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Schneider Electric delivers Phase 2 update for Angleton wastewater upgrades; schedule hinges on financing steps
Summary
Schneider Electric presented an investment-grade audit (IGA) Phase 2 deliverable for upgrades to Angleton’s wastewater treatment plant and said procurement and construction timing depends on the city audit and debt authorization; staff to pursue long-lead equipment procurement once funding approvals occur.
Schneider Electric told the Angleton City Council that Phase 2 of the wastewater treatment plant improvements reached a major technical milestone and that the project will move into Phase 3 once the city secures financing and approves remaining administrative steps.
Deborah Jones of Schneider Electric and engineer Craig Messenbrink updated council members on the technical deliverables produced in April, including a basis-of-design summary, a 50%-level drawing set, equipment specifications and a procurement plan. Jones said the design team can proceed with long-lead equipment procurement once the city finalizes funding and related financial items.
"Right now, we're at about a 50% level design, and when we finish IGA Phase 3 in October, we'll be at construction document level at that point," Craig Messenbrink told council. Schneider said that in parallel with finishing design it planned procurement of long-lead items so equipment with 4–6 month lead times can be ordered in advance.
Schneider’s schedule showed two financing-related steps as pivotal: approval of the 2024 financial audit and council authorization of certificates of obligation (COs) or other debt that would secure funding. Project staff said those items are on the city’s workplan; Finance staff told the council a draft audit was expected in the second week of June and that COs could follow in August.
Council members asked about regulatory risk and the condition of the plant. Schneider and city staff said recent TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) inquiries prompted the work and that ongoing operational adjustments, together with the planned upgrades, are intended to address root causes of prior violations. Schneider cautioned that schedule slips could increase equipment and construction costs and urged timely action on financing to lock pricing.
The contract with Schneider funds design services through the remainder of the design; the firm said it could be ready to begin construction mobilization by late 2025 if financing and council approvals align with the schedule. Council and staff did not approve new construction contracts at the meeting; Schneider sought to keep procurement options open pending the audit and CO actions.
