Oak Ridge North approves $3.46M for public works building, appoints new municipal judge

Published: Wed, 06/28/23

Oak Ridge North approves $3.46M for public works building, appoints new municipal judge


Oak Ridge North City Council met on June 26.
(Jessica Shorten/Community Impact)

Community Impact
By Vanessa Holt
Updated 

Oak Ridge North City Council made decisions on awarding a bid for its new police and public works building, simplifying a sign ordinance and appointing a new municipal judge at its June 26 regular meeting.

The action taken

City Council approved awarding a $3.46 million bid for its police station and public works building project at the June 26 meeting. Community Impact previously reported the city will move its existing police building from Robinson Road to a planned new public works building on Spectrum Way. The new facility will allow for additional officers, according to previous reporting. The cost of construction will not include the nearly $300,000 previously approved for the relocation, officials said. The low bidder was CSB Contractors, and the project will take about 35 weeks, according to James Corn, director of public works.

What else?

The council also voted to remove the 300-square-foot maximum on wall signs for businesses in the city as well as language in the ordinance limiting the height of signs. The rule currently states that the maximum size for a wall sign is 10% of the total wall area or 300 square feet, whichever is less.

Only one sign has exceeded the 10% rules in recent memory, officials said, which was the Floor & Decor on I-45 North. The decision also removed the need for a hearing from Hounds Town scheduled for that night which was concerning the height of the sign.

John Beisert, the city’s director of community development, said the change will save the city time and help ensure businesses' signs can be seen by passersby.

“I’m trying to free up councils’ agendas,” Beisert said at the meeting. “What I’m proposing is to get rid of the letter size rule and just have the 10%.”

Also on the agenda

City Council took a vote of lack of confidence in its municipal judge, Bill Pattillo, and appointed a new judge, Amanda Webb. The council did not make further comment about the decision, which took place following an executive session.
By Vanessa Holt - A resident of the Houston area since 2011, Vanessa began working in community journalism in her home state of New Jersey in 1996. She joined Community Impact Newspaper in 2016 as a reporter for the Spring/Klein edition and became editor of that paper in March 2017 and editor of The Woodlands edition in January 2019.
 


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