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Council approves encroachment agreement with Southern Star for Yorktown Parkway project
Summary
The council approved an encroachment agreement allowing Yorktown Parkway and related utilities to cross a Southern Star natural gas easement; staff warned the agreement places long-term repair liability primarily on the city or its contractors.
City engineering staff described an encroachment agreement with Southern Star that allows the city to cross a high-pressure natural gas easement with roadway, water and storm sewer work. Staff said the pipeline dates to the 1950s, is a 20-inch welded steel pipe generally about five feet below the surface, and that Southern Star retains prior easement rights that require the city to accept significant responsibilities in the agreement.
A staff presenter explained that if road work damages the pipeline or if Southern Star must access the pipeline through city infrastructure, repair costs would fall to the city and, in practice, to the city’s contractor; staff characterized the arrangement as effectively a "cradle to grave" liability for the city. Councilman Weimer moved to approve the encroachment agreement with Southern Star Central Gas Company for the Yorktown Parkway project; the motion passed on a unanimous voice vote.
Council discussion included technical clarifications about trenching vs. raising facilities and repeated emphasis that the company’s prior rights shape the agreement’s terms.
