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Lake Bend residents urge Rowlett to finish screening-wall project; council says assessment underway
Summary
Residents from Lake Bend Estates and along Dalrock pressed council to replace failing screening walls, urged a durable brick option and quicker use of existing funds (citizens cited about $1.5M available); council staff said an assessment began Dec. 8 and will include more properties.
Multiple residents used citizen input time at the Dec. 16 Rowlett City Council meeting to press for faster action on a long-discussed screening-wall replacement project along Dalrock and in Lake Bend Estates.
Alan Hogan, a Lake Bend Estates resident, urged the council to build a concrete or brick wall rather than rely on vegetative screening that "needs consistent maintenance and eventually dies." Tamara Hess and others displayed photos and criticized existing living screens as mostly dead and ineffective. Patrick Bridal and other residents pointed to funding and timeline questions; Bridal urged the council to put available funds to work, saying the city already has "$1.5 million of existing money readily available" and urging a shovel-in-the-ground approach.
Several speakers said corner lots and private-property edges complicate design and funding, and Deandre Wright described the practical impact on his mother—s corner lot where the city—s proposed plan might leave a property owner bearing costs for repairs. Residents repeatedly asked the council to include adjacent private properties in assessments where appropriate and to avoid long delays like prior grant-funded projects that sat idle.
Council members acknowledged the long debate and said the assessment work is underway; the mayor noted staff reported the assessment started on Dec. 8. Council feedback from a Dec. 15 work session asked staff to include additional properties in the assessment. No formal funding or final design decision was made at the meeting; residents urged the council for a clear schedule and timely execution.
What happens next: Staff will continue the assessment, include properties flagged in council feedback, and return to council with options and cost estimates for repair or replacement of screening walls.
