The Woodlands Township Board of Directors voted May 21 in favor of waiving a $50,000 maintenance fund for The Way Home veterans memorial fund.
General Manager Don Norrell made a presentation regarding funding for the Way Home to see if there were aspects the township could be involved with as a way to help move the project along. Construction of the memorial languished for nearly five years before donations by several prominent Woodlands-area residents rekindled the project, which will cost about $145,000.
Everett Ison, co-chairman of The Way Home project, previously submitted an email to the Ad Hoc Economic Development Committee requesting the group waive a current requirement for a $50,000 perpetual maintenance fund for the sculpture. The fund would be eliminated by the township assuming ownership and maintenance of the sculpture once it is completed, which is consistent with the township’s policy for other public art pieces, Norrell said.
Ison also requested the township provide in-kind construction management services for the initial stages of the sculpture at Town Green Park.
Norrell said the committee examined the request regarding the township taking over construction management but determined they would not make a recommendation. However, the committee did indicate that, as the project moves forward, this issue should come back in terms of a cash donation as opposed to “in-kind services.”
“The committee felt that the construction management and the project management is better done by the veterans group that’s putting this in as opposed to the township,” Norrell said. “It’s a situation where you’re trying to mix a portion of the management – two different groups – which is sometimes difficult to achieve.”
The committee also indicated that it may be appropriate to use the events admission tax to help fund a portion of the project later on, Norrell said.
Board member John McMullan said it is “easier to provide funds than services” regarding maintenance of the project but does not believe the township should step in regarding construction or installation services.
“I think it’s great we’re going to maintain this, as we do with our other sculptures, but I don’t think we should be a construction manager here,” McMullan said. “We have plenty of opportunities to allocate funds should we choose to do so down the road.”
Board member Mike Bass said the township has seldom taken on project management directly, but officials should be open to being heavily involved in funding and oversight to ensure the project meets a high level of quality.
“I think we may not provide the contract management, but we can provide the money and the oversight to make sure that what we get is something we’re not going to point fingers at later on and say it wasn’t installed properly.”
Bass suggested deferring the decision regarding construction of the project upon submittal of finalized construction plans and their approval, along with potential funding mechanisms or designations. The measure to waive the perpetual maintenance fund and the deferment of the decision regarding construction management to a later meeting subsequently passed unanimously.
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