[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:00] The time is now 6.30. We'd like to thank you all for joining us for the special council
[0:08] meeting on this Monday, January the 12th. We kindly ask that you please turn off your cell
[0:14] phones and mobile devices. At this time, we'll turn our attention to councilmember Greg Hill.
[0:20] Let us together stand.
[0:51] Thank you.
[0:52] Thank you.
[0:53] Thank you.
[0:54] It's a slight change this evening.
[1:21] We're going to move to the consent agenda. We're going to move to the consent agenda first.
[1:29] Ms. Rios, can you read that item number one?
[1:37] Your item is consider approval of the acceptance of public improvements for the HEB project.
[1:43] Thank you, Ms. Rios.
[1:48] Council, would you like this item pulled for further discussion?
[1:51] Okay.
[1:52] If not, I'll entertain a motion.
[1:54] So moved.
[1:55] We have a motion from councilmember Trailer to approve consent agenda item number one.
[1:59] Do we have a second?
[2:01] A second from councilmember Solgado.
[2:03] At this time, we'll call for a vote.
[2:11] Motion passes.
[2:13] We'll now move on to our presentation.
[2:20] Assistant City Manager, Carl Zody.
[2:23] Good evening, Mayor and Council.
[2:25] Thank you for the opportunity to provide an update on the Encore switch project that's happening down at Trinity.
[2:33] We have Brad Davis here tonight to speak for Encore just to give a brief history of what's been transpired so far as last summer.
[2:41] They started the first stages of this was a daytime operation of hauling the material to build up the base of the switching area.
[2:49] It was causing a lot of disruption on Trinity and intersection at Boadark.
[2:56] And to try and mitigate that, we had set up some crossing guard arms to help let the trucks in and out.
[3:04] It was creating more backup on Boadark.
[3:07] Staff meant internally to discuss switching to a nighttime operation.
[3:12] In October 27th, there's a summary in front of you that meeting with local residents to discuss this transition.
[3:21] There's a summary of what was discussed.
[3:24] And we did try to meet the obligation we met of assessing this before Christmas and making a termination.
[3:32] We weren't able to do that with a lot of people in and out for the holidays.
[3:36] So we're here now to provide a status of where we think we need to go forward from here.
[3:42] It's probably about three weeks left on the operation based on what we have done over the last two months has been very productive.
[3:50] We just feel like it would be in our best interest to keep this operation going at the same pace and get this thing done to get out of here.
[3:58] So I'm going to open up for Brad to come up and answer any questions we might have on this.
[4:06] As Mr. Zook said, my name is Brad Davis.
[4:10] I work with Encore, the area manager for this region.
[4:13] So I'm mayor and council.
[4:15] I appreciate you having me here this evening.
[4:18] First off, I just wanted to say thank you to our residents here.
[4:22] I know that that's been kind of a thorn in the side to have to deal with.
[4:27] I know that's not something that they probably knew about.
[4:30] That was the only pathway that we could take to get to this particular site.
[4:35] But as you know, as the economy continues to grow in this area, residents move in, businesses move in,
[4:43] the requirements for us to grow our grid, our facilities increase just as much.
[4:50] So I appreciate their patience.
[4:52] I appreciate them working with us.
[4:54] I appreciate the city, the city staff and the chief.
[5:00] For visiting with me on a frequent basis to make this happen.
[5:05] But as Carl said, we've moved everything to nighttime.
[5:09] We've had approximately 200 loads of dirt.
[5:13] What we're trying to do is raise the grade up a certain amount to levelize it to where it's usable for us.
[5:20] Since the last time that I had sat down to visit with the residents,
[5:27] approximately 200 trucks per day was going in and out.
[5:31] So that's 400 trips total.
[5:34] We have since reduced that because now we're working more on the base.
[5:38] The amount of trucks going in and out has cut that about in half for right now.
[5:43] We've only got a couple more weeks to go until we feel like that's going to be finished.
[5:48] After that, somewhere in the middle of February,
[5:53] we look to move into the concrete work that we need to do.
[5:58] I know we still have to submit for permitting and get all of our P's and Q's together for that.
[6:04] But just so everybody's rested assured,
[6:08] the amount of traffic that the residents of the city has been experiencing during that process
[6:14] is not going to be anywhere close.
[6:17] We're expecting approximately 10 to 15 concrete trucks a day.
[6:21] As you can imagine, if you can just picture it, these dirt haulers come in, they dump their load, they go.
[6:27] So they're frequently coming and going.
