League City council approves $198,095 agreement to design Heritage Signature Trail after debate over sidewalk through historic district

League City council on Aug. 12 approved a professional services agreement not to exceed $198,095 with Halff Associates to design and provide construction-based services for the Heritage Signature Trail, a project identified in the city's parks master plan that aims to link Leek Park, Heritage Park and the planned Kilgore Track in the historic district.

The vote followed roughly 30 minutes of public comment and resident testimony focused on the trail alignment along Kansas Street and whether the project should use an 8-foot multiuse trail or smaller, 5-foot sidewalks in the historic neighborhood. Mike Peterson, a resident and advocate for the trail, told the council the project seeks to improve safety for children and families along Kansas Street and said the trail team had developed “workarounds” after earlier concerns.

“This is about safety,” Peterson said during the public comment period. “We as a team here, as a city, we have to do what we can to help prevent this from happening again in the future.”

Several homeowners who would be directly adjacent to the proposed route urged changes. Carla (last name not specified in the transcript), who lives at 524 North Kansas, said the proposed alignment would place a sidewalk roughly 30 feet from her house and described…