Construction Junction: Jarrell City Council approves grant-funded projects

The City of Jarrell will use Williamson County block grants to fund two infrastructure projects. 

City council on December 3 accepted funds for the installation of a water line along County Road 305 and the reconstruction of Fifth Street with West Avenue A. The grants do not have to be matched by the city. 

Director of Development Services Jorge Hernadez said both grants will not need a match and are time-sensitive. 

“It's important that we get a resolution approved,” said Jorge Hernadez, director of development services. “This money is free for us. It requires no matching, so we don’t have to put a dime on it.”

Consultant Adam Luke from MRB said each project will have different contractors. He will oversee the projects and report back to Williamson County with project progress and costs. 

Waterline Project

Funding for the waterline project came from the 2021 and 2022 grant cycles, according to city documents. Totaling $540,860.90, the project will install a 2,700-foot 12-inch waterline with fire hydrants and gate valves. 

The city will have to fund and perform maintenance on the project once complete. 

Mr. Luke said since the pipeline is not a complete loop, it will create a dead end that needs to get flushed every so often to maintain water quality.

Ultimately, Mr. Hernandez explained that the pipeline will create a loop around the city that will improve the water capabilities. He said the city won't complete the loop with this project, but the city has at least three-quarters of the waterline installed. 

“I want to express again, the importance of it is we need to get this resolution approved for the county to release funding,” he said. “Otherwise, we lose the funding, and that will be a bad mark on our side.”

Jarrell City Council unanimously passed the resolution to accept the grant. 

Street Reconstruction 

For Fifth Street with West Avenue A, city documents read that the project will build an estimated 2,500 feet of road with new pavement and concrete ribbons for safety. The project is set to end at County Road 307.

The total cost for the project is $503,833 — with $390,000 allocated to construction and $113,700 going to planning and engineering. For the grant funding, Williamson County required that the city completely reconstruct the road.

“That is something the county made clear, that this money cannot be used for repair,” Mr. Luke said. “We got to strip it off the top and put down another layer. We gotta go all the way down to the base and then back up.”

After the presentation, Jarrell City Council approved the resolution, which allows Mr. Hernadeze to execute the bidding and construction phases.  

Interim City Manager appointed 

During the meeting, Mr. Hernadez was named the city’s interim city manager.  Additionally, the city council will hire a professional service firm to begin the process of finding a permanent city manager.  

In October, Jarrell’s former City Manager Danielle Singh — who was on a leave of absence — was fired by a 3-2 city council vote for not returning to her post.  Jarrell Police Chief Patrick South temporarily filled in as an interim city manager while Ms. Singh was away.  

Resident Thomas Hertel — who was running for mayor at the time — was nominated as an interim manager candidate by then-alderman Jeff Seidel on October 8. Even though a 3-2 vote directed Mayor Patrick Sherek to meet with and negotiate a short-term interim contract for Mr. Hertel, an agreement was never finalized and Mr. Hertel never took the position. Mr. Seidel lost a re-election bid in November. 

Library update 

City Council also amended an agreement with the Jarrell Community Library and Resource Center to fund library staff salaries. Though some of the positions are grant-funded, an estimated $10,500 from the city will go to funding four 20-hour potions.

Alderwoman Tanya Clawson suggested that City Council work to incorporate the library— which is currently an independent nonprofit — into the city officially. 

Jarrell City Council meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. in Jarrell City Hall, located at 161 Town Center Boulevard.