City Council met Jan. 30 to discuss mobile hubs to be built on Hutchison Street and on the Emerald Crown Trail, as well as the Community Development Block Grant Program itself.
Presented by the 214 E. Hutchison Council Committee, the concept of the mobile hub is to promote alternative transportation while creating space for concerts, recreation and family-friendly activities.
Kimley-Horn & Associates is in the finalization process of the design and the plan will be included in the 2019 capital improvement budget plan.
A San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance board member Sherwood Bishop presented a plan to construct a trail connecting San Marcos to Austin. The Emerald Crown Trail will connect the Onion Creek portion of the Violet Crown Trail.
With an estimated 20-plus years of construction time, SMGA asked for the continued support and technical assistance from the city of San Marcos.
Set to receive approximately $500,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in late spring, the council discussed potential allocation of funds.
Historically, over half of the funds have been designated to housing rehabilitation. Council discussed prioritization of issues that should be addressed by the CDBG.
The council discussed the proposed Eastside Resource Center, which has been workshopped for two years. The center will focus on resume creation, career-searching for adults, and student-oriented research. No decisive action was made, but it was noted as a future talking point.
During the citizen comment period, three residents proposed the creation of the Dunbar Arts and Culture District. The group brought up concerns such as the lack of transparency in the neighborhood character studies, the lack of attention to disabled San Marcos citizens, and an animal cruelty case that has allegedly been ignored.