[6:29] With concrete work, it's totally different.
[6:32] You're coming in, you have to set up, you're guiding that concrete around to where it needs to be,
[6:37] to where it's usable, and then whenever they're finished, they'll leave.
[6:41] So the amount of traffic and the inconvenience for this particular area should be reduced substantially.
[6:48] As a matter of fact, we are going to ask if we could then, since we won't have near-the-truck traffic going in and out,
[6:55] if we could at that point eliminate the overnight shift and we'll recommend going back to daytime
[7:02] if at all possible, if we can work out scheduling that's appropriate for schools and everything else that's involved.
[7:09] So outside of that, that's pretty much all the specifics that I've got.
[7:17] But I'm willing to take any questions that you may have.
[7:21] So my questions are, when it comes to concrete trucks, I know there's only so much time you have from the time those guys leave.
[7:28] I think it's like there's a stop clock, basically.
[7:31] So I know one of the concerns that's come up, and I experienced this recently in my neighborhood,
[7:35] is that when you have concrete trucks sitting out there, they block the traffic.
[7:39] I mean, those guys are big boys.
[7:41] How can we guarantee that everybody that's on Trinity is going to be able to get into their driveways?
[7:47] Second thing I want to know, where will they do washouts?
[7:50] Because the last thing I want is concrete trucks pulling in front of people's yards, cleaning out, dumping and rolling.
[7:56] So those are a couple things just off the top of my head.
[7:59] I don't know the specifics on that.
[8:01] Normally at the batch plants, they'll do their washouts.
[8:04] There's enough space where we can turn in on-site to do any parking.
[8:08] I mean, our facility, the property that we own for the switching station is huge.
[8:13] So personally, I don't, speaking just for me, of course, I'll get with our crews and our coordinators
[8:22] and everybody that's involved just to make sure that nobody's going to be parking on Trinity.
[8:26] I think everybody's well aware that that's a no-no.
[8:30] But we'll do our dead-level best to make sure that the residents and the streets are open to where they won't be impacted by us at all.
[8:38] Also, I know there's been some incidents, and I know you're working with Carl as far as like the lines, internet lines that have been taken down.
[8:44] Knowing that the way that those trucks are a little bit wider, the dump trucks that were coming in were flatter.
[8:49] You know, how are they going to, again, I understand everybody's trying to be patient,
[8:55] but if my internet went down, I wouldn't be a real patient.
[8:58] Right, I understand that.
[9:01] Obviously, we all have clearances that we need to meet.
[9:05] We've inspected our clearances.
[9:07] Obviously, a lot of people don't understand that we're normally the one that's higher up.
[9:11] We often lease pole space as do telecom companies that own poles that lease space to us,
[9:19] and we mutually connect to those poles.
[9:22] We try to make sure that our specs are met to where we're out of everybody's way.
[9:28] If we do notice a low clearance item, then we will recommend it to the telecom company themselves to pay attention to it,
[9:36] and they need to go out to the field and make adjustments that are necessary.
[9:42] I do know that we'll have some large equipment items that we'll have to plan for in the future
[9:48] as we get closer to delivering equipment on site.
[9:52] Normally, we run out ahead of that, and we'll double check and measure all of the utilities
[9:57] to see if anything needs to be, like any special accommodations,
[10:01] need to be made prior to these larger pieces of equipment
[10:05] that will likely get into the clearance areas of the telecom lines.
[10:09] So normally, we try to run a scout out ahead of that,
[10:12] but I do, I can't remember what truck came through there.
[10:18] It had something a little bit taller than, it wasn't a typical dirt hauler.
[10:22] If I remember correctly, it was some other piece of equipment that was being delivered and snagged it,
[10:28] but we've been in communication with the telecom company and trying to get that adjusted,
[10:34] and that is a good segue to make sure that everybody's aware like this is really important
[10:39] and that we pay attention to our clearances and get up out of the way.
[10:42] So we have to abide by all the proper clearances anyway because all this equipment is going down the highway,
[10:47] so we can't, you know, the last thing we want to do is run up under our bridge and destroy our equipment.
[10:52] So most of the clearances by any utility company is the same.
[10:57] I mean, they have to meet those minimum level requirements so we can get proper construction traffic through.
[11:06] My question was, you said February is when the concrete work starts and they'll be down to like 10 to 15 trucks a day.
[11:12] How long is that phase going to last?
[11:14] I don't have a specific timeline on that.
[11:16] I don't feel like it would be quite as long as the dirt work has been going on.
[11:22] So several months at least?
