| Gold Star Accomplishments |
 |
 |
Animal Shelter: The City of Conroe completed a 10,000 square foot facility to meet the animal control needs in Conroe. The city has a long-standing relationship with the Humane Society of Montgomery County for the operation of an animal shelter. The old facility was on 3.1 acres of property located on Pleasant Drive. The new location offers easy access and updated kennels and surgery facility. West Gateway: With the completion of the downtown study and the future enhancements to the east and west gateways to Downtown, the Welcome Sign at the intersection of 105/Dallas was completed in 2008. The gateway includes a stone welcome sign, new landscaping, arbor and a fountain. The gateway also includes a sign for the Faith Walston Memorial. CVS owns the property and we have received approval to rebuild a sign at that location. We received a grant from HGAC in the amount of $24,500 toward funding of this project. South Gateway: With the completion of the Welcome Sign at Highway 105 and Dallas Street as well as the downtown enhancements, and the recent approval of the design for the Welcome Sign at the East Gateway we are proposing a Welcome Sign at the south gateway at Highway 75 and Gladstell. The design includes a stone welcome sign, other stone monuments, new landscaping, fountain and arbor similar to the current design. Since this is the southern gateway to downtown, this sign and landscaping will have a positive impact because there are three large medians to enhance. East Gateway: With the completion of the Welcome Sign at Highway 105 and Dallas Street as well as the downtown enhancements, we are building a Welcome Sign at the east gateway at Highway 105 and 6th Street The gateway will include a stone welcome sign, new landscaping, and arbor similar to the current design. Since this is the east gateway to downtown, this sign and landscaping will have a positive impact. Fire Station #4 (1488) will be built to replace the current Fire Station #4 located near Harpers Landing. The new station will be located at 1488 and I-45 to serve the southwest quadrant limits of the city as well as the possible future growth of that area. Conroe Family Medicine Agreement: The City entered into an agreement with Conroe Family Medicine wherein routine care is provided to employees for a copay. The program was designed to encourage wellness and this includes a waiver of the copay once the employee is seen for a wellness checkup. Safe Driving Awards Program: All City employees with safe driving records were recognized during a luncheon. Over 300 employees were recognized with one employee receiving an award for 29 years of safe driving. Employees received a pin recognizing the number of years along with a certificate of appreciation. Employee Benefits Enhanced: This year, the City elected to purchase a new benefit, long-term disability insurance, for all full-time employees. Additionally, life insurance was evaluated and moved to a vendor in order to provide one times annual salary for all full-time employees. In responding to employee's request, voluntary insurance products were made available to employees through Colonial. Debit cards for the flexible spending program were also made available to employees for the first time. Rotating Art Exhibits in City Hall & Art in the Park: The Conroe Art League exhibits approximately 4 Art exhibits in City Hall exposing citizens and visitors to different mediums from pastels, oils and sculptors. May people young and old enjoy these exhibits and others discover their artistic talents through this community enrichment. Art in the Park will be exhibiting at the First Thursday FREE Concerts at Heritage Place, by artists in the Conroe Art League. This will expose approximately 500 to 800 people at each concert from April to September. Arts Alliance: The Conroe Commission on Arts & Culture is leading the charge to form an Alliance to support, promote and grow the arts in our city. The city and the alliance are working in concert with each other to encourage the arts organizations to work together building a strong presence and encouraging younger generations to become involved in the arts. Neutral Grant Review Committee for the Arts: A committee was formed by the city of grant reviewers that are professors with Doctorate degrees from Sam Houston State University and Lone Star College for Montgomery College with experience in grants and the arts. This committee brought new insight to the grants process improving the process for the arts organizations. These groups of educators do not belong to any arts organization in Conroe, Texas. CVB Logo designed and chosen tagline in logo development: The city led the charge in the brand development of the new logo for the Conroe Visitors and Convention Bureau. The tagline "Urban Jewel in the Piney Woods" reflects not only the rich beauty of the East Texas Piney Woods, but also captures the wonderful amenities and assets we have come to know as Conroe. It says "Experience Conroe....a land rich in history, nature, tradition, culture, adventure and good-natured living." This new brand gives the CVB a unique identity and character. Bauer Manufacturing facility: With the help of the Greater Conroe Economic Development Council, Bauer Manufacturing has chosen Conroe to be the new home of their latest manufacturing plant. Bauer is a German originated company that has manufacturing facilities all over the world. Bauer specializes in the manufacturing of foundation drilling equipment. Their facility in Conroe is a phased project that will bring approximately 250 new jobs to the market. Residential Permit Digital Archiving: As a result of Conroe Lean, the Conroe Permit Department has implemented an internal paperless residential archiving process where pertinent construction documents are scanned, saved, then shredded. This process has eliminated the need for physical document storage, created a permanent record retention, and minimized the potential for theft of personal sensitive information. 1,000,000 Elevated Composite Storage tank and Water Well #04. Designed by Capital Projects. Well contractor - Weisinger Water Wells. Tank contractor - Phoenix Pittsburg Elevated. Plant facilities by Public Works. This well and storage tank will serve the south portion of the City from the south loop to S.H 242 at the Woodlands. Downtown Revitalization Phase 8 Streetlight and paver improvements. Designed by Capital Projects. Contractor - Jerdon. The decorative street lights and paver improvements enhance the downtown area near the Owen Theater and along Metcalf Road. Ed Kharbat Drive Phase 1 Street Extension (S. Loop 336 to Crighton Road) Designed by Capital Projects. Contractor - Beyer Construction. This four lane concrete roadway enhances mobility on the south east side of the City by connecting Crighton Road to South Loop 336. The street was named for long time Director of Capital Projects and former City Engineer Ed Kharbat for his many years of service to the city and his many accomplishments. Downtown Revitalization Phase 9 Streetlight and paver improvements. Designed by Capital Projects. Contractor work performed by Public Works. This is the last phase of the decorative street light and paver improvements. This completes nine year multiphase project to enhance the downtown area. A final Phase 10 will be to convert to underground electrical and remove the overhead lines in the downtown area. Ed Kharbat Drive Phase 2 Street Extension (S. Loop 336 to Foster). Designed by Capital Projects. Contractor - Texas Sterling. This is the second phase and extension of Ed Kharbat Drive Phase 1. This phase extends the mobility from South Loop 336 to Foster Drive. 