The setup
During a Nov. 11 public hearing session on projects listed in the Facilities Master Plan, which does not include improvements to the wastewater facility, citizens voiced concerns regarding the lack of action on the facility.
Kay Bryan, a resident of Tennyson Street, wrote in a letter to city officials asking the city to reconsider building a new wastewater treatment facility in lieu of a new civic center.
"The wastewater treatment facility is vital to every single citizen of West U," Bryan wrote. "I was extremely dismayed to discover that none of my neighbors knew about the plan to patch our end of life wastewater treatment plant and instead prioritize the rebuilding of a new senior center and library when both are fully function[ing]."
Taking a step back
Construction was anticipated to start on the West U wastewater treatment plant in 2024 after the design phase was completed earlier in the year. However, the process hit a snag in September following an unsuccessful bidding process.
According to a Sept. 23 council presentation, only one bid was received and came in significantly higher than the estimated construction cost.
City engineers estimated the price for the project at approximately $17.3 million. The single bid from Industrial TX came in at $29.8 million, almost double the price. The city rejected the bid and voted to proceed with a phased approach, and rebid the project from November to early January.
The city's website shows that the estimated contract award is set for February with construction anticipated to start in April and the first phase complete by 2027.
However, former West University Mayor Bob Kelly said he believes the council will only be met with higher construction bids, pushing the project further down the road.
"We could wind up in a situation... where it was $28 million a year ago and today a bid could come in that's some multiple of that," he said. "This is a big situation facing West University and the city isn't really discussing it that much. What they are discussing a whole lot about is tearing down all these city buildings and rebuilding them."
The city's Facilities Master Plan includes rebuilding a new senior center, library and community building as well as a new fire station. City Council discussed alternatives to the plan in early November, but several residents still spoke against the rebuilding.
Public input
Kallie Rainsberger, a resident of Wroxton Road, said in an emailed statement to Community Impact that the city should not be taking on more projects before addressing its core concerns.
"The [Facilities Master Plan] requires de-prioritizing the maintenance of essential city services and facilities, specifically the officially-deemed, end-of-life wastewater treatment plant," she said. "That was done against the advice of two former mayors and with the knowledge that the plant almost failed during [Hurricane] Harvey."
John Barnes, another West U resident, also said in an emailed statement that the new city buildings should be viewed as discretionary rather than essential.
"The city is faced with a number of critical improvements that are needed to our water and sewer infrastructure, including aging water storage facilities, deteriorating or inadequate drainage on the city's west side and much needed upgrades and replacements at our wastewater treatment plant," he said. "Every single man, woman and child in West U depends on the plant functioning correctly every day."
