Happy Valentine’s Day!
We begin the new year announcing several new businesses coming to Bartonville within the town’s designated commercial areas. I attended the groundbreaking and ribbon cutting for Cloud 9 Salon and Spa (in front of Marty B’s) on January 16. The event was attended by dozens of salon owner Kim Cloud’s supporters, as well as several town officials. In addition to being the new home of Cloud 9 Salon and Spa, the 15,700 square foot building will include almost 5,000 square feet of retail lease space on the ground floor. Additional businesses are expected to open or begin construction in the Lantana Town Center within the next several months as well. These new businesses include Fatburger & Round Table Pizza, PetBar Boutique, Premier Martial Arts, Whataburger, and Wells Fargo.
We also start this year focused on safety throughout the Town. Signs have been ordered to address concerns brought forward by the town’s Traffic Safety Ad Hoc Committee. Additional stop signs will be placed at several intersections including Porter/Broome, Jeter/Porter, Jeter/Gibbons, and Gibbons/Dove/Frenchtown. New signage along McMakin will also make the speed limit change to 30 MPH official. Additional signage will be placed near the town’s entry points reminding drivers to share the road with agricultural equipment like tractors and to keep an eye out for loose livestock. “No Fireworks” signs will also be placed at town entry points to remind everyone that per Town Ordinance No. 739-22, it is illegal to discharge fireworks within town limits.
Safety also includes visibility and clearance along our roadways, and the Town Council has directed staff to continue the town’s tree trimming efforts. Please take time to assess any of your trees that front public streets to determine if they are clear of the roadway or any posted signs. This is especially important if you do not want the town’s contractor to trim those trees as part of this effort. Any tree limb that is within 2 feet of the roadway edge and 12 feet above will be trimmed by the contractor as it is within the public ROW and impacts safety. As with previous efforts, this program is planned to enhance visibility and to eliminate tree limbs being pulled down on other vehicles or bicyclists by trash trucks, RVs, campers, etc. Notice will be posted to the town’s website when dates for this work are determined.
Finally on the safety front, this month the town began the process of requesting a light at IT Neely and FM 407 from TxDOT. Several crashes have occurred at this location over the past year, with some of those resulting in serious injuries. Several steps must be undertaken before TxDOT will consider installation of a light, so it may be several months before I have an official update on this effort.
As many of you are aware, there is an ongoing alignment assessment being conducted by Oncor for a new 345 kV transmission line to connect proposed switches near Rhome and Flower Mound. This project is called the Ramhorn Hill – Dunham 345 kV Transmission Line Project and the Oncor Project Manager is Ife Adetoro who can be reached at [email protected] or (817) 716-3124. Although Bartonville does not have an area manager assigned to us by Oncor, town staff became aware of the project’s potential impact on homes located on Glenview Lane and I sent a letter to Oncor opposing that route. Staff and I will continue to monitor this project and provide details as they become available.
Town Council continues the challenging work of maintaining and improving the town’s roadways. As with all other construction projects, we are facing significantly increased costs to have this work completed. In Bartonville, we also face the added challenge of advertising projects that are considered small and less profitable for most contractors. This typically results in fewer bids and higher unit prices. Last year Town Council approved $946,000 to complete numerous street projects including microsurfacing in 11 areas and reconstructing sections of E. Jeter Road and Stonewood. The microsurfacing work was completed late last year, but the reconstruction areas remain in the design phase. After the microsurfacing, $646,000 remains for the reconstruction, however, inflation has increased the original budget cost by 54% to approximately $995,000. Town Council and I will continue to be responsible with your tax dollars, but it is important for all residents to understand how inflation and continued high construction costs across the country impact our ability to maintain our streets.
Finally, we have many new homes under construction and new residents moving into our beautiful town. I would like to remind all residents and visitors to Bartonville to be neighborly. Part of being a good neighbor in a town that has many agricultural uses and acreage tracts includes not entering private property without the owner’s consent. This includes the utility easements (power lines) as well. An easement is an agreement between the property owner and the utility that allows for the placement and maintenance of utility lines, but this area is not considered public. Entering the gates in this area is considered trespassing. These rules are in place to not only protect the property owners, but they also protect you as well. Most of the trespassing complaints are related to people wanting to see, pet, and/or feed the animals. Startling livestock can be almost as dangerous as high voltage infrastructure not designed for public access. Purple paint or tape on a tree or fence is also a notice of private property and no trespassing. You can find out more about Texas’ Purple Paint law here: uslawshield.com/purple-paint-means-stay-out
In addition to contacting Town Hall at 817.693.5280, residents may reach me at mayor@townofbartonville.com.
