City approves interlocal with GLO for $15.7 million Moore's Addition drainage project

The Dickinson City Council approved an interlocal agreement with the Texas General Land Office this evening to accept $15,700,000 in Community Development Block Grant — Mitigation (CDBG‑MIT) funds for drainage improvements in Moore's Addition.

The funding requires no local match and will be used for drainage infrastructure in a benefit area that includes Moore's Addition, council heard. City staff and consultants said final design and precise project elements will be determined after detailed engineering and land‑availability analysis.

City Manager Chase told the council the award had been held while the city’s audits were backlogged and that, once audits were current, the GLO funded the project. “This project is a drainage infrastructure project for Moore’s addition,” Chase said. Catherine Meares of Hewitt‑Zollars, the city’s engineers, briefed the council and said the application that won the grant was intentionally general; the city will now perform detailed design to determine the most effective use of the funds. “This item is for the approval of the interlocal with the GLO, dollars 15,700,000.0 with no match from y’all,” Meares said.

Engineers described likely elements including detention, a siphon and possible retention pond on available undeveloped land along Benson Gully, and new crossings where multiple pipeline corridors block flows. Meares said the grant could pay for land acquisition if needed and that the scope will be sized to the available funds to avoid overruns. She also said the current project does not include desilting of the point where Benson meets Dickinson Bayou, though staff said they would evaluate whether such clearing should be added in later design phases.

Council voted unanimously to approve the interlocal agreement and later voted to approve a separate resolution contracting Hewitt‑Zollars for engineering and surveying work on the Moore’s Addition drainage component of the CDBG‑MIT project.

The council asked staff to return with more-detailed plans, cost estimates and a schedule as the engineers complete the next phase of work.

The project will require property access or acquisition if the preferred retention site is used. Councilmembers asked whether the grant would cover land costs and how cost overruns would be handled; Meares answered that the project would be sized to the grant and adjusted to fit the funding available.

The council also asked whether the project would include channel clearing downstream; staff said targeted channel work was not included in the current scope but could be studied as part of the detailed design.

The council directed staff to keep the public informed as design advances and to return with a recommended implementation schedule and property acquisition plan if needed.