Public works staff updated the Highland Village Community Development Corporation on the Highland Village Road reconstruction project and a preliminary plan to add trail elements and an 8–10 foot golf-cart-compatible path to improve connectivity.

Phil, a city staff member presenting the plan, said the project team is in a “preliminary alignment” phase and showed an initial map with red areas indicating proposed fill and a proposed golf-cart path described as roughly 8 to 10 feet wide. “The cart path is gonna help them get to the trail and also to Highland Village Road,” Phil said. He clarified the path will be walkable and not limited to golf carts.

Board members asked detailed questions about specific segments and connections. One member asked how the path would cross an existing storm drainage feature; Phil said crews will install a culvert and place the path over it. Members debated the usefulness of a short segment near Village Estates that they described as a potential “bridge to nowhere” if it does not reach a connecting corridor. Phil said the alignment shown is preliminary and noted the design recommendation was influenced by council input.

Board discussion covered where sidewalks would be removed or rebuilt, missing sidewalk connections near the fire station, and how to handle a section near the railroad tracks. Phil said the project would return through public works and ultimately be presented to council; the CDC will see it in council materials as a public works project. Several members said the reconstruction presented the opportunity to address missing sidewalk links and safety concerns, including a dangerous curve members noted as a better place to cross Highland Village Road.

No formal design or engineering has been completed; Phil said the team is in early alignment work and that council input informed the present layout. Additional engineering, drainage design and final connectivity decisions will be made during the public works design and council review phases.