This update concerns the City of Houston Briarmeadow Drainage and Paving Project Capital Improvement Project (CIP) that was completed on the North side of the neighborhood (which all agree looks very nice), but that was inexplicably discontinued on the South side of the subdivision.
We are trying to put this project back on track so the Southside doesn't have to wait for another five years (if that) for the launch of the improvements.
BRIARMEADOW SOUTH DRAINAGE AND PAVING PROJECT UPDATE
Below is the most recent update on the Briarmeadow (south) Drainage and Paving Project provided by our neighbor Stefanie Cruz. To receive her complete email you can request to be on her list of neighbors at stefaniepcruz@gmail.com.
The city's Capital Improvement Project process has begun, and the recommendation is to defer street and drainage projects again for another four-year cycle.
For those who did not attend the District F CIP meeting, here is an additional opportunity to share your support and advocate for Briarmeadow's project that have been planned but not funded. To refresh your memory of the status of those projects, please visit the recorded CIP meeting from May 17.
If you have time, PLEASE register to participate in public comments in person or virtually. All speakers must register in advance (Monday, June 27th, 2022 by 3 p.m.). To sign up to speak, please call the City Secretary’s Office at 832-393-1100. Public comments begin at 2 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday, June 28th, 2022).
If you would like to attend the meeting and speak in person, the address is 901 Bagby, 2nd Floor, Houston, Texas 77002
If you would like to attend virtually, please provide the City Secretary’s office with your email address so you can be added to the Teams meeting and appear on camera.
If you are only able to call in, the number to call is: (936) 755-1521; Conference ID# 404 577 10#. You will need to call in prior to the start of the meeting.
Below is a summary provided by Stefanie Cruz, a resident who has taken a lead on this issue, that she posted on NextDoor on May 9, 2022. Many thanks to her for her efforts.
At a very high level summary, the parts that seem clearer:
- The Briarmeadow Drainage and Paving Project was a Capital Improvement Project (CIP). Capital Improvement Plans are five year plans updated annually, addressing the infrastructure needs for the City of Houston.
- Briarmeadow Drainage and Paving Project was originally set to launch in 2015 and be completed by 2018. It was delayed...
- The initial project included all of Briarmeadow and was phases of work that began in North Briarmeadow (Phase 1) - see original presentation here: https://www.rebuildhouston.org/images/pdf/briarmeadow_presentation.pdf
- Funding was never allocated for Phase 2 or 3 of the project.
- At some point, Phase 2 and 3 were cancelled because the data was no longer valid; since the data was not vaild, funding was not allocated. As noted in CM Thomas' memo: "Currently, there is no CIP scheduled for Briarmeadow South. The initial data and studies on the area are entirely outdated. They will need to be recreated to incorporate factors such as Atlas 14, a study used to analyze historical rainfall data to update statistical hypothetical rainfall events in Texas."
- Since the project was cancelled, in an effort to improve drainage on the South side, they launched a project by the Storm Water Action Team (SWAT) to upsizing existing 18-inch leads to 24-inch and replacement of B inlets with BB inlets, among other improvements. This $1.3M project is currently in construction (M-430006-0007-4) initiated October 2021 and is estimated to be completed in April 2022.
- North Briarmeadow received $17M in updates; South Briarmeadow is set to receive $1.3M through the current project.
- CM Thomas stated that she has funded 100% of sidewalk request through her office, but she's never received any from Briarmeadow. If we submit these, she will work to approve them and at the very least get us sidewalks. They are supposed to be sending us the application form.
- The current North side project should be complete within a couple of weeks. Upon completion of the drainage improvements, they will then restore any damage they have made.
The blurry areas for me - if anyone else captured something different, please comment:
- The timeline for when phase 2 and 3 were cancelled is very unclear; CM Thomas put out her memo on March 31. By Feb 21, Engage Houston knew there were no more projects in Briarmeadow (https://www.engagehouston.org/briarmeadow-drainage-and-paving-improvement)
- It sounds like IF we are able to get Briarmeadow back on the CIP list, we would not see anything happen for at least 5 years. There has to be another way around this... At times she referenced data - and once there was new data they would be able to revisit timelines, but also noted funding and design needs - but we may need more clarity on sequence and who we need to be pressuring to make sure all of this happens.
- We are not sure who or when the SWAT project was determined. There are concerns that it is not being executed well and that this will not solve our flood issues. We did not get an answer about who engineered this/when
- CM Thomas did not give any clear action steps. She has repeatedly mentioned the need to reach out to Rep Lizzie Fletcher's office for funding support. It's unclear how this will help Briarmeadow - BUT our wonderful HOA has already been in contact with them and a representative attended last week's meeting to get caught up to speed on the issues.