Santa Fe council approves Warpath Avenue reconstruction contract with TECA Construction

The Santa Fe City Council approved a performance contract with TECA Construction LLC on May 20 to reconstruct Warpath Avenue and authorized the mayor to execute the contract and related documents.

Council members and staff said the project is intended to restore the roadway serving several city facilities and adjacent businesses and to minimize disruption ahead of the school year. The contract sets 90 calendar days to substantial completion and requires bonds and insurance before the city issues a notice to proceed.

Steve Stacey, vice president of engineering for NBCO Engineering and the engineer of record for the project, attended the meeting with the contractor. "I'm Steve Stacey with NBCO Engineering. I'm the engineer of record. I'm the vice president of engineering for NBCO," he told council. Royal Hernandez, one of the owners of TECA Construction LLC, confirmed the contractor’s capacity to staff and equip the job: "Yes. I have the people. Yes." The council and staff discussed a 1,600-square-yard tie-in at the Highway 6 end that was excluded from bid documents; staff estimated the additional work at roughly $140,000 using the unit price submitted in the bid.

The contract includes a 90-day schedule to substantial completion, described at the meeting as the point when paving and primary work are in place and only punch-list items remain. Rudy, representing the finance/administration team, said the city will not issue a notice to proceed until the contractor provides required bonds and insurance; if those documents are returned quickly, work could begin the following week. Council members repeatedly raised weather and school-start risks; staff said the district would attend the preconstruction meeting and had contingency routing plans should weather or delays jeopardize the first day of school.

Council members also discussed traffic-control planning and coordination with nearby commercial property owners. Staff said H‑E‑B and Whataburger plan to participate in preconstruction coordination: Whataburger is drafting a plan to keep drive-through traffic from backing onto Highway 6. Council members emphasized communication with the public and suggested repeating the city’s social-media schedule used on a recent drainage project.

The motion to approve the contract passed on a roll-call vote recorded as yes from Council members Dickerson, Marks, Schrader and McKinney. The council cited the Texas Local Government Code, section 252.048, in authorizing the mayor to execute the agreement.

Implementation steps described at the meeting include a preconstruction meeting with the school district and businesses, submission and city approval of contractor bonds and insurance, and a requirement that the contractor provide a construction schedule for city approval. Council asked staff to request a status update roughly 45 days into construction.

Council and staff repeatedly stated the city’s priority is to open the roadway fronting the commercial area and to keep the school route functional if weather or delays occur.