Functional art
nice little benches and lights and everything else,” she said. “Everything that we’re doing right now and planned to do in the future, first and foremost, they’re infrastruc- ture projects.” The improvements are being funded through a vari- ety of city funds as well as grant money. To help fund future projects, the city cre- ated a tax increment rein- vestment zone last year along the US 377 corridor that includes Old Town Keller. As the area redevelops and increases in property value, the zone will allow the city to capture that additional tax revenue and funnel it into other improvements. “[The reinvestment zone shows] how dedicated we are to making sure that Old Town Keller is a success,” Mizani said. “From the city’s per- spective, we’re very into our parks. We’re very into our trails. We like having unique mom-and-pop retailers and restaurants. … The more that we can improve on the
see,” she said. Sue Harbert owns The Pol- kadot Giraffe gift shop, which she opened five years ago in a house built in 1920 on Olive Street. Opening in Old Town versus a strip mall gives her business “an old quaint feel- ing,” she said. Harbert also serves as vice president of the Old Town Keller Merchants Associa- tion. She said it is important to let people know businesses are still open, despite the construction. “People just need to get out and explore Old Town and see what’s really down here,” she said. “There’s really some unique shops.” Harbert said she is excited about all the improvements coming to Old Town Keller. “When it’s done, it’s going to be phenomenal,” she said. “I just wish they could wave a magic wand and have every- thing done already.”
infrastructure and bring it up to date, in that sense, I think it’s just going to further put Keller on the map.” What is next Once the Bates Street improvements are done, the city plans to tackle rede- velopment of Elm Street. Plans include utility work, improved drainage, added sidewalks, on-street parking and a reconstructed roadway. Between $5 million-$5.5 mil- lion of the Elm Street work will be funded through the Tarrant County transporta- tion bond program voters approved in 2021, according to Linan. Linan said construction is scheduled to be done between 2024 and 2026. Hensley said the city also hopes some of the business owners might band together and add extra touches, whether that means holiday decorations, signage or extra security cameras. “The sky’s the limit as far as what they might like to
The city of Keller has commissioned artists to construct public art benches for the Bates Street project. The city is paying $8,000 for each bench. The artists are:
1 B.C. Gilbert 2 Claudia Maysen 3 Julia Ousley 4 Scott Shubin 5 Pascale Pryor
6 Robert Heintzelman 7 Robertus van der Wege 8 Sherry and Jimmy Don Snowden of Sleepy Rooster Studios 9 Thomas Diel
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PHOTOS COURTESY CITY OF KELLER/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
For more information, visit communityimpact.com.
SOURCE: CITY OF KELLER/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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