By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
City council members have approved applying for a state grant to help pay for the reconstruction of several streets on the city’s east side.
The council during its special meeting on Dec. 5 approved a resolution “authorizing and directing the city manager to submit a Texas Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program application to the Texas Department of Agriculture for the Community Development Fund.”
After City Secretary Mari Acosta read the heading of the agenda item, Mayor Al Arreola asked for a motion.
Councilwoman Ernestina “Tina” Martinez made the motion to approve the resolution, with Councilman J.P. Sanchez giving the second.
Arreola then asked if there were any questions for Michael Garcia, assistant to the city manager and the city’s grants writer.
Garcia told the council, “This for the Highland (Park) Subdivision (streets). This is an application for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Community Development Fund.
“For some time, we have been estimating the total construction cost of $1.7 million for pavement mill and overlay, and also, one thing that we did not include on the agenda item summary, it is for street reconstruction and also sidewalks. However, before the meeting, (Interim Public Works Director) Greg (Velazquez) got an update on the construction (cost) of this project, and it’s actually more than that; it’s actually $2.5 million, so that’s something we’ll be looking at different options, that way we can fund it from current COs (certificates of obligation), funding that we have available, but that’s a big update that we got right before the meeting,” Garcia said.
City Manager Shawna Burkhart added, “I would say that right now we are approximately $850,000 short for the (city’s) match (for the grant). In the 2019D Series (COs), we have $889,000 ready to go toward a match, however, we are significantly short, to the tune of approximately $850,000.
“So, there is $450,000 Greg believes can be reassigned. It is $400,000 under ‘streets and sidewalks, street reconstruction projects, in-house,’ and that’s $400,000 that could be thrown at this grant, but that would still make us $550,000 short, and I am not sure where we would pull that from,” Burkhart said.
“So, I don’t know if you want to approve this this evening without knowing where that $550,000 is coming from,” she added.
Garcia commented, “One thing I would like to mention is that this is a pre-application, so once we submit the application (on Dec. 9), by Jan. 6, 2025, we will get a notification if the city will be invited to submit a regular projects application. If that is the case, the deadline for the application will be June 30, 2025, so (the state) will be making a decision by next fall if the city will be selected for funding.”
Burkhart said between now and the submission of the final application, city staff could re-evaluate the project, which includes five sections of roadways “and see if we could reduce the scope.”
The council members present at the meeting then voted unanimously to approve the resolution.
In his memo to the council about the project, which was included in the council’s information packet, Garcia said the city is asking for $750,000 in CDBG funds for pavement mill and overlay of about 5,675 linear feet of roadway in the Highland Park Subdivision on the city’s east side.
Garcia’s memo noted the work would include pavement mill and overlay of 1,940 linear feet of Northill Drive from North Bedell Avenue to Crestline Drive; 1,425 linear feet of Ridgewood Drive from North Bedell Avenue to Crestline Drive; 1,320 linear feet of Crestline Drive from North Bedell Avenue to Ridgewood Drive; 690 linear feet of Glendale Circle from Crestline Drive to the end of Glendale Circle, including the cul-de-sac; 150 linear feet of Rico Street from Northill Drive to the end of the property, a driveway entrance; and 150 feet of an unnamed stub out from Northill Drive to the end of the property.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
