Pilot Point is taking an indepth look at its water, wastewater and drainage infrastructure.
Two studies—the Water and Wastewater Master Plan as well as the Citywide Drainage Study—were presented to the council at the Dec. 11 meeting.
'This strategic master plan focuses on [the data] and it provides a blueprint aligning investment with growth to prevent overbuilding or underbuilding infrastructure,' Public Works Director Nestor Ramirez said.
He added that the plan can be changed.
'This is not a one-time-deal document,' he said. 'As we move forward, the list of projects that get completed will evolve or adjust, because the needs from today are not going to be the same as for tomorrow.'
Included in the detailed and lengthy document was a mention of a wastewater treatment plant on Strittmatter Road, which drew concerns from resident Brian Boerner, who has experience in municipal services.
'I'm a recently retired public service professional with more than 30 years of experience serving the cities of Fort Worth, Dallas and Denton,' he said. '... The purpose of this plan is not lost in what we're trying to accomplish.'
He worried that when the faces in City Hall and behind the dais change, a plan slating a plant for that spot could be taken as set in stone previous city officials had promised there would not be such a plant in that area.
He asked the council to table the decision to allow for the wording around a facility on Strittmatter to change before adopting the plan.
'It would be an appropriate Christmas gift to the community and its residents,' he said. 'I believe that to approve the recommendation tonight would be the holiday equivalent of gifting a bag of coal.'
City Engineer Brandon Wall of Wall Engineering spoke, explaining that because the area along Strittmatter is the hydraulical low spot, some form of sewer infrastructure will likely need to go there, which could be a lift station that feeds the sewage to a treatment plant.
'There's going to be something right there that either treats wastewater or pumps it,' he said.
Council member Brian Heitzman said he wanted a chance to look over the document more, as well, because of the associated costs, and the council tabled the decision until Jan. 8.
The drainage study, which identified four key areas that need attention and that appear more feasible to tackle—Foundation Drive; Burks and College streets; Broad Street where it intersects the railroad track; and Gee Street.
Rodrigo Vizcaino with LJA Engineering shared the projected costs of each of the fixes, which did not factor in land costs for said areas.
'The land value cost— at least from a cost perspective— the value of the construction is much higher than the land value itself,' he said. 'Obviously, with acquiring land, as you all know, there's other factors— negotiations and things that need to happen— but hopefully everybody understands that this is for the benefit of the community,' he said.
The council took no action on the study.
Also at the meeting, Anthony Taylor from Tarzan and Jane Travel Centers spoke about their plans to open a location at the corner of Strittmatter Road and U.S. 377.
The proposed development will include a restaurant that can seat 100 people, an indoor play structure, integrated HTeaO location and DEF fuel.
'We focus on having a quality experience that people can afford,' Taylor said.
The council asked about timing, which could be Quarter 3 in 2026.
'We won't be the bottleneck to this,' Taylor said.
Sanchez also told the council members state law requires that the Capital Improvements Advisory Committee include local realtors or developers as at least 50% of the board's membership.
Also during the meeting, the council approved the creation of Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 16 and cleaned up a previous mistake made during the creation of TIRZ No. 13
