Lufkin council approves additional $550,000 for Gaslight Boulevard reconstruction after drainage redesign

The Lufkin City Council approved a change order and the first reading of an ordinance to allocate an additional $550,000 from the city's general fund reserve to the Gaslight Boulevard reconstruction project to address inadequate drainage and add decorative medians and monument signage, city staff said.

City staff described drainage structures shown in the original construction drawings as inadequate after construction began in May and said a local engineer redesigned the drainage to use as many original bid items as possible. Kevin, a city staff member presenting the item, said the change order includes about $568,000 in added work and that the city will perform some outfall and other work with city labor and equipment while paying for the materials for that portion.

"There was a pretty extensive period of review and fine tuning and back and forth, but we have the pricing on those additional items included in your packet," Kevin said. City Engineer Chris Key said staff had evaluated multiple options and that the redesign shown is the minimum needed to adequately handle the drainage for the project. "This is the minimum needed to be adequately handle the drainage for this project," Key said.

Staff listed design elements added in the change order: raised curb islands (described in staff materials as esplanades), stamped concrete treatments and brick monument signs at the ends of the corridor. Kevin said the raised median and monument sign elements account for about $106,000 of the change order. He told council the monument signs will be roughly 12.5 feet long and 5 feet high and will sit at the ends of the project approaching from Frank and Pershing.

Project budget figures presented in the meeting: staff said the current construction budget was $4,550,000; the change order items included total about $568,000; and staff asked to transfer $550,000 from the general fund reserve to the construction fund to make the construction budget $5,100,000. Kevin also explained that for portions the city will perform with in-house labor and equipment, the city is requesting only material costs in the change order pricing.

Council members asked whether there were viable alternatives to the proposed work and about schedule impacts. Key said the project was originally scheduled to be complete in February and staff now anticipates completion in May 2026 due to rain delays and the additional redesign work.

A council member moved to approve the change order and the first reading of the ordinance; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The transcript records the measure as "carried" on voice vote; no roll call or recorded tally appears in the meeting record.