City to introduce engineering projects at meetings
The city’s Engineering Department will hold a series of neighborhood meetings to discuss upcoming street and drainage projects. These openhouse meetings are open to the public, and discussion with engineers and consultants is encouraged.
The first meeting will be at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 18 at De Zavala Elementary School, 600 De Zavala Drive, to introduce the Hills of Hays Drainage Improvements project, which is being developed to alleviate local drainage issues in the Hills of Hays subdivision.
City engineers hope to gather input from area residents to better evaluate the drainage characteristics of the neighborhood and develop drainage improvement recommendations.
In addition, staff from San Marcos Electric Utility will be on hand to discuss streetlight improvements for the neighborhood.
The project construction cost is estimated at $3 million. Design began in June 2018, and construction is anticipated to begin in 2021.
The next meeting will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 24 at Dunbar Recreation Center, 801 Martin Luther King Drive, to discuss Hopkins Street improvements.
The project, which occurs within the Hopkins Street Local Historic District, will address the street, sidewalks, utilities and drainage from Moore Street to Bishop Street. Traffic calming and project aesthetics will also be discussed.
City engineers and representatives from Freese & Nichols, Inc., the firm consulting on the project, will be on hand to take comments and answer questions. The meeting will provide an opportunity for the public to receive an update on the project, as well as information regarding how the improvements will tie in with the historic district and historically significant properties.
The public will have an opportunity to consult on this project as part of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Exhibits of the design elements and project scope will be available for viewing at the meeting.
The third will be at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 25 at the San Marcos Senior Center, 810 Arizona, and will focus on the beginning phase of construction to the Victory Gardens subdivision.
City engineering staff and construction contractors from Cox Commercial Construction will provide a timeline and phasing schedule for construction. The project is slated to break ground in early August.
