Hewitt updates utility and street projects; Commerce Park well on hold pending contractor schedule

Hewitt — City staff on April 7 briefed the Hewitt City Council on ongoing utility and street projects, reporting a hold on the Commerce Park well work while awaiting contractor progress, and progress on plant and lift station tasks.

Miles Whitney, a city staff member who presented the written project report, said the Commerce Park well remains on hold pending the plant contractor’s return and that pump and motor installation is expected possibly in mid‑May. Whitney said pump testing will follow installation to secure potable approval from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

On the plant portion of the Commerce Park project, Whitney said TTE (the plant contractor) has excavated to set pump cans and that Walker Partners is coordinating alignment steps required by the pump manufacturer; the work must be segmented into three pours to preserve warranties. Whitney said Lift Station No. 4 is under evaluation with pump suppliers, and staff are exploring modifications to existing infrastructure to limit costs. He reported coordination with neighboring utilities where Gateway extensions intersect northern alignments and said more firm timelines will follow as designs finalize.

Whitney also described street and transportation work: contract documents for East Wall/Brierfield are being executed and traffic control plans are under development. Once traffic‑control plans are complete, the city will hold a town‑hall meeting for affected residents to review phasing, parking impacts and other neighborhood concerns.

Why it matters

The Commerce Park well and lift station work are parts of the city’s potable‑water and wastewater infrastructure planning; delays or changes in contractor schedules affect timelines, testing and TCEQ approvals. The street town hall will give residents an opportunity to review phasing and traffic impacts before construction.

What staff said

Whitney described coordination with pump manufacturers and design partners to ensure alignment and warranty preservation: "there's going to have to be broken into 3 pours, so we're just trying to make sure that through all 3 of those, that the alignment, is checked and agreed upon by the pump manufacturer so all warranties are valid." On scheduling, he said contractor availability could bring crews back on site mid‑May for the Commerce Park pump and motor installation.

Next steps

Staff will return with more detailed timelines and supplier selections once remaining technical inputs and designs are finalized. The city will set a date for the East Wall/Brierfield town hall once traffic control plans are complete.