Friends,
1. A report from Alderman Mike McDougal, Chair of the Roads Committee:
"I visited the Salado plaza and Thomas Arnold street sites and find that progress on both is very good. Placing the stakes for the concrete is very time consuming as they have to use a three inch drill to secure each wooden stake! About 1/2 of the concrete curbing is in place to date. That concrete curbing is 12 inches wide and 4 inches deep! When the asphalt machine rolls in , it will complete Salado plaza in about 7 hours and Thomas Arnold in about 3 hours side bar: some of the residents on Salado plaza have asked for some of the asphalt to be extended to their driveway area . And yes they will do that if the resident will receive approval from wheeler and agree to pay the cost! Motivation technique: wheeler awarded all construction workers with new boots that cost about $250. Tony, the on site supervisor said that their morale went up at 50 per cent today. I will stay on site with Tony to provide the boa with better and more reliable progress reports. He is a real pro and a joy to talk with."
2. Road work has also been done on Hester Way. A very nice job.
3. Dave Herman wrote this email concerning the closing of the South Bound Amity Road Exit and the 2484 exit: "In my opinion Thomas Arnold Road (at THIS moment) is of supreme importance to get it cleaned up and completed, especially with the loss of our inlet from the north. Please, I encourage you to lean in and put pressure where needed to get this road back to two full lanes ASAP. Thank you."
In response to Dave's accurate report, an email was written Saturday evening to the President of James Construction and the Executive Director of TEXDoT asking for immediate attention to Thomas Arnold and to keep 2484 open as long as possible.
4. To clean the low water bridge next to Sheryll Park and across the road from the old club house will cost approximately $18,000. This is not in the city's budget for this year, however, several groups in Salado are looking at ways to raise the money such as a Golf Tournament and other events. The permit has been acquired thanks to the efforts of the Mill Creek Association. Once the money is acquired, the cleaning will begin.
Why is important to clean that part of the creek? Primarily for health reasons. Dead animals as large as deer are often found in the water and they are difficult to remove as well as they are starting to decompose. When the creek is low, water cannot flow freely down the creek which is needed to keep the water clear and healthy. Additionally, there is a large amount of gravel that has been stopped by the bridge. As the years go by, this gravel accumulates and will eventually stop the water from flowing through the bridge channels. Water will have no choice -- flow over the bridge or around the bridge.
Why is cleaning so expensive? Environmental laws. It takes a certain type of tractor with tires that can enter the water. It also takes a dump truck to receive the gravel, weeds, etc. immediately and haul it away. Neither is an easy job and it is expensive. No one should be expected to do it for free.
Please talk to various groups and organizations about raising the money. It will help keep our beautiful creek healthy and happy.
VR/Skip
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