Department: County Engineer
Department Head/Elected Official: Milton Rahman, PhD, P.E., PMP, CFM, County Engineer
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Transfer of Funds Only
Project ID (if applicable): ARPA_WATER
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by the Office of the County Engineer for approval to appropriate $31,988,154.00 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support wastewater improvements for the Westfield Estates Sanitary Sewer System Construction project.
end
Background and Discussion:
The Westfield Estates Subdivision area currently relies on outdated and failing septic systems for wastewater services. Constructing a public sanitary sewer system and abandoning septic tanks will help to minimize bacterial contamination in the subdivision and in Halls Bayou. This project includes program management professional services, property acquisition, Westfield Estates Sanitary Sewer System construction, construction materials testing, Oakwilde Wastewater Treatment Facility construction, and HCED in-house labor. Funding for professional services for selecting the project and for design professional services has already been transferred.
The program budget will total $37,600,000, including previously approved investments of $5,611,846. The ARPA Steering Committee has approved the additional funding.
Expected Impact:
The Westfield Estates Subdivision has an extremely high septic system failure rate. The failing septic tanks discharge raw sewage into yards, then into the roadside open ditches and into Halls Bayou, which is an impaired waterway. Constructing a public sanitary sewer system and abandoning septic tanks will help to minimize bacterial contamination in the subdivision and in Halls Bayou, which would significantly improve environmental health and safety in the area and increase overall quality of life. Access to wastewater services also has a potential to increase development within the area.
Harris County is prohibited by law from spending general funds on public water and wastewater projects; therefore, grant funding like ARPA must be secured to fund these types of projects.
Alternative Options:
The alternative of not constructing the public sanitary sewer system in the Westfield Estates Subdivision area would lead to continued bacterial contamination in the community. Grant funding is extremely limited, so if the ARPA funding is not allotted, the project will not proceed.
Alignment with Goal(s):
_ Justice and Safety
_ Economic Opportunity
_ Housing
X Public Health
_ Transportation
_ Flooding
X Environment
_ Governance and Customer Service
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
5/16/2023 |
20 |
Requested approval of professional services agreement with Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc. |
|
4/25/2023 |
16 |
Requested approval of professional services on-call agreement with Ardurra Group, Inc. |
|
1/31/2023 |
17 |
Requested Authorization to Negotiate with Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc. |
|
8/23/2022 |
20 |
Requested Authorization to Negotiate with Ardurra Group, Inc. |
|
4/26/2022 |
179 |
Request for approval of a project scheduled for advertisement for professional engineering and consulting services for feasibility and design of Westfield Estates Wastewater for the Office of the County Engineer (220154). |
|
4/5/2022 |
182 |
Request for approval to reject the response(s) received for professional engineering and consulting services for feasibility and design of Westfield Estates Wastewater for the Office of the County Engineer, and that the project be readvertised at a later date with revised specifications (220069). |
|
3/8/2022 |
225 |
Request for approval of a project scheduled for advertisement for professional engineering and consulting services for feasibility and design of Westfield Estates wastewater for the Office of the County Engineer (220069). |
Location:
Address (if applicable): Westfield Estates Subdivision Areas (Key Map 413R, 414N, 413V, 414S)
Precinct(s): Precinct 2
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
Watershed/Wastewater |
|
|
FY 24 |
FY 25 |
Next 3 FYs |
|
Incremental Expenditures (do NOT write values in thousands or millions) |
|
Labor Expenditures |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Non-Labor Expenditures |
$5,088,154 |
$26,900,000 |
$ |
|
Total Incremental Expenditures |
$5,088,154 |
$26,900,000 |
$ |
|
Funding Sources (do NOT write values in thousands or millions) |
|
Existing Budget |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Current Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Additional Budget Requested |
|
Other ARPA |
$5,088,154 |
$26,900,000 |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Additional Budget Requested |
$5,088,154 |
$26,900,000 |
$ |
|
Total Funding Sources |
$5,088,154 |
$26,900,000 |
$ |
|
Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
|
Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
|
Additional Positions Requested |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
Anticipated Court Date: January 30, 2024
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date):
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: COVID-19 related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Cassandra Green, PE; Senior Manager - Special Projects
Attachments (if applicable):