Pratt Tribune Article
By Gale Rose
reporter@pratttribune.com
With development potential on the horizon for the Sandy Creek addition by the Maple Street extension, the city is considering some type of visual barrier between the property and the Southwest Truck Parts storage lot.
“We’re looking at options of trees or barricades along the property line,” said Pratt City Manager Dave Howard.
While a metal or wooden barricade could be erected without concerns for water, trees are a different matter.
If the city plants trees, they will need irrigation especially with the current drought situation. If they had planted trees earlier, the trees would probably have died, Howard said.
So right now the city is considering different options including metal, concrete and other options materials.
Providing a visual barrier between the two properties is not always an issue. Lots of neighborhoods boarder commercial property and the homeowners don’t complain.
“It doesn’t necessarily bother everyone,” Howard said.
In neighborhoods like Sandy Creek, the homes, trees and other elements of the neighborhood will eventually create a visual barrier.
Howard said he has had many people express interest in building on the site and none of them have mentioned anything about a visual barrier.
Any barrier will be the responsibility of the city. The Southwest Truck Parts lot is actually located on county property, not city, so the city has to handle the issue.
“The city would bear the cost of doing that,” Howard said.
Currently, no funding has been set aside to cover the cost of putting up a barricade.
The city plans on putting out exploratory bids for utilities in the addition and that estimated cost would help determine what will be done about a barrier.
If the city decides to use trees as a barrier they would consult with experts, like the Mark Eckhoff, Pratt Parks Superintendent, to determine what type of tree would be best, how much water would they need, how far apart the trees should be planted and other factors.
While many have expressed interest to Howard on building in the addition, those people need to attend a city commission meeting and let the commissioners know they are interested in building in the area.
The more people that express interest, the faster the commissioners will act to get development underway in Sandy Creek.
Whatever happens at the site, the city commissioners have to approve all projects on the property so parties interested in the site need to address the commissioners.
Wed 05-Dec-2012
