Editor's note: The date of the February Tamina meeting has been corrected to Feb. 26.
A $21 million project that launched in 2023 to provide water and sewer services to the community of Tamina is nearing completion this year.
The project will allow Shenandoah to provide services to property owners and businesses in the community of around 1,000 residents.
The project is close to completion as Phase 2 is currently underway, per Shenandoah officials. The lines were completed on the west and northeast side of Tamina as of Jan. 7, interim City Manager Joseph Peart said.
The six projects remaining for Phase 2 include $5.16 million for two contracts with ISJ Underground to install underground utilities as well as sanitary manholes and fire hydrants on the eastern side of the project, which extends to Sleepy Hollow and Main Street.
Interim Director of Public Works Rual Porras told residents at the Jan. 22 Tamina community meeting that plumbing connections will take place from April to September. This will include a change in how meters are read, allowing residents to look at how much water they use through a phone app.
“If you have a leak, it’s going to be able to detect that leak, let you know, and let us know as soon as possible so you can get fixed,” Porras said.
How we got here
Following a joint effort between Montgomery County and the city that began in 2022, $21 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds were allocated by the county to bring new water and sewer infrastructure into the unincorporated community of Tamina.
The city hired Bleyl Engineering to manage the design and construction of a sanitary sewer system and a new water system.
John Bleyl, president and CEO of Bleyl Engineering, said while the project is proceeding on schedule, there have been some issues regarding groundwater as the area is flat, providing a challenge for deeper lines.
“We encountered more groundwater than was anticipated,” Bleyl said. “And so that just meant that the contractor had to do more well-pointing. That’s a technique to take the water out of the ground wherever you’re working so you can finish the work. It’s a flat area like most of south Montgomery County. It’s not well-drained really, as far as rainfall runoff, but the groundwater was worse than what anybody anticipated.”
Despite some additional costs, the project remains on budget, officials said. Unexpected costs included removing water during the installation of life stations, manholes and conveyance lines, Peart said.
“There were [also] some unexpected costs associated with extending water and sewer lines beneath the railroad,” he said.
Put in perspective
Several Tamina residents said they have been concerned about construction safety and cleanup near their homes as the project progresses.
Many residents, including Rita Wiltz, have spoken about construction near their homes at monthly Tamina community meetings attended by representatives from the city and Bleyl. For example, residents reported a hole on the ground near a bus stop without any protection around it.
“I went out there ... trying to make sure none of [the kids] fell in the holes because at the time they were doing [construction], the kids were getting off the bus,” said Wiltz, a Tamina resident and founder of Tamina nonprofit Children’s Books on Wheels.
Porras said at the January meeting that the city will let the contractors know to put a safety net around the area. The community’s next meeting will be Feb. 26 at Tamina Park.
A long time coming
Other projects
Drainage has also been an issue in Tamina in incidents such as the 2018 flooding, which affected its historical Sweet Rest Cemetery.
Montgomery County Precinct 4 recently kicked off its Tamina Economic Development Planning Project through a $3 million federal grant from U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, according to the office of Precinct 4 Commissioner Matt Gray.
Phase 1 will focus on the design and construction of short-term drainage improvements, which includes providing new driveways and culverts as well as regrading roadside ditches, according to information from Precinct 4.
Residents said they are also hoping for the county to expand Main Street due to increased traffic from a new neighborhood called The Reserve Sleepy Hollow, a move-in ready home community at 10191 Sleepy Hollow Road, Conroe.
Stay tuned
The final Southeast Phase of the water and sewer project is expected to be completed by July. Water plant construction is scheduled for completion in September.
According to the city, engineering is currently in progress to extend utilities north and south of Tamina Road and areas east of Johnson Road. Residents will coordinate the installation of connections with a licensed plumber at no charge to Shenandoah’s water system.
Once the connection happens, residents will begin being billed by Shenandoah as the previous company’s billing will end.
“The response from the Tamina community has been very positive. We have worked closely with the Tamina leadership group to keep them apprised of the project from the beginning,” Peart said. “People were very excited to learn that the average water customer will see their bill go down.”
