By George Slaughter
The Katy City Council Monday night selected Bass Construction Company to build the long-planned second Katy fire station.
Mayor Chuck Brawner said the groundbreaking is expected early next month, with the station expected to open in October.
The new station will have a guaranteed maximum price of $3,650,828.
The new station is to be built at Bell Patna Drive and Katy Mills Circle, near Katy Mills Mall. It will be a three-bay, approximately 14,000 square-foot structure.
“This project has been a long time coming and we’re really looking forward to the potential of entering into the construction phase of this project and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank the City of Katy Council Members and Slattery-Tackett Architects for a very successful pre-construction phase,” Bob W. Bass, president of Bass Construction, said in a letter to the council recommending the action,
To staff the station, the city in August received a $2 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The funds will be received over a three-year period, and used for the hiring of 16 new firefighters for the city. Fire Chief Russell Wilson said Monday that the department has hired five firefighters and expected to have more hired by the end of the week.
The fire department has memorandums of understanding with other governmental entities, such as Harris County Emergency Services District (ESD) 48, for mutual support in emergencies.
The new station project appears to be on track following weather-related and site selection delays. The first choice for the station site was on the south side of Kingsland Boulevard and west of Pin Oak Road. It flooded in April 2016, when 12-17 inches of rain poured over the Katy area. City officials became concerned about the site’s viability after the flood, and decided on the Bell Patna and Katy Mills Circle site.
Brawner described the process of getting to this point as “getting a gorilla off our back.”
Besides the better location, the new site also has infrastructure items such as power, water and sewer lines that are already in place for easier station construction.
In other action Monday, the council:
- Approved the minutes for the September 29 and October 9 council meetings.
- Approved a request from Crest Management Company for the city to pay monthly operating cost for 11 streetlights in Woodcreek Reserve.
- Accepted public improvements for Cane Island.
- Accepted public improvements for West 10 Business Park.
- Adopted a resolution authorizing Brawner to execute in interlocal agreement with Harris County for the county to administer and implement a regional watershed protection education program.
- Adopted a resolution approving an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for temporary closure of portions of the state right-of-way on Highway 90 and FM 1463, and the city’s right-of-way on Katyland Drive for the 75th Annual Katy ISD Future Farmers of America Parade. The parade is set for February 17, 2018.
- Adopted a resolution casting entitled votes in the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District election of directors for the 2018-19 ballot.
- Adopted a resolution casting entitled votes for Waller County Appraisal District election of directors for the 2018-19 ballot.
- Adopted a resolution authorizing Brawner to execute an agreement accepting a public assistance subgrant award for Hurricane Harvey-related expenses from the Texas Department of Public Safety/Texas Division of Emergency Management.
- Adopted a resolution rejecting any and all bids for emergency services for monitoring of debris removal for a five-year contract, and authorizing the re-advertisement of bid solicitation.
- Adopted a resolution rejecting any and all bids for emergency services for debris removal and disposal for a two-year contract, and authorizing the re-advertisement of bid solicitation.
- Adopted a resolution authorizing Brawner to execute a master services agreement with Consolidated Communications, Inc., for telecommunication services for city facilities.
- Adopted a resolution authorizing Brawner to enter into a master services agreement with Vision Technology Solutions, LLC, for city website development services.
- Adopted a resolution authorizing Brawner to execute a business service order agreement with Comcast Business and Comcast Enterprise Services for Internet and wide area network (WAN) services for city facilities.
- Adopted a resolution authorizing the issuance of $3,290,000 in unlimited tax road bonds by Harris-Waller County’s Municipal Utility District No. 3. In a separate action, the council adopted a resolution authorizing the issuance of $5,765,000 in unlimited tax bonds by the district.
- Adopted a resolution authorizing Brawner to accept a proposal from AMI Fire Equipment for the purchase of one skid unit for the fire department.
- Passed an ordinance authorizing the permanent closing of the railroad crossings at Avenue C and at Carolina Street.
- Passed an ordinance to add a stop sign to the intersection of First Street and Cane Island Parkway.
- Passed an ordinance to replace the stop signs at Franz Road and Avenue D with a traffic signal.