County awards Sinton and Taft drainage contracts totaling about $10.8 million, within project budget

San Patricio County commissioners on Dec. 8 approved awards for two drainage‑improvement contracts — one for the Sinton channel and one for the Taft channel — that county staff said together total about $10.8 million and are within the project construction budget.

John (county staff) presented bid results for the Sinton channel, saying the apparent low base bidder was JE Construction at about $4,000,766 and that adding additive bid #1 brings JE’s total to approximately $7,341,037. He said the county’s team recommended awarding the base bid plus additive #1 to JE Construction because the number‑two bidder’s combined price was significantly higher.

For the Taft channel, staff reported Anderson Columbia submitted the apparent low base bid for that section but had a questionable entry for insurance and bond on an additive item; the scoring committee recommended awarding the base plus additive #1 to J. Carroll Weaver for about $2,041,724. John explained that awarding the two contracts together would bring combined construction cost to about $10,802,772 against a construction budget of $11,610,300, leaving contingency to cover potential change orders.

The court voted to approve both awards as recommended so the county could finalize contracts and begin construction activities. Melanie Cooper, the grant manager, said acquisition paperwork and resident coordination were still in progress and that the county estimated roughly 40–60% completion of the acquisition process with a goal to be cleared by January.

The court did not discuss environmental permits or detailed acquisition schedules at length; staff said they have an agreement with the drainage district that allows work to proceed while they continue resident negotiations and paperwork.