BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL LEARNS ABOUT OPTIONS TO IMPROVE WATER CAPACITY

  

The Brenham City Council received a wealth of information today (Thursday) about options the city could pursue to expand its water capacity.

During a work session that lasted over an hour, representatives from Strand Associates presented the council with the results of a study and gave recommendations on how the city can identify new water sources and upgrade its water treatment capabilities to support a growing population.

Ryan Tinsley, Director of Operations for Strand Associates in Brenham, said the proposals are meant to address growth over several decades. 

The primary choices given to the council revolve around adding groundwater wells to pull from aquifers, rehabilitating and expanding the existing water treatment plant, or a combination of the two. 

The combined cost is estimated at $36 million, including roughly $11.7 million for the wells and $24.3 million for the water treatment plant improvements.  Design for both options would begin in the fall, and construction would have an expected completion date of September 2027.

When asked about the cost for the wells, Brian Hackman, Director of Practice-Water Supply at the Strand Associates office in Madison, Wisconsin, explained that it is to ensure the hardness of the well water matches with lake water.  He also said it is more expensive for customers to deal with hard water individually than with a cost-shared method.

General Manager of Public Utilities Debbie Gaffey said running a second line out to Lake Somerville is still part of the long-term strategy, but the city needs to grow its customer base in order to be able to afford it.  She said right now, the second line would be very costly, but if the city sees the growth it predicts, that may happen sooner rather than later. 

At the end of discussion, Mayor Atwood Kenjura said this is a “big, big task ahead of the council”, which needs to take a lot of time and look at the options very seriously.  Councilmember Clint Kolby said the decision the council makes “will impact development and growth for decades,” adding that while this may be expensive, he would rather pay for it in today’s dollars than 10 years from now.  Kenjura concluded, “We cannot run out of water.”

Also during today’s meeting, the council:

• Approved resolutions to adopt commercial tax phase-in agreements with Valmont Industries, Inc. and North Park Development, LLC.  Valmont is looking to expand its production capacity at its manufacturing facility at 2551 Valmont Drive.  North Park Development, also known as PlanNorth Architectural Co., plans to move its office from downtown Brenham to 1809 North Park Street, a location that is intended to also provide office space for lease.
• Appointed a Capital Improvements Advisory Committee, created to review the outcome of an impact fee study and give a recommendation on if the city should adopt impact fees for water, sanitary sewer and streets.  The committee will consist of all seven members of the Planning and Zoning Commission: Keith Behrens, Dr. Deanna Alfred, Calvin Kossie, Christopher Cangelosi, Artis Edwards Jr., Darren Heine and Cayte Neil.  It will also include councilmember Dr. Paul LaRoche III, extraterritorial jurisdiction representative Blake Brannon, and real estate representatives Lindi Braddock and Randy Hodde.  It was noted that Hodde has asked for additional time to consider, so the council added in its motion the ability to appoint a replacement should Hodde be unable to serve on the committee.
• Authorized the submittal of an advance funding agreement with TxDOT pertaining to a bridge located at Hog Branch Creek and Pecan Street.  Public Works Director Dane Rau announced that thanks to additional funding through the Federal Infrastructure and Jobs Act as well as the Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program, the city’s 10 percent portion of the $490,000 project will be fully covered, meaning the city will not be required to match any of the grant funds.
• Approved a lease agreement between the city and Central Washington County Water Supply Corporation (CWCWSC) related to the city’s water system auto-dialer relay station.  Public Utilities Compliance Manager Daniel McCracken said the agreement, which permits the city to use space on an elevated tower at the CWCWSC’s Longpoint water plant for better communications between the city’s communication infrastructure and the Lake Somerville pumping station.  The lease will not exceed $1,200 for the first year and will auto-renew with an increase of $100 each year.
• Appointed Atwood Kenjura as the city’s representative on the governing board of the Brazos Valley Wide Area Communications System.
• Approved a bid for the purchase of polyaluminum chloride for the city’s water utility system.  The city accepted the bid of Brenntag Southwest at $725 per liquid ton. 
• Approved a second amendment to the professional services agreement between the city and Hodde & Hodde Land Surveying, Inc. related to the city’s 6” gas main loop NE project.  The amendment increases the amount for the agreement by $4,500.  Public Utilities Project Manager Shawn Bolenbarr said the reason for the increase is due to a larger scope of services because of unanticipated additional topography survey work and the discovery of an additional easement.
• Met in executive session to consult with the city attorney regarding Aviators Plus, LLC v. City of Brenham; Cause No. 37896; 21^st Judicial District Court, Washington County.

Click here to view the agenda packet for Thursday's meeting.