Around 70 people turned out to the Pilot Point City Council chambers on Aug. 14 to show solidarity with not only each other but also the council about retaining the look, feel and environment of Horse Country.
The group, with most of its members clad in red shirts, thanked the council members for their resolution expressing their opposition to a proposed concrete batch plant on Osburn Road.
'I wanted the quality of life, I wanted everything that made Pilot Point Horse Country, and I wanted it enough to leave Maui to get it,' said Beth Valen, who lives near the proposed plant on Elane Way. '… Recently, I've become very concerned because there's an application to build a permanent, high-capacity concrete batch plant at 10400 Osburn Road. That backs up to my neighborhood. … It's right in the middle of ranches and residences. It's not where it belongs.'
She thanked the council for opposing the proposed plant.
'Concrete is necessary for building and for growth; I get that,' Valen said. 'But it doesn't belong in the middle of neighborhoods and ranches.
But tonight, I’m not that worried because you're who I'm talking to. I'm addressing the very same group that has the master plan for Pilot Point.'
She added that she sees it as 'a plan that says we can grow this area, and we can preserve the historic identity of Pilot Point and the quality of life for residents.'
'The things I love about Pilot Point are all over every page,' Valen said.
David Freeman, Carolyn Stoy and Debra McEwen also spoke about their opposition to the batch plant.
McEwen referenced 'Big Yellow Taxi,' a song by Joni Mitchell that starts with 'they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.'
'Not only is it that, but gosh, we're now providing the cement to build the parking lot,' McEwen said.
The developers who hope to construct the plant have filed an application with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
A public notice regarding the application ran in the July 11 issue of the Post-Signal, sharing details about the plat and the plans for the plant.
The Aubrey City Council scheduled a special meeting that was set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday to 'discuss, consider and act on a Resolution regarding a proposed concrete batch plant facility to be located at 10400 Osburn Road, Pilot Point' after the paper went to publication.
The Pilot Point council also had a detailed conversation regarding the proposed budget.
Mayor Pro Tem Andrew Ambrosio and council member Mike Wilson led the charge on trying to find ways to reduce the budget to help the city shave down the tax rate, which is proposed as $0.604974, slightly higher than the current rate.
'Our biggest hurdle this next fiscal year is going to be the funding for the new fire station,' Finance Director Michele Sanchez said. 'This budget includes funding for the 15 additional positions that are going to be staffed at Fire Station No. 3. It also adds a position in the police department, a position in development services, a position in sewer and a position in the water department.'
When asked about reducing the maintenance and operation side of the tax rate, Sanchez told the council she would prefer to find ways to reduce the debt service side because of state rules regarding the maintenance and operations side.
The budget also includes a 2% cost of living adjustment for qualifying city employees as well as room for utility rate increases.
Pilot Point City Planner Darrell Gentry came up to the podium to celebrate the gold award from the American Planning Association for the Downtown Master Plan.
The council also honored the Pilot Point Church of Christ for its 160th anniversary, with Pastor Craig Tullis and his wife Jennifer Tullis joined by their fellow parishioners and family.
'This is just a wonderful community to serve,' Craig said. 'It feels like family every time you walk out the door.'
