Streets account for much of city spending
BY PHIL REYNOLDS SOUTH JETTY REPORTER

The centerpiece of the Port Aransas 20007-08 budget, approved Monday, Sept. 4, by the city council, is construction - street and drainage construction.

Next year's budget is $8.906 million more than this year's budget. Of that difference, $6.291 million is accounted for by construction.

The construction budget for this year was $873,500; next year, it's $7,164,615.

For that money, taxpayers can expect to see an ambitious program of improving streets and drainage. Much of it will be in the older part of Port Aransas, but significant projects are in other sections of town as well.

The only significant project not covered by general obligation bonds, which will be issued to finance the program, is the Oleander Street project. That project is intended to relieve heavy-rain flooding at Alister and Beach streets and at Oleander and Avenue A. It involves replacing the drain that runs along Alister from Beach to Brundrett with a new, larger storm sewer and continuing the existing link to Oleander. The Oleander storm sewer, which runs from Avenue A to the marina, will also be enlarged.

That project is under way already, and is being paid for from city reserve funds on instruction of the city council, which felt it was too important to wait for voter approval.

Originally estimated at $2.3 million, the Oleander project was awarded to low bidder Island Construction in March. Island Construction bid $1,952,460 for the drainage work, which also includes repaving Oleander Street and adding sidewalks on both sides of the street.

The rest of the projects were approved by voters by a 3-1 margin at a bond election held in November. They are:

• Streets and drainage in areas that include East Cotter Avenue, Leslie Lane, South Station Street and La Ronda Street, at a projected cost of $1.305 million

• Drainage on Station and Alister streets, storm water outfalls 14 and 19, the city's concrete drainage structure that leads to the flats south of town and Avenue A, estimated cost $1.38 million.

The first bids on the bond projects are expected to be let next month, with bidding continuing as engineering is completed on the projects.

Although 11th Street is not one of the bond election projects, it hasn't been forgotten at city hall. City Manager Michael Kovacs said he plans to use impact fees assessed to developers to pay for a revamping of 11th Street south of Avenue G.

Although not part of the streets and drainage project list, Kovacs also has a list of what he calls "dead streets" - streets that are in such bad shape they shouldn't be repaired, but should be repaved. That list is constantly changing as the city discovers potholes and problems that can't readily be fixed.