Photo credits: Permian Press staff

What happened: The Midland City Council met on Tuesday, June 9, and approved the $20.6 million construction contract for Phase 2 of Beal Park, authorized the city to apply for $21 million in state water grant money, and tabled a $1.18 million Mockingbird Lane paving contract for further negotiation with the developer.

Council also formally ended consideration of a proposed property maintenance ordinance that would have imposed roughly 75 new minimum maintenance standards on every building in the city, following significant comments from council members, staff, and the public.

Key points:

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  • Beal Park renovation: Council unanimously approved a $20.7 million contract for Phase 2 of the Beal Park renovation. The city held a ribbon cutting Wednesday morning to open Phase 1, the upgraded soccer complex and athletic facilities, and broke ground on Phase 2 at what staff is calling “the heart” of the park.

Phase 2 will include an amphitheater, a playground, a splash park, restrooms, and a shared gathering space. The city expects construction to wrap in early 2028. City officials at Wednesday’s ceremony said private donations to the project now total more than $19.2 million across both phases.

Midland Soccer Association President Matthew Voss said MSA has grown from 2,200 players in 2018 to 3,350 last fall, fielding about 350 teams and nearly 1,500 regular-season matches, and that consolidating play at Beal Park will end the split between Butler, Hogan and other facilities.

  • Property maintenance ordinance: Council declined to act on the proposed minimum maintenance standards and the related amendment regarding substandard buildings. Mayor Lori Blong said the ordinance was an overreach and would not move forward in its current form.

Blong said council members did not receive the ordinance until after the city posted the agenda last Wednesday, called it an inexcusable oversight, and said the city will change its internal procedures to ensure council receives full briefing materials before public posting. Read The Permian Press’ full editorial thanking the city council for their action here.

  • State water grant: Council unanimously authorized the city to apply to the Texas Water Development Board for $21 million in grant funding to bring 19 wells in the city’s Paul Davis Wellfield online. City officials said the well field has been off for nearly 11 years, and the city has already spent about $9 million preparing it.

Councilman John Burkholder called the project a third water source for the city alongside the Colorado River Municipal Water District contract and T-Bar, and a redundancy option if a primary source goes down. If the project advances, the city expects the well field to come online around 2030, producing 10 million gallons of treated water per day.

  • Solomon Estates rezone: Council unanimously approved the second reading of the Solomon Estates rezone, the 37-lot subdivision at North A Street and Mockingbird Lane that drew significant opposition from nearby property owners, with an amendment requested by the developer.

The amendment makes the Alysheba Lane access an exit-only gate for residents and an emergency-only entrance, leaving Mockingbird Lane as the primary entry. Council members said the developer’s compromise came after a neighborhood meeting last week and asked staff to install requested stop signs and pursue a neighborhood traffic-enforcement initiative with the police department.

  • Mockingbird Lane paving: Council unanimously tabled a $1.2 million contract for Phase 1 paving and drainage on Mockingbird Lane between Fairgrounds Road and Purtis Creek Drive. Council members said they want the developer to share more of the project’s cost before awarding the contract.
  • Municipal court collections: Council unanimously approved a contract to collect unpaid municipal court fines and court costs. Council amended the contract to a three-year term with a 30-day cancellation notice, down from the proposed five-year term with an 180-day notice.

The contract authorizes the firm to add a 30% collection fee to the defendants’ debt, rather than have taxpayers cover the collection costs.

  • Spay-and-neuter grant: Council unanimously accepted a $150,000 grant from the Texas Department of State Health Services for animal spaying and neutering. Animal Services staff said they received the grant out of a competitive pool and that the funding is a step toward expanding the city’s program.