HARLINGEN — City commissioners might be considering pulling out of a $10 million WaterWorks sewer system overhaul funded through federal money and a plan to expand city broadband access across town.
Earlier this week, Mayor Pro Tem Richard Uribe called for a workshop to review the WaterWorks project aimed at expanding the city’s sewer capacity, which General Manager Tim Skoglund has described as his top priority, warning underground downtown main lines are coming “close” to overflowing.
During a meeting, Uribe also suggested scrapping the city’s plan to fund broadband access across town to allow AT&T to provide the service.
“I’d like to discuss that $10 million that we approved for the WaterWorks,” Uribe told commissioners during Wednesday’s meeting.
In response, Mayor Chris Boswell told him commissioners voted to earmark the money to fund the project last year.
“We had, I thought, agreed and taken action to allocate the $10 million to the WaterWorks,” Boswell told Uribe.
Meanwhile, City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez told commissioners WaterWorks officials were launching the project.
“They’ve started submitting billing for that, so that’s going to start going out pretty soon,” Gonzalez said.
In response to Boswell’s concern, Uribe said he voted to fund the project before he found out the WaterWorks System had placed $9 million into a certificate of deposit at Texas Regional Bank.
“That was before I found out they put a bunch of money into a bank where they had extra cash,” he told Boswell. “I just think it’s something we need to revisit and every dollar we approve make sure we spend it the right way.”
The money’s coming out of the city’s $22 million share of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, aimed at helping the nation recover from the coronavirus pandemic’s economic slowdown.
At the WaterWorks System, Skoglund’s called the project to expand of the sewer plant’s treatment capacity his top priority.
The $10 million in federal money is cutting the costs of $33.8 million worth of water and sewer projects tied to his $150 million 20-year master plan, he said.
The plant, upgraded in 2016 to treat 10 million gallons of wastewater a day, is designed to boost capacity to 30 million during two-hour periods, Skoglund said.
But while the city generates about five million gallons a day, daily peak flows are reaching 25 million gallons, he said.
Skoglund’s warned underground downtown main lines are “coming pretty close” to overflowing during peak periods.
Mulling broadband plan
During Wednesday’s meeting, Uribe also suggested scrapping the city’s plan to expand broadband access across town after commissioners last year hired consultants for $100,000 to conduct a study aimed at helping the city map out the project which officials estimated would cost about $4 million.
Uribe said he was concerned the city would be hard pressed funding the broadband system’s maintenance.
“If a company like AT&T is willing to do it for us, why would we spend the money if we can reallocate those grant monies in other places?” he asked. “My biggest issue with a broadband thing — if we bear the cost then we’re going to bear the maintenance and we don’t have that kind of money, in my opinion, to see that long-term. We spent money on a study to go into that direction.”
The proposed project
At City Hall, officials have been planning a $4 million project aimed at bringing internet access to all the city’s homes.
Under a partnership, the Harlingen school district is funding half the cost of the $100,000 study aimed at determining whether the city’s broadband network will be made up of fiber optics, fixed wireless, satellite technology or a mix.
As part of the project, officials are planning to install fiber optics to connect public buildings, a move that will lead the city to stop renting cable.
Across town, they’re planning to install fiber optics to connect commercial centers along with the downtown district.
But around the city’s neighborhoods, officials are considering turning to wireless technology, noting fiber optics would require burying cable under streets and sidewalks.
Proposals include turning the city’s street lights into WiFi hot spots.
Last year, commissioners contracted with Houston-based Cobb Fendley & Associates to conduct the $100,000 study to help the city plan the project.
“We will assess the feasibility of using municipal rights-of-way, fiber infrastructure, pole lines and other assets for the city to provide broadband service throughout the community,” company officials stated as part of their contract.
