Council debates upgrades to town yard at Hillcrest Drive and Sandtrap Lane

Council members discussed community complaints about a town yard located at Hillcrest Drive and Sandtrap Lane, with members saying the site’s appearance is the main concern and proposing incremental improvements.

"Drove by there yesterday... it is the town's land, has followed protocol. Neighbors don't like it, and shouldn't sway our decision. But we set the tone for the town, and if we want neighborhoods to look nice, we should build our town yards nice," Councilmember Mark Sheen said, arguing the site could have been built to a higher standard because it sits in a residential area.

Several council members supported upgrading the fence to a cinderblock or block wall and increasing landscaping to reduce visual impacts. Joseph Bjornn noted extending the existing cinderblock wall could help but questioned whether that would satisfy neighbors. Staff member Bruce Meyer noted vehicle and equipment track-out are a concern "but that is pretty easy to mitigate." Brian Richards said the likely direction would be to continue using the yard as planned while planning a future block wall and additional landscaping.

No formal vote or ordinance was taken; the discussion produced a staff direction to pursue incremental aesthetic improvements while maintaining yard operations.