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Weslaco officials review roughly $30 million in bond-funded infrastructure projects
Summary
At an Oct. 21 workshop, Mayor Gonzales and city staff reviewed bond-funded projects — including drainage improvements, a proposed Fire Station 4, airport matching funds and park upgrades — and set design and procurement steps while deferring a GIS briefing and moving into executive session.
Mayor Gonzales opened a workshop on Oct. 21 to review the city—9s bond-funded capital projects and said the session would present updates and next steps. "This is something that we're gonna...an update on what we're working on," he said.
City staff walked commissioners through a list of planned projects funded by the CO bonds and other grants. Gabriel, a city staff member presenting the list, said Weslaco had been awarded about $26 million from the governor—9s office along with separate TxDOT grants and recommended setting aside $1 million in local matching funds to leverage aviation and Water Development Board pass-through funding for a runway extension and new hangar. "The city of Weslaco was awarded $26,000,000 in funding from the office of the governor in addition to a separate grant from TxDOT," Gabriel said.
Drainage projects were a central focus. Staff described the Faisonal/Paisano drainage project (estimated $7.7 million) that would add an underground 8—9by—98 box culvert, connect to existing ponds and ease recurring flooding at a low spot near McCoy—9s and Discount Tire. Commissioners pressed for engineering analysis of existing elevations and historic construction records before committing to the full scope; staff said engineers are reviewing options, including limited widening, additional gates at retention/disposal facilities (RDFs) and temporary pumps if construction cannot be completed before hurricane season.
Public-safety improvements were highlighted by the Fire Station 4 proposal. Staff placed the project estimate at $5.2 million and identified a site on school-district-owned property near a new FFA/ag farm. Chief Salinas said the substation would shorten response times in the growing west-side zone, covering six to seven schools and providing faster access to the expressway. "This station actually will cover approximately 6 schools within that zone," Chief Salinas said, adding the city expects the station to reduce response time substantially and that the department plans to reassign existing crews rather than immediately add new personnel.
Other capital items discussed included a $1 million baseball-complex LED lighting retrofit to replace old incandescent fixtures and enable remote control; a $1.5 million program to replace roughly 10 aging neighborhood playgrounds with inclusive equipment and pour-in-place surfacing; a $1 million development budget for Via Verde Park on donated land; a $3.5 million phased water-main replacement along the Bridge (Sugarcane) corridor; and a $2.5 million estimate to investigate and resolve recurring sewer manhole/lift-station overflows near Fourth Street (Dolores Huerta project).
Operations-focused improvements included a proposed $1 million screw-press addition at the Southwest Wastewater Treatment Plant to mechanize solids handling and reduce manual labor while increasing capacity. Street-paving scopes were also reviewed (including Sugarcane Road and sections of 18th Street from Border to Bridge), and staff said the projects are funded and will move to engineer design and RFQ/RFP processes.
Where estimates were preliminary, staff and commissioners agreed to return with engineering designs and refined cost breakdowns before authorizing construction. On timing, staff said an architects RFQ for Fire Station 4 opens Nov. 5 with a recommendation expected Nov. 18; other items will proceed to design and then to bid or contract when budgets and scopes are finalized.
The commission agreed to defer a planned GIS presentation to the next meeting because more time was needed and because an executive-session matter remained on the agenda. Commissioner Fariaz moved and Commissioner Pedraza seconded to enter executive session; the motion passed by voice vote. After returning from executive session at 5:40 p.m., the commission adjourned the workshop.
Next steps: staff will pursue engineering designs and grant/match paperwork for the highlighted projects and return to the commission with recommended scopes, cost refinements and procurement schedules for formal approvals.
