With an estimated $1.89 million approved in design service contracts, West University Place City Council and IDS Engineering Group move forward with a projected 2025-26 construction start time for improvements to four of the city’s existing water system infrastructures.

The cost


Explained

According to the agenda documents, here's how the improvements will work:
  • Wakeforest distribution line improvements: The project will improve the water pressure and flow throughout the city's water system.
  • Wakeforest Water Plant improvements: This facility lacks sufficient room to upgrade pump capacity without taking the pump station offline, which impacts water service delivery to residents. This project will improve water pressure and flow to support future water service demand.
  • Milton Water Plant improvements: This facility also lacks sufficient room to upgrade pump capacity without taking the pump station offline, which impacts water service delivery to residents. It currently fails to meet compliance standards with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
  • New water well: The new 1,500-gallon-per-minute groundwater site will help with water supply during peak water demand in the summer.
Before the construction phase would begin, according to City Manager Dave Beach, an estimated $21.7 million in construction bid costs would have to be approved by City Council members. The estimated construction bid costs would go to council by the third quarter of 2025.



What happened?

West U City Council members voted unanimously in favor for awarding the contracts to IDS Group on Feb. 12.

What residents should know

In order to fund the contracts for design services, City Council also voted to amend the fiscal year 2023-24 budget.


According to Beach and Finance Director Marie Kalka, funding will be allocated from water and sewer certificates of obligation, a 2022 bond fund that can be used for the city's water projects.

City Council received a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that was used for other water system improvements, such as the Milton Street water line project.

The timeline