Council discussed the results of a March 31 town hall meeting on the project at the April 4 City Council meeting. Council also heard more public comments on the proposed project.
TxDOT’s proposed project runs between Willow Street and Business 249 and is estimated to cost $28.61 million, funded by federal and state funds. It will include replacing sidewalks and utilities, adding raised medians in downtown Tomball and near FM 2920 and Business 249 along with improving drainage in downtown and closing the right turn lane.
Residential pushback
Public comments were overwhelmingly opposed to the project, specifically the raised medians in downtown Tomball. Some who spoke or submitted comments said they want the sidewalks and utilities to be replaced and improved drainage but are against raised medians.
“I am for the project as far as the sidewalks and updating the drainage, ... but I’m not for the median in the middle; I think there’s alternatives to the median,” resident Lisa Daniels said.
Resident Colleen Pie said she believes council should form a committee of business owners to propose alternatives and complete another study.
However, resident Ellen Lewis supports the project, including the medians, and thinks the underground utilities, enhanced pedestrian space, overhead lighting and medians will give extra attention to Main Street and its historic buildings. She asked council to consider a marketing campaign to help bring business during construction.
When council members mentioned raised medians provide a safer place for people to stand while crossing the street, public outcry occurred among residents, causing Mayor Gretchen Fagan to remind them public comment was over and they could not yell from the audience.
Council Member Chad Degges said council does not want to do something that all of Tomball does not want, but council is limited because TxDOT has the final say.
“It’s pretty clear there’s big concerns about raised medians, and I think that as a group we’re going to look at making those go away or making modifications,” Degges said.
Alternative solutions
Council members discussed residential opposition to the raised medians and various alternatives, such as installing high-intensity pedestrian traffic lights at the two intersections without traffic signals and putting in a turn lane.
“Raised medians change the look and culture of a street,” Council Member Lori Klein Quinn said.
Council Member Derek Townsend said the look of downtown will change no matter what is installed. He said pedestrian traffic lights mean more mastheads and poles along downtown.
“We need to team up with an engineering firm that’s got our best interests in mind,” Townsend said.
Fagan said the March 31 town hall provided TxDOT with more context surrounding raised medians. Council gave City Manager David Esquivel the authority to develop new alternative plans to present to TxDOT. But there is no guarantee TxDOT will approve the new plans.
“If it comes down to medians, do we just throw away the whole project and no longer get drainage, no longer get sidewalks, no longer get any of that? ... We want TxDOT to know we are serious and we do want to move forward with the project],” Fagan said.
Council discussed needing to ensure this project is not abandoned by TxDOT, even if TxDOT does not approve the alternative designs the city submits. Townsend said the city cannot afford to do the project because replacing four blocks of sidewalks alone would be too expensive. Gunda Corp. engineer Kyle Bertrand, who is working with the city, said the sidewalk construction for four blocks would cost around $2 million.
Esquivel said he will have Bertrand create different designs and take the designs to TxDOT to approve. When a plan is approved, the city and TxDOT will modify the funding agreements, and the project will then be brought to council for a vote.
