03-11-03 Town Hall Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e e Minutes of the Town Meeting - March 11, 2003 - Page 4 projects will have a park-like setting. Harris County Flood Control is constructing an 80-acre detention facility in Deer Park and channel improvements in the Spenwick area. Harris County Flood Control is undertaking a massive watershed study involving the Annand Bayou system, which could have some impact in the Brookglen area. Last year the TIRZ board approved a watershed study for the areas in the tax increment zone, the findings have recently been received, and storage areas will be needed in several locations. This study is considered a draft, but should be refined and completely adopted in the next few months. The Fairmont Parkway overpass preliminary engineering plan has been received, possibly by September of 2004 they will be ready to go out for bid. In conjunction with that, Fairmont Parkway will be widened; this is a County/City project. On the Bay Area Boulevard project, the engineering is about 98 percent complete; the land acquisition is committed, but all the documents have not been signed as yet. It may be possible to begin this project by the end of the year. Harris County has authorized preliminary engineering for the Sens Road project from Spencer Highway to 225. There are several turning lane projects on Fairmont Parkway that are under design and some are almost ready to bid. The Canada Road project construction drawings are probably 100 percent completed. The City hopes to partner with the County on this project. Canada Road will pick up at Fairmont Parkway and align itself with East Boulevard all the way to State Highway 225. A major investment study has been going on for the last two years involving Highway 146. There was a public hearing and input was given involving Highway 146 from Fairmont Parkway all the way to Texas City. The State made recommendations last July for the preferred alternative. The City of Seabrook and a couple of cities around Clear Lake wanted to investigate other alternatives and hire a consulting firm to do that. Those have been sent to the State and the State is hopefully going to have another public meeting on this in April. This is probably the last public meeting, and it will display the Seabrook alternatives along with the original recommendation made by the original study. The importance is that the major investment study and the locally preferred alternative have to be approved before the State has access to Federal funds to spend on the highway. There are activities planned for the future of the City that have no definitive activity or schedule as yet. These include projects on Sixteenth Street North, negotiations with the railroad; this road will go north and intersect with Highway 146. Sixteenth Street South is part ofthe TIRZ project, financing available from tax increment zone. This would be a widening and rebuilding of 16th Street to a proposed 4-lane median street. The curve would bring it out to match up with Wharton Weems Boulevard with an overpass planned at Highway 146, offering a straight line extension to offer access to properties. South Broadway improvements could be accelerated if there are funding capabilities. Solid Waste Disposal: The City procured land for a solid waste disposal, however; disposal costs have remained competitive. Subsequent State and Federal Regulations have removed financial efficiencies from proposed operation of our own landfill and prevented the chosen location. It is more cost effective for the City not tq open a landfill.