By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Del Rio City Council members recently heard an update on the city ongoing capital improvement projects.
City Finance Director Alberta S. Barrett provided the update during the council’s April 11 meeting.
“We’ve included an update on our current capital improvement projects starting with parks and recreation. Again, it’s not all of our capital improvement projects, but we did want to try and give you an update on a good portion of them,” Barrett told the council.
Barrett began with renovations of the restrooms at Pop Word and UCO parks.
She said the restrooms are close to being finished.
“We’ve spent about $773,000, so we are about three-quarters of the way there,” she said.
Barrett said work on the skate park at Severiano Perez Park along the San Felipe Creek is still in its planning phase. No money has been spent, she said, adding the city is working on acquiring a geographic and topographic study.
“We’ve also been doing some work for the splashpad at the GI Forum Park,” she said, noting price quotes for construction have been received, and staff is reviewing specifications and sizes.
Barrett said staff is also looking at installing canopies at GI Forum Park, a project that will include a pad, solar canopy, bleachers and an outdoor volleyball net.
“We do have money included in the budget for that,” Barrett told the council.
Money is also budgeted for relocating the fence at The Bank & Trust baseball field off Ogden Street, Barrett said.
“To date, nothing has been spent. We’re working on a design for that project,” Barrett said.
She also addressed a project to renovate the creekwalk near the Dr. Alfredo Gutierrez Amphitheatre.
“The San Felipe Creek bank improvements and stabilization. As you are aware, that contract has been terminated, but to date we’ve spent about $345,000,” Barrett said.
Barrett also addressed ongoing work planned for the city’s Field of Our Dreams sports park off Kings Way. She said an ADA-compliant pedestrian bridge is being planned and sets of bleachers are expected to arrive on-site in August.
“It’s coming along. Yes, there are still improvements to be made. To date, we’ve spent a little over $2.8 million in total for that project,” she said.
Next, Barrett spoke about improvements at the San Felipe Springs Golf Course.
“We have a big project going there, which is the new golf cart sheds. The old (sheds) are very much in need of replacement,” she said.
Barrett noted the shed replacement project is on schedule, with completion set for June. She said the new buildings are being manufactured at the plant, and the city has spent a total of $105,000 on the project.
“We are also looking at adding a pre-fab restroom, similar to what we did at UCO Park. We are still in the process of reviewing which model, and we do have approval from the Texas Historical Commission to add that if we so desire,” she said.
Barrett next reviewed the street reconstruction projects planned for this fiscal year.
Streets to be reconstructed include Nicholson Street from South Main Street to Las Vacas Street, Strickland Street from Pecan Street to the dead end and Griner Street from Garfield Avenue to Nicholson Street.
To date, the city has spent just over $65,000 on the reconstruction projects, she said.
“We’ve also included in the budget a street study or master plan, so public works is looking at that and doing that review process so we can get a consultant to do that study,” Barrett said.
She also addressed a CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) downtown revitalization project.
“We just recently brought (this) to city council, and they awarded the contract to Stantec in the amount of $69,200, and that’s part of our administrative cost for that project. We’re scheduled to be refunded $350,000 from the grant portion of that,” Barrett said.
Barrett also spoke about planned improvements for city facilities.
“A big one is the Southern Pacific Depot rehab project. We have had the windows installed, and I think they’re completed or very near completion, and we’ve spent about $188,000 for those windows,” she said.
Reconstruction of the Brown Plaza is another ongoing project. Barrett said concrete has been poured and $185,000 has been spent on the work there to date.
Barrett said the city’s gas department has also done some projects this year. She said the department has installed a 10-inch distribution line and spent $108,044 on the project. She said the department has completed an extension along Kings Way, at a cost of about $55,000.
Barrett spoke to the council about ongoing projects in the water department, international bridge, international airport, landfill and wastewater department.
In the water department, the city is still in the process of getting the Hamilton Well north of Del Rio up and running. Barrett said the quality of the water is still being tested and evaluated, a process she said will take up to six months.
She noted the design for a series of planned water distribution lines is about 60 percent complete, adding the city has received funding for the project from the Texas Water Development Board in prior years and has spent $212, 779.
Barrett said the construction of two additional lanes between the city’s international bridge and the Del Rio Port of Entry would likely be completed by the end of the month or early next month. To date, the city has spent $974,909 on the project.
Several projects are underway at the Del Rio International Airport, including construction of a new entrance sign and hard-scaping and rehabilitation of the runway pavement. Other airport projects include relocating of the rotating beacon and approach lights and burial of a power line and replacing the terminal building roof.
At the city’s landfill, ongoing projects include vertical expansions of Cells 3 and 4, closure of Cells 3 and 4 and closure of Cell 5.
The largest projects at the landfill include finalizing the construction of Cell 6 and a 75-acre lateral expansion of the landfill site. Barrett said the city has already spent $3.7 million on the construction of Cell 6, and it has spent $688,546 on the expansion initiative.
Barrett finished her update with ongoing projects in the city’s wastewater department.
She said the major project in the wastewater department is the first phase of the Northside Sanitary Sewer Outfall line.
Other wastewater projects include upgrades to wastewater treatment plants, a wastewater master plan and sludge removal at the wastewater plants.
—
Contact the author at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
