CENTER COUNCIL APPROVES CONTRACT FOR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE AND WATER SYSTEM MASTER PLAN

CENTER, Texas (April 11, 2013) – On Monday, April 8, the Center City Council approved a contract with Fort Worth-based engineering firm Freese & Nichols to conduct an update of the City’s Comprehensive Plan and a Water System Master Plan.  “The City’s initial comprehensive plan was done about 10 years ago,” explained Center Mayor David Chadwick.  From time to time cities will update their comprehensive plans because things change in the community, projects are completed and community priorities evolve.  Chadwick continued, “Who would have thought 10 years ago that we would have suffered through the worst drought in the State’s history or that activity from the Haynesville Shale would be in Shelby County.  There is certainly much we need to discuss.”

A comprehensive plan examines demographic and economic data on the City to gauge where the City is.  “We are going to assemble a team of constituents to help create a vision of what we want Center to be in the next 25 years,” described Mayor Chadwick.  The comprehensive plan will look at projected population growth, current and future land use, physical constraints which may help or hurt the City’s growth, a thoroughfare plan, and neighborhood and community livability.  “This created vision and data help to develop an action plan on what we need to do to get there.” 

The data collection for the plan will begin immediately and the Council will soon consider appointments to the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee.  “We hope to have a group of about 12 people from diverse backgrounds and experience serve on the committee,” said Center City Manager Chad Nehring.  The work on the comprehensive plan should take six months to complete and be ready for public comment in November 2013.

The Water System Master Plan will study the City’s current water sources and consumption.  “The water plan will look at future growth and development of the City to see how much water we will need,” described Nehring.  “It will determine if our lakes are large enough to supply additional demand, if our water plants can keep up with extra production and provide insight in how to bridge any gaps.”  The Water Plan will also look at future service areas where the City may expand its water system.

City of Center
617 Tenaha Street
Center, Texas  75935
Jim Gibson 
936/598-2941