City of Hilshire Village

Report on Ridgeley Drive Rehabilitation Project

STATUS REPORT

 

As many of you know, your Mayor and City Council have been working feverishly to get this Project designed, funded, and financed. This effort was initiated under Mayor Davis over three years ago and we are finally beginning to see the fruits of these labors. We understand that this construction process has been and will continue to be inconvenient to a large portion of us at one point or another. However, as discussed in many past Meetings, this project is necessary as our infrastructure is over 50 years old and not designed to last forever. In our last City Council Meeting we learned via internal sanitary sewer television films that the lines are indeed severely deteriorated, confirming that our infrastructure is in need of replacement.

 

To recap, we bid the project in three parcels as follows:

∑          the Water lines and Lift Station, won by (Metro City) at $614,339

∑          the Sewer lines and manholes, won by (PM Constr.) at $199,990

∑          and the Culverts and Paving, won by (AAA Asphalt Paving) at $2,198,990.

 

The first two bids total $814,329 and are financed by a $1,000,000 bond we sold late last fiscal year. These elements are on our nickel and itπs doubly important we keep them on Budget for obvious reasons. So far, we have had no Change Orders or issues, but I am concerned that we will have, as many projects do. You can see that the budget has some wiggle room, but not much, and what we donπt spend here, we can use for other equally important work like this elsewhere in the Village.

 

Metro City: Water & Lift Station (about half finished)

 

This part of the work has been a little messy, especially after a slight rain, and I know you have suffered through this kindly. The water lines have been installed on Ridgeley and Bromley, including fire hydrants, valves, etc. A couple more connections must be made and then the next step, likely to occur within three weeks, is to pressure test and disinfect the new lines. After that we will transfer the existing flow to the new system and abandon the old lines where they lie. Connection of the new lines to the residences will be accomplished by digging a hole in each yard and making the water connection to the mainline. This hole will be filled and compacted immediately. Once all connections are complete, they will return to the excavation and ≥dress≤ it with sod.

 

Although we expect Metro City to begin work on the Lift Station in this period, they have suggested that they may need additional funds for this element. Metro City is reviewing their bid to define the amount.

 

So far, we have experienced only a few glitches and complaints about trash and broken service lines (the lines that go from the main to the home) but those problems were resolved quickly and we are satisfied with Metro Cityπs work; they are responsive to our concerns and work quickly to make amends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PM Construction: Sanitary Sewer/Manholes (about half finished)

 

The pipe bursting (laying new sewer line) is about finished. Next week they should complete manhole rehabilitation, after which, they will conduct post-TV inspection of the new lines and clean them up. The new lines have already been connected to the residences for use.

 

A couple complaints about parking equipment, traffic control, and damage to the right of way have been resolved and we are satisfied with PMπs work as it stands now.

 

 

AAA Asphalt Paving: Culverts and Paving (about to start)

 

The culverts and paving will be funded by a $2,336,000 grant from Metro. We are appealing to Harris County Flood Control District for financial assistance on the northernmost and highest-cost, cross culvert, which is in their jurisdiction. We hope that they will help finance this portion of the project. To the extent that extra or leftover funds exist in this paving project, we intend to utilize those funds for landscaping and beautification of the rights of way.

 

We executed the construction contract on 8 January and anticipate work to begin as early as 21 January. The contract calls for a 270 consecutive day (nine months) construction timeframe. We have not yet formalized all of the aspects of the staging so I can only outline what we should expect over the next nine months.

 

This project will be dusty, noisy, and probably infuriating to some of us at one point or another. I will assure you that we have worked to make it as painless as possible and we are fortunate to have many ≥escape≤ routes along Ridgeley.

 

I have been advised that all of you residents in the construction area will have constant access to your driveways, the only exception being a short period when that portion of work is being done right at your drive, and then it shouldnπt last for more than a few hours.

 

The project will be broken into 3 or 4 sections, each to be essentially completed before beginning on the next. This will keep the mess isolated and traffic moving. The first element to be undertaken in each section will be the storm culvert/s under the road, then the roadway, and finally, the right-of-way (ROW). This last piece includes new driveway culverts and replacement of drives across the ROW. The replacement of these drives (only across the ROW) will consist of replacing concrete drives with concrete, and asphalt or shell/gravel drives with asphalt. Decorative drives will be replaced with concrete, but the homeowner will have the opportunity to utilize the contractor to upgrade his drive at the incremental cost.

 

We will probably start the process at Mallie Court, Burkhart and Ridgeley immediately south of Mallie Court. This section will require extensive work and will be very congested. The existing culvert that crosses under the roadway will be removed and replaced with large box culverts or large diameter pipes. Then one side of the roadway will be milled down 12 to 24 inches, and a new road base will be laid and compacted. This will be followed by layers of asphalt paving. Then we turn around and repeat the process on the remaining lane. The ditches will be regraded, old driveway culverts will be removed and replaced with new culverts and the new drives across the ROW will be graded and laid.

 

Note: City Council has approved a plan on the ROW obstructions to include the following:

∑       Irrigation systems will be cut at the property line and capped. If you have an irrigation system that extends into the ROW, keep this in mind.

∑       Mailboxes will be moved on to the ownerπs property and replaced during construction with temporary mailboxes where necessary. Masonry and specialty boxes can get damaged and you may want to deal with these items on your own. They will not be replaced after construction.

∑       Actually, any item in the ROW is subject to removal, including parking pads, mailboxes, decorative gardens, stones, etc. Where possible, these items will be placed on the ownerπs property.

 

Other sections will be: Westview to north Archley, north Archley to Burkhart, and Mallie Court to Wirt. Their order will be determined soon.

 

I have been in touch with our police force to keep them apprised of our schedule and will continue that effort going forward. I am a little concerned about cut-through traffic that once used Ridgeley to get to Wirt in the mornings and to Westview in the evenings and how the construction will affect those travelers. I am asking SVPD to take special precaution to ensure that Glourie doesnπt get overrun by these commuters. Please be aware that increased coverage on Glourie may be present.

 

Please direct all questions to the City Hall office. Our staff can answer most of your questions or put you in touch with those who can. We appreciate your patience as we continue to work through this process. The end result will benefit all HV residents. I encourage you to attend City Council Meetings for monthly updates. We will also continue to use the newsletter as a means of communication to update you on this project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robin S. Border, Mayor

City of Hilshire Village, Texas

12 January 2008