City engineer reports near-completion of downtown utilities work; wetlands permitting may delay next project steps

City Engineer Josh Baxley updated the commission July 15 on several capital projects and permitting milestones. Baxley said Downtown Utilities Phase 2 alley paving is complete and crews are working on tie-ins along First Street; he estimated the work could be ready for a walk-through within about a week as the contractor finishes remaining tie-ins. He cautioned that some utility work is exploratory and the schedule depends on what crews find once excavations occur. For a proposed city government facility project, Baxley said the civil design schedule assumes receipt of the building footprint from the architect; the project also may require U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permitting for wetlands, and he placed a 180-day allowance in the schedule because Corps review has no fixed clock. Baxley said the city is awaiting confirmation from grant agencies on an AGMP grant and that the city has completed its documentation and the mayor had signed required paperwork to move toward agreement and notice of award. On an alley between Bay and Harpers Creek, Baxley said the city has scheduled a survey crew to take shots along the ditch to determine whether there is sufficient fall to move water off the alley; he said that survey will inform feasibility for a drainage project. No formal vote was taken; staff will report back as permitting and surveying progress.