2nd round projects expected to cost $31.5M

County commissioners picked 14 projects and are considering about 10 more to be funded by the next round of Hurricane Ike federal disaster aid. The infrastructure projects, pulled from a list of 37 proposed projects, are expected to cost about $31.5 million.

There was little disagreement Tuesday on the primary projects, which include providing generators for the Bolivar Peninsula Special Utility District and Bayview Municipal Utility District, installing generators at the Crenshaw school and High Island High School campuses on the peninsula and hardening the control build for the San Leon Municipal District.

A pitch by county Commissioner Ken Clark to provide funding for projects at the Gulf Coast Water Authority also received general support from commissioners but only if the county can convince the nine county cities that are customers of the water authority to chip in with portion of the federal funds they receive.

While a priority list would be formulated later, Clark said installing better pumps at the authority’s main plant and hardening its control room would be crucial to keep the water flowing to the bulk of the county in the event of another hurricane the size of 2008’s Ike.

The water authority’s ability to get water flowing from its facility in Texas City was limited because of pump failures and the lack of staff that could remain on site because the building wasn’t built to withstand a major hurricane, Clark said.

The commissioner also pushed for a project that would better protect the water authority’s main reservoir on state Highway 146 in Texas City from an overflow of saltwater in the event of a hurricane levee failure during a storm.

“Why should we risk it?” Clark asked, noting that losing the reservoir to contamination could seriously burden the ability to get water to communities after a storm.

Commissioner Patrick Doyle, whose precinct includes the Bolivar Peninsula, worried that a push to harden and raise state Highway 87 on the peninsula might not be eligible for funding through the disaster aid.

Federal rules prohibit those funds from being used in Coastal Barrier Resources Act zones, or areas so low they are subject to constant flooding, and since the highway runs through several COBRA zones, getting approval to improve drainage and water flow around the highway would be difficult.

Doyle had hoped to use some of the funds to harden the peninsula’s main roadway and improve drainage and water flow. Then have the state come along and raise the highway to enhance the ability for residents to evacuate in advance of an oncoming storm. Ike’s storm surge cut the peninsula off for many who sought to clear out the day before the storm made landfall.

“Bottom line is that that’s a state highway, and it may come to having to convince the state to foot the bill,” Doyle said.

Making the list of approved projects is a $2.286 million small business loan program that would be earmarked to help beef up small businesses on the Peninsula, Doyle said.

Doyle also pressed county emergency management officials to seek out a definitive answer if the county could use some of the disaster funds to pay for the county’s match on several Ike-related Federal Emergency Management Agency storm repair projects. Congress passed legislation allowing entities receiving the community development block grants to use some of those funds to pay for the local 10 percent match.

So far, however, the state has not acknowledged the county’s ability to do that, Galveston County Emergency Management Coordinator John Simsen said.

“It’s just not on anyone’s radar right now,” he said.

“It’s on my radar,” Doyle said back.

Making the “maybe” list of projects is a proposed $14 million combined law enforcement center that could house the county sheriff’s office north patrol, League City police and possibly a jail. That project, however, did not garner much favor from Doyle and Commissioner Stephen Holmes, while Clark said it was not on his priority list of projects.

The county has to submit its project wish list to the state for approval by Dec. 9.

Contact Mainland Editor T.J. Aulds at 409-683-5334 or tjaulds(at)galvnews.com.

+++

County CDBG Round 2 Projects

Bolivar Peninsula SUD generators, $500,000

Crenshaw school generator, $500,000

High Island High School generator, $250,000

Bayview MUD generators, $350,000

San Leon MUD building hardening, $300,000

Moore’s Addition waterline, $1.61 million

Moore’s Addition sewer line rehabilitation, $517,000

Freddiesville street rehabilitation, $3.14 million

Freddiesville waterline/hydrant installation, $2.286 million

Small business loan program, $2 million

Gum Bayou channel improvement (2 projects), $1.808 million

Replace culverts on Bolivar Peninsula (3 projects), $1.348 million

Pay for 10 percent match on non-ICC qualifying projects, $2 million

Enhancements for engineering and office of emergency management, $75,000

+++

Under Consideration

Gulf Coast Water Authority projects, $6.4 million

Combined law enforcement center (League City), $14 million

Shelter/Community Center at Fort Travis (Bolivar), NA

Study to boost business development on Bolivar, NA

10 percent match on outstanding FEMA projects, $7 million