City is at end of Rebuild Bellaire funding

$8.4 million in drainage and road construction mark end of 2005 bonds

With the approval of $8.4 million in drainage and road construction work for six streets, the city of Bellaire has come to the end of its $40 million, 2005 Rebuild Bellaire bond program funds.

The council approved a contract for $8.94 million with Reytec Construction Services for the work.

Streets to be improved include Alder Street from Evergreen Street to Maple Street, the 6900 and 7000 blocks of Ferris Street, the 4400 block of Glenmont Street, Howard Lane from the 1000 to 1200 blocks, the 4400 block of Nancy, and the 5300 block of Valerie Street.

According to city memorandum, the project involves the removal of the existing street and installation of a new storm sewer systems, street surfaces, driveway approaches and sidewalks.

The overall project is to be- gin in March and run for 455 days, or about 15 months.

“This is the end of the Rebuild Bellaire program funds that voters authorized in 2005 for street and drainage projects. This effectively ends all of that bond authorization and cash contributions to the account as well. This is why your capital plan shows the need for more bond author-

ity and additional capital programming for streets and drainage. Your current plan shows that beginning in 2018,” City Manager Paul Hofmann told the city council in January.

Director of Public Works Brant Gary said the main drive for the Rebuild Bellaire program had been improving drainage.

He said the Valerie Street portion of the project includes adding a 9-foot-by-7-foot underground culvert with drainage outfall to Chimney Rock Road.

This concerned Councilman Pat McLaughlan, who said he observes that in heavy rain events drainage on Chimney Rock Road already is poor.

City Engineer James Andrews said he and city staff are in the middle of a drainage study which includes ongoing communication with other local stakeholders, including Harris County Flood Control and the Federal Emergency Management Administration.

He said the project had been vetted by HDR Engineering Inc., whichis overseeing the project.

Council member Trisha Pollard was concerned about sidewalks.

“There are some sidewalks planned for areas where the construction is occurring, whether it is the installation of a sidewalk or the replacement due to construction,” Gary said. He said the Rebuild Bellaire program makes it a priority to have a continuous sidewalk on at least one side of the street.

He said the city also will fill in small gaps in the sidewalk network in those particular construction areas.

Andrews said even with diligent maintenance, a street’s life span is around 50 years and it will at that point require reconstruction, he said. Some Bellaire streets are already candidates for replacement and additional ones will become so in subsequent years.