City Engineer wants Council to see Stormwater Master Plan proposals by mid-January

City Engineer Leon Barba told 10 individuals representing seven different engineering firms today he wanted to be able to have proposals for a Stormwater Master Plan that would clearly delineate what steps the city needs to take to mitigate its drainage needs in general and to eliminate possible catastrophic flooding in particular ready for the City Council in time for its second meeting in January.

"We’re trying to move fast with this project," Barba told the group.

The representatives from the firms gathered in the Public Works Department’s conference room to obtain the information they needed to determine whether they wanted to submit a proposal to draft the plan.

According to the city’s website, the goal of the plan "is to provide a comprehensive evaluation of existing drainage conditions throughout the City and the Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) by developing an accurate and current understanding of the City’s drainage infrastructure and potential solutions to problems, both now and in the future. This understanding should include a comprehensive inventory, accurate simulation, problem area identification and problem source/cause, and a comprehensive list of Capital Improvement Projects, including costs and funding mechanisms, designed to address system deficiencies."

 "We don’t have a budget established yet," Barba told them. "We’re trying to see what the scope of work is going to entail, what kind of work we can get and then we’ll decide what we can afford to do. Our city manager wants a good plan, but we need to get as good a plan as we can get for the money we have decided to provide." Barba did indicate the starting point the city wants to pay for a master plan is in the neighborhood of $150,000.

Barba told the group he wants their submissions by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, which he said would give the staff the time it needed to study them and have a recommendation for the Council ready for its Jan. 17 agenda. He told the group their proposals should be no more than 10 double-sided pages.

"We’re not the City of Austin," Barba said, "We’re not even San Marcos. So if you have experience with smaller cities, that helps. If you have experience with a big city, that helps also."

In response to a question, he said their proposals should assume a master plan is to encompass all land within the city limits of Kyle, including MUDs such as Plum Creek, but not necessarily Kyle’s ETJ. In response to another question Barba said their proposals need not include plans for dealing with stormwater quality. "But, yes, we do want to look at stormwater quality in the future," Barba added.

Their proposals should include a public outreach component, Barba said, even if that outreach is limited to public hearings held during City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission hearings.

After the meeting, Barba told me that the attendance at this gathering was slightly less than half the number that usually come for these pre-submission briefings. The city was also represented by Stormwater Utility Director Kathy Roecker and Public Works Director Harper Wilder. The engineering firms represented were Dannenbaum, K Friese, HDR, Halff, MAS, Doucet and Alliance Transportation.

Among the specific items these firms are required to address in their proposals are:

• Detailed analysis of known and potential flooding/drainage issues.
• Preparation of an overall drainage model for the City and the ETJ.
• Preparation of a drainage Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) program that includes budget estimates for proposed improvements.
• Recommended prioritization of CIP projects.
• Best Management Practices for maintenance of current and future infrastructure.
• Funding mechanisms for CIP projects including review and recommendations related to the City’s drainage utility fund.