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Ennis approves Friese & Nichols engagement, master services and peer review for bridge and wastewater work
Summary
The commission approved a $28,900 professional services agreement for a Liska Road bridge assessment, a master services agreement with Friese & Nichols for engineering services, and a $36,480 task order for peer review of wastewater expansion plans; Friese & Nichols representatives said peer reviews would be delivered within about 30 days of notice to proceed.
The Ennis City Commission approved three related engineering items with Friese & Nichols Inc.: a professional services agreement for a Liska Road bridge assessment (not to exceed $28,900), a master services agreement to govern future engineering tasks, and Task Order 1, a peer review of wastewater treatment plant expansion plans (not to exceed $36,480).
Staff said the Liska Road bridge is a timber structure that spans Cummins Creek and has existing structural concerns; the assessment will include a site visit, a review of the most recent TxDOT bridge inspection, and a technical memorandum describing repair versus replacement alternatives and preliminary cost information. Staff said the assessment cost will come from this fiscal year’s budget while any major repair or replacement costs would be addressed in next year’s budget.
On the master services agreement, staff emphasized there is no total price in the master contract and that individual task orders and associated fees will be returned to the commission for approval. Mazin Khawasmi of Friese & Nichols told the commission he has signature authority and said the firm would provide a detailed schedule for Task Order 1; "Once we get the notice to proceed, we will complete it within 30 days of execution of the agreement," he said.
Commissioners asked whether the $28,900 assessment payment would come from this year’s budget and whether the peer review task would include a timeline for deliverables; staff confirmed the assessment cost is expected to be paid from the current fiscal year and Friese & Nichols pointed to a packet page specifying a three-week peer-review memorandum timeline.
The commission moved and approved each item by voice vote. Staff said future design or construction phases are not included in these approvals and would return as separate items for commission consideration.
Next steps include issuing the notice to proceed for the peer review and returning any future task orders to the commission for approval before work begins.
