Several topics were discussed during Shenandoah City Council’s regular workshop meeting May 10, including funding options for Water Plant No. 4, a lease agreement with the Shenandoah Sharks swim team, proposed transportation projects and the economic impact of the 2017 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships. To view the full May 10 agenda, click here. 1. The council postponed the discussion regarding Water Plant No. 4 funding options to its next workshop meeting on June 14. With three outgoing and incoming council members, the council decided to move the discussion item related to funding options for Water Plan No. 4 to the June workshop meeting to allow the new councilmembers to have a say in the hotly debated issue. Possible options to pay for the project include using a bond, reserves or a combination of both. A special council meeting will be held May 17 at 6 p.m. to canvass election results for the general city election May 6. Position 2 Council Member John Houston will be replaced by Ted Fletcher, Position 3 Council Member Darrell Frazier will be replaced by Byron Bevers and Position 4 Council Member Jean Teague will be replaced by Charlie Bradt. 2. The council addressed a request by the Shenandoah Sharks swim team to include the city pool parking lot in the team’s lease agreement. Multiple council members voiced concerns that this request would give the Shenandoah Sharks swim team control of the parking lot, thereby giving the team the authority to prohibit the public from using the parking lot. “I’m uncomfortable with this—the Parks Committee just came back to city council six weeks ago or so and said the only thing that could be rented at the park was the pavilion—no other facility, including the parking lot,” Teague said. “I have an issue with an organization coming in and renting a public space to restrict our residents from use of that parking lot. It’s a public space and should remain that way.” City Administrator Greg Smith said the request would only give the team control over the parking lot during swim meets. Council members agreed to allow the team to reserve eight to 10 parking spots on swim meet days, instead of including the entire parking lot in the team’s lease agreement with the city. 3. City Administrator Greg Smith presented to council the economic impact of the 2017 NCAA Division 3 Swimming & Diving Championships.   During the four-day event which took place at the CISD Natatorium in Shenandoah March 14-18, the city sold 854 adult and 108 student all-session passes and 102 single-session passes, Smith said. A total of 356 hotel rooms were booked in Shenandoah with an additional 647 rooms booked in surrounding areas including The Woodlands, Conroe and Magnolia for a grand total of 1,003 hotel rooms. Smith estimated the total economic impact of the event at approximately $1.6 million and said more than $1,500 was raised for the Shenandoah scholarship program. The city announced April 18 that Shenandoah was selected as the host for additional future NCAA Division III championships in football and women’s golf. 4. Several transportation and capital improvement projects discussed by Shenandoah’s Municipal Development District were mentioned during the council meeting. "We do want to protect our businesses and our residents and their interest in traffic, so you see a lot of MDDs looking at traffic because that's our lifeline," Smith said. "If we don't take care of that commercial corridor and keep people moving in and out of there, it could stop our growth and put a negative burden on our residents because the sales tax isn't coming through." The projects mentioned include the following: • Improvements such as restriping, new signs and signal reprogramming at the intersection of David Memorial Drive and Tamina Road • A $10 million-$11 million east-side relief pond project, which would serve as both a flood mitigation tactic and a community amenity • Widening Tamina Road-David Memorial Drive to the I-45 feeder • Widening the intersection of Tamina Road and Research Forest Drive at I-45 by two lanes • Resurfacing the added lane on Research Forest Drive in the next 10-15 years • Reprogramming the Research Forest Drive traffic signals • Constructing an overpass at the intersection of Vision Park and Shenandoah Park boulevards at I-45 • Adjusting the capacity of the city’s sewer plant to keep up with future commercial development • Additional pathways on the east side of I-45 in front of Home Depot to connect to existing pathways