By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
City council members took action during their most recent meeting to prioritize stabilization of a portion of the San Felipe Creek bank known as the “Blue Wall,” a concrete embankment across from Moore Park.
Council members heard about the stabilization during an update on city projects given by city staff.
During the projects update, Interim Finance Director Roxy Soto told council members the Blue Wall project is one of a series of efforts to stabilize creek banks in heavily used public areas along the San Felipe Creek.
Soto said, “The Blue Wall Stabilization Project was brought up during last year’s CIP (capital improvement plan) budget discussions. This project became a priority once significant erosion and destabilization was visible and becoming a safety concern with neighboring homes. City staff engaged with Matrix Design Group on construction documents for the improvements adjacent to Romanelli Park and the Blue Wall segment.
“We are currently at 90 percent of the design completion. A permit application has been submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and in a following agenda item, we will bring an item to reallocate funds from 2016, 2017 and 2018 COs from the San Felipe Creek Bank Stabilization Project for the construction portion of this project,” Soto added.
Soto shared some artist’s renderings of how the rebuilt portion of the creek bank is expected to look, as well as photos of the damage to the Blue Wall, some of which occurred during recent heavy rains.
Soto then went over proposed financing for the project, which was not included in the current year’s city budget.
She said the city has spent $258,423 to pay for the engineering and design of the project.
“Construction is estimated at $991,300 to $1,266,700, and again, the funding source is from 2016, 2017 and 2018 COs,” Soto said.
City council members took no action following the projects update, but later took action on the Blue Wall stabilization project during another agenda item.
City Secretary Mari Acosta read the heading of the agenda item: “An ordinance . . . to authorize and direct the interim city manager to reallocate funds from 2016, 2017 and 2018 certificates of obligation to the San Felipe Creek Blue Wall Stabilization Project . . .”
After Acosta read the heading, Mayor Al Arreola called for a motion to approve the ordinance. Councilman Randy Quinones made a motion to approve, and Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez gave the second.
Arreola asked if there were any questions, concerns or comments.
Hearing none, Arreola called for the vote, and all six members of the council present voted in favor of the motion.
In background information provided to the council as part of its agenda packet, Soto wrote last year the council approved a resolution directing then-City Manager Shawna Burkhart to approve a $223,923 contract with Matrix Design Group Inc. to produce construction documents for “improvements adjacent to the Romanelli (Park) Bridge and the Blue Wall segment.”
She noted the two segments were among those discussed by the council as “areas of concern regarding erosion control along the creek” during last year’s budget planning cycle.
Soto wrote, “The San Felipe Creek in Del Rio, Texas, is a vital ecological and recreational asset for the community. City staff is recommending moving forward with this project due to the retaining wall collapsing, which is meant for erosion control on South Bedell Avenue and Linda Vista.”
Soto also wrote the city has submitted permit applications for the Blue Wall stabilization, adding those permits are currently under review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Soto further wrote the Blue Wall stabilization work is not funded in the current year’s budget. She said the work is estimated to cost $1,101,427. She said staff is recommending reallocating $420,000 from 2016 COs assigned for the San Felipe Creek walk reconstruction and City Hall improvements, $76,100 from 2017 COs assigned to the San Felipe Creek walk reconstruction and $494,300 from 2018 COs assigned to the San Felipe Creek walk reconstruction.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com .
