The Killeen Public Facility Corporation met Wednesday for the first time after the NRP Group officially closed the deal on a 370-unit apartment complex in north Killeen.
Created earlier this year in order to manage and develop the public housing initative that will become north Killeen’s largest apartment complex, the Public Facility Corporation is comprised of the seven members of City Council, as well as Mayor Jose Segarra and City Manager Kent Cagle.
“We should see dirt turning in December,” Cagle said, though he cautioned the project may not actually begin until early January.
The focus of the meeting was the future of a $350,000 “structuring fee,” which was paid to the city as part of the contract with the NRP Group.
Speaking for as many as five separate nonprofit organizations, the heads of multiple youth programs asked the corporation to use the funding to support 501(c)(3) youth organizations in the city of Killeen.
Vicky Walker, a track coach for the Killeen Raptors, said that the organization tries to “keep kids off the street,” while Cybil Shepherd of Educated Angels said that the money would help provide scholarships and provide opportunities for over 1,000 homeless youth.
The corporation had the option to either keep the money within the Public Facility Corporation, where it could be used for housing-related projects, or to transfer the funds to the city of Killeen’s general fund, where it would be allocated via a budget amendment by the City Council.
After a motion by Councilman Ken Wilkerson, the public facility corporation unanimously approved the transfer of the $350,000 to the city of Killeen, with the recommendation that it “be used to help fund 501(c)(3) youth organizations.”
The corporation also discussed potential uses for a 3.5-acre plot of land near the complex. Councilman Michael Boyd offered the suggestion that the plot be used to faciltiate ingress and egress from the complex, but the general consensus of the corporation was to table the item until city staff could come back with recommendations for its use.
Ingress and egress was a topic of some discussion, as the complex has but a single entrance point. Boyd expressed his concern regarding what he described as potential traffic problems and asked that the corporation reflect on how the problem could be resolved for its next meeting.