receive funds. The city has been allocated approximately $33,000 from the global settlement fund.
The council also approved an ordinance to cancel the general election May 7. Three candidates are running unopposed in the May 7 election for Oak Ridge North mayor, City Council Position 1 and City Council Position 3. The candidate for mayor is Bond. The candidate for City Council Position 1 is incumbent Ricky Moffatt, and the candidate for City Council Position 3 is incumbent Alex Jones. Candidates hold a two-year term. The candidate applicant filing deadline was Feb. 18, and the candidate write-in deadline was Feb. 22. Early voting for the May 7 election runs from April 25-May 3.
