Edinburg North drainage project revised after city declines construction help; county precinct and drainage district to excavate

Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District officials said on June 5 that a planned drainage and detention project at Edinburg North High School will move forward with major excavation and hauling performed in-kind by Hidalgo County Precinct 4 and Drainage District No. 1 after the City of Edinburg declined to perform construction work.

Isael Posadas, an engineer with SDI Engineering, told the facilities committee, “The plan that we have is to try to protect, 1, ourselves from any water that may be rising through the drainage system by installing a backfill preventer. 2, assisting with, prevention of any water from the streets to come into the parking lot areas ... 3, the other thing was for us to address, drainage around the school.”

Why it matters: the project is intended to reduce campus flooding and address off-site runoff that has previously affected the school parking and drive areas. A detention area was included in the design; packet materials described a 5.5-acre detention option and an alternate 3-acre pond near the band area.

Project costs and partners: Posadas said the full scope, including alternates, totals about $3,200,000. He told the board that the city “agreed to participate with what they believe is the value of the permit fees, approximately 237,000.” With the city limiting participation, Precinct 4 and Drainage District No. 1 agreed to provide in‑kind excavation, hauling, and some demolition work. Posadas estimated the precinct and drainage district contribution at roughly $1,394,000 in services the district would otherwise have paid, leaving an estimated district cost near $1,600,000 after subtracting those in‑kind amounts and the city permit fee contribution.

Several implementation details remain pending. Posadas said the interlocal agreement with Precinct 4 and Drainage District No. 1 has gone to their legal office and that the district expects a draft “early part of next week” for the school district’s review. He also described a pending property acquisition with the irrigation district for a discharge point north of Truman and a tentative temporary easement with a neighboring business, Amigo Implement, to avoid hauling across campus pavement.

Schedule and next steps: SDI expects to complete the portion of the design that the county cannot perform by the end of next week and to put those non‑county items out to bid. Posadas told the committee that, because the precinct crews and the district’s piping crew would work in parallel, “we are hopeful that, by August, September, we can have, our part, completed, barring anything else, that gets in the way or inclement weather.” He cautioned that work will occur during hurricane season and could be affected by weather.

What the board discussed: committee members asked about the city’s role and thanked Precinct 4 and the drainage district for in‑kind support. The board asked for the interlocal agreement and legal review once the draft is received. No formal vote or contract award occurred at the facilities committee meeting; staff said they will return to the board for approvals required after the interlocal agreement and for any construction contracts.

Community and site impacts: Posadas noted tree trimming and removals on campus and said excavation access could affect bus routes and paved areas if a temporary easement is not secured. He described the temporary easement offer from Amigo Implement as conditional on restoring the property and providing fill dirt if available.

What's next: staff will review the interlocal draft when received from Precinct 4 and the drainage district’s legal office, prepare any necessary board agenda items for interlocal approval and for bidding of district‑led work, and present the updated schedule and budget implications to the board for action.