PEOPLE GlenMartel Live Oak city manager
BY JARRETT WHITENER
Live Oak Town Center is adding a BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse in 2022.
The Live Oak City Council and Mayor Mary Dennis hired Glen Martel to be the new city manager on Jan. 25. Martel succeeds Scott Wayman, who retired after working for the city for about 35 years. Martel has 38 years of experience with the Nevada Air National Guard and the U.S. Air Force. He currently also serves as Brigadier General, Assistant Adjutant General-Air, leading more than 1,200 airmen through policies and planning. He plans to retire this summer. Martel sat down with Community Impact Newspaper to introduce himself and talk about his hopes and goals for the city during his time as city manager.
FUTURE LIVE OAK DEVELOPMENT HOT SPOTS According to City Manager Glen Martel, Live Oak may see increased growth around Live Oak Town Center, the area around the Forum and Gateway Plaza. The Forumat Olympia Parkway 8320 Agora Pkwy, Selma, TX 78154 Live Oak expects an increase in residual business to its nearby retail centers.
Glen Martel joined Live Oak sta as city manager late January.
PHOTOS COURTESY CITY OF LIVE OAK
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO LIVE OAK? I’m coming fromMissouri City, Texas. I was assistant city manager there for about two and a half years, and [was] just looking for an opportunity to expand my horizons and do something di erent. Looking at Live Oak and where they were and with Scott [Wayman] retiring, it was a great opportunity to come into a city that was looking to do something di erent and take on a new phase of its life. I had a great meeting with the council and the sta , and I am looking forward to moving forward. Prior to working in Missouri City, I came out of the Nevada National Guard full-time, and I did that for about 12 years before becoming an assistant city manager. WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE CURRENT ATMOSPHERE OF THE CITY AND ITS IDENTITY? The atmosphere in Live Oak is very positive, both on the citizen side and the sta side. The team we have—Team Live Oak, as we like to call it—is experienced, and most of them have been here a very long time, so they have made my transition about as easy as you can make it with the experience they have and the dedication they have to the city of Live Oak. HOWDOES THE CITY WORK TOKEEP A BALANCE BETWEEN THE RETAIL STORES, CORPORATIONS AND COMMUNITY? This was talked about a couple of years ago, and that is why we are rewriting the ordinances to support that vision. I think there is recognition that as we build out in
the future, there needs to be some opportunities to look for balance. Certain areas of the city will need to be reinvented. Certain areas may need to be torn down to create something new that will move our vision forward. All that is pretty well described in the compre- hensive plan and ordinances can support that. I think that citizens are proud of what Live Oak is right now. The few that I have met and talked to, they love it and have lived here 40 or 50 years, but they understand that to have the quality of life and what they enjoy, they need those businesses and they need those o ce spaces and that kind of stu for the tax support. WHAT DO YOU FORECAST FOR CITY GROWTHAND DEVELOPMENT? In the three corners, we have the Forum, the Gateway [Plaza] and Town Center. I think here in the near future, you will see some great announcements coming out of the Town Center. Right now, Twin Peaks is being constructed up there and BJ’s [Restaurant & Brewhouse] is being constructed up there, so more eatery type stu . Pretty soon, we will have some more information out of there for some additional supports there, not just eateries but nancial institu- tions and that kind of thing. [In] the Forum, there are some new opportunities being adjusted. Some places have unfortunately closed down because of the pan- demic, but we have been fortunate in having other businesses come in and do other things there. It is a little di erent opportunity there and a pretty solid tax base, so that is
a good corner for us. The Gateway [a retail shopping center anchored by a Burlington Coat Factory and a James Avery jewelry store] has potential for another headquarters-type oppor- tunity in the future. All of that is a pretty good and broad-base [foundation for future develop- ment]. You look at tax income from retail, commercial [and] the o ce space we are talking about from a pay component for the residents potentially ... to live here and work at those places. I think from a tax base, those are huge. When you look more internally though, coming back to what Live Oak sees itself being when looking at the comprehensive plan, the local areas have some opportunities for us as well. WHATWOULD YOU LIKE RESIDENTS TOKNOWABOUT YOUR JOB? I have met a few [citizens] through meetings with our Live Oak Citizens Police [Academy], and I have got the senior Live Oak folks, and I have got the League of Arts reaching out. What I would ask is that they take an opportunity to come in and intro- duce yourselves, and let me get to know you and you get to knowme. As a citizen of Live Oak, that is what I am here to do with the team is to help the citizens maintain the lifestyle they want and maintain the city they would like to see. Take advantage of those opportunities and come out and get to know me. I think my experiences throughout my life will help me with this next chapter for me and the city.
35
1604
N
LiveOak Town Center I-35 & Loop 1604 W, Live Oak, TX 78233 The Live Oak Town Center is taking shape as a hub for food and shopping near IKEA.
35
1604
N
GatewayPlaza 7529 N Loop 1604 E, Live Oak, TX 78233 Gateway Plaza—home to several big retailers—is a future development hotspot.
1604
N
CONTACT INFORMATION: City Manager Glen Martel 210-653-9140, Ext. 2261 gmartel@liveoaktx.net 8001 Shin Oak Drive, Live Oak
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
14
COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Powered by FlippingBook