1,000,000 Ground Storage tank and Water Well #05. Designed by Capital Projects. Well Contractor - Weisinger Water Wells. Tank contractor - Superior Tank. Plant facilities by Public Works. This well and storage tank is located in the industrial park off of F.M. 3080 to serve the park and the north side of the City. Financial Software Purchase and Implementation. The purchase of new financial software cost $170,239. Tyler Technologies' product, INCODE offers many new capabilities for our organization with full product integration and interface. This product will accommodate the growth and changes occurring within our organization with higher levels of accountability and functionality, documentation and report capabilities. Product applications purchased include General Ledger, Payroll, Human Resources, Centralized Purchasing, Inventory, Fixed Assets and GASB Reporter. INCODE software is also utilized by our Municipal Court and Utility Billing departments. Conroe Lean. TML 2008 Lean Award. During 2008, the City's Conroe Lean Program received both the Alliance for Innovation Outstanding Achievement in Local Government Innovation Award and the Texas Municipal League Municipal Excellence in Management Innovations Award. Conroe Lean is a city-wide program that emphasizes improvements in efficiency, effectiveness, effort, and environment. As a steward of public funds, the City of Conroe strives to balance the time and costs expended to achieve a desirable quality of service to its citizens. Conroe Lean focuses on recognizing the benefits that exist in innovative ideas from city staff. Downtown Planters The downtown planters are an ongoing program to beautify downtown by adding 32 new planters at various locations each year. They are replanted quarterly by Parks with colorful flowers. Owen Theatre Completion. The Owen Theater is a renovation of the 7500 Square foot Election Central Building into a state of the art 250 seat theatrical venue. An additional 2500 Square Feet of new construction was added for a shop. Madeley Building planned for Arts Organizations. The Madeley building will be renovated to house the Conroe Art League and other 501c3 non profit groups for meetings and day to day operations. Advanced Public Information Officer Training. Certified from Emergency Mgt. Institute FEMA in Emmitsburg, Maryland and certified as an Advanced Public Information Officer. Green Program Called Park Pals as an Art in the Park Initiative. After school program being developed with Jamie Blair creating artistic bird houses for a Conroe park Bond Rating Upgrade. Due primarily to the City's strong property tax base growth, consistently high-performing retail sales, and a strong financial position, it received bond rating upgrades on from Standard and Poor's and Moody's Investor Services on both its General Obligation (GO) and Water and Sewer System Revenue debt. Standard and Poor's raised its ratings from an "A" to an "A+ (stable)" for GO debt and from an "A" to "AA- (stable)" for Water and Sewer System Revenue debt. Moody's increased its ratings from an "A2" to an "A1" for GO debt and from an "A3" to an "A2" for Water and Sewer System Revenue debt. Graduate Engineer/Project Engineer Position. Community Development hired Danielle Guevara, P.E. as a Project Engineer in the Capital Projects Division of Community Development. Engineering for CIP Water Main Rehabin the Dugan Area. The Community Development and Capital Projects Departments were combined into one department, Community Development, so that resources would be available. Capital Projects engineered approximately 31 locations to improve the old system and provide better water service to the area. Engineering for Shady Oaks Drive. This is a plan for the engineering drainage and for resurfacing of streets in the Shady Oaks subdivision. The existing curb and gutter storm sewer was substandard and causing localized flooding. Capital Projects redesigned the storm sewer and paving for improvements to the area while Public Works performed the construction. FM 1488 Sanitary Sewer Relocation. This engineering provided by Capital Projects for a sanitary sewer on FM 1488 that was relocated due to the widening of this roadway. Capital Projects worked closely with Public Works, who performed the construction, on this project and many more. Successful Coordination of Two POD Sites after Hurricane Ike, Because of the lack of electrical power to our area, it was necessary to provide food, water and ice to citizens of Conroe. POD sites were established in two locations and operated for four days and it is estimated 10,000 cars per day went through the line. Through the exemplary efforts of city employees, this task was accomplished in an efficient and coordinated effort. Workers' Compensation Discovery Program. Texas Municipal League extended an invitation to the City of Conroe to participate in their Discovery Program. This program is an audit of the policies, procedures, training, etc. related to our safety program to reduce employee injuries. The TML team spent several days interviewing employees and then prepared recommendations on how the city could improve various aspects of our program. Graffiti Abatement Program. Graffiti had become an issue within the city limits and there was no organized means of abating it. A committee was formed and it resulted in the adoption of a Graffiti Ordinance and the purchase of a specialized pressure cleaner. Many departments worked together in an effort to control and/or alleviate this plight on our city.We looked at different cities, and counties to see how they had their city ordinance written, most of the cities we talked to were providing the abatement for free. Further looking into the problem of abatement, there were questions as to who would be doing the actual work. So, I discussed this with Parks Department Director Mr. Mike Riggins; who stated the parks department already handled those problems with their own parks. Mr. Lauren Arnold joined the committee and it started to take form. Numerous companies were called to demonstrate their equipment. City council and administration personnel were called and given a time and date of the event, so was the media. Shortly after that the city ordinance was passed and equipment was bought. |
| Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 March 2011 06:47 |