[11:23] It'll be several months, yes ma'am, at least.
[11:26] I need to talk to some of my people to just see what all we're planning to do as far as the amount of trucks
[11:33] and how long they're going to be doing everything in phases.
[11:37] So there may be some weeks where we don't see any trucks out there.
[11:42] Once we get things established and set, we may bring in some equipment and pay attention to that
[11:46] and then concrete trucks come in afterwards for phase two.
[11:49] But I can give you a better idea once we sit down.
[11:53] I know we're going to try to coordinate a meeting next week to have those discussions
[11:58] and to where we can kind of rally together and see what best accommodates both Encore and the City.
[12:04] Okay, and then my other question was to follow up, just to kind of give the residents a preview,
[12:08] after the concrete work for the next couple of months, what comes after that?
[12:12] I know everyone's wanting to know how many more phases you know until we're completely done with this.
[12:17] After the concrete work is done, it's just equipment, trying to get the proper equipment in there.
[12:22] I really feel like the worst of it is behind us, in my opinion.
[12:27] I'm hoping, unless there's something that I'm not aware of,
[12:31] but all of the inconveniences of truck traffic going in and out consistently is no longer going to be necessary.
[12:38] We will have to make special accommodations just because of the large equipment that we're bringing in.
[12:43] We're going to have to make sure that we have accommodations for turning radiuses
[12:47] and probably have to ask some of the businesses to cone off certain areas to where cars can't be parked there
[12:53] because we're going to need every inch that we can get on these tight streets.
[12:56] But that's not going to be...
[12:59] It's not going to be 200 trucks coming in.
[13:02] A lot of the work after this will be done on-site.
[13:06] We just need to get some equipment in there once it's in there.
[13:09] All of our technicians and crews and everything else will be on-site,
[13:13] out of sight, out of mind working on the stuff, trying to get it ready for operation.
[13:17] And you may not know these exact numbers, but coming back to the heavy equipment,
[13:24] I'm just a general because I know you've got a pretty good grasp of this.
[13:27] How many trucks, when they're taking this equipment down the street, are we talking maybe two or three?
[13:32] Is that daily? Is that weekly?
[13:34] No, I don't think so. I think it'd probably be more on the line of weekly, perhaps.
[13:39] They're just very specific pieces of equipment, some auto transformers, some switching equipment.
[13:44] And as we're doing concrete work and the concrete pads cure,
[13:49] we'll bring in that equipment, set it up,
[13:52] get that set up and ready, and then there's going to be several of them,
[13:56] so they'll probably come in in phases.
[13:59] But like I said, it won't be anything like what y'all have been seeing in the past.
[14:03] I think that's what everybody's trying to visualize is when you say,
[14:06] as a concrete sets, we're going to do this section.
[14:08] Then we'll do this section.
[14:10] It's not like you're going to go drop all the equipment at once.
[14:13] No, we won't have room to do that.
[14:16] I really wish that I could have gotten some pictures of the equipment
[14:21] that we're trying to deliver. They're massive. They're extremely massive.
[14:25] So it's not something that you can really haul into a site and have a place to put them.
[14:29] And then not only that, you have to take them on and off with a pretty large crane.
[14:33] So we kind of coordinate and organize all that to happen at once in phases that we're ready for it.
[14:40] So you'll have concrete trucks and then equipment,
[14:43] and then we can coordinate and communicate with the city
[14:46] on when all this stuff is going to transpire so everybody's aware of it.
[14:50] And this may be a question for Carl, but what will be,
[14:53] if we go back to the daytime hours, what will be the work?
[14:56] Because I know some of the folks have said they've got bulldozers.
[15:00] And there are bedrooms and stuff like that. So if we go back to the daytime, will there
[15:06] be work occurring at night or will it be our more typical standard building hours?
[15:11] Yeah, I mean, with this truck hauling that we're currently doing at night, once that's
[15:18] complete, pretty much we don't see much nighttime other than if they just have like a summertime
[15:24] concrete pour. We typically open up early morning start times for that. But, you know,
[15:29] this is what we've been doing from 7.30 p.m. to 6.30 a.m. I'm anticipating by the end of
[15:34] this month, the earliest couple of days in February, that that is the last of just continuous
[15:40] nighttime driving up and down Trinity and Vodark. So then again, it's just, it may just be,
[15:46] we may want to recommend a nighttime delivery on something. Just, it's going to be a one-off.
[15:50] It won't be a continuous, like what we've been experiencing since the end of October.
[15:55] And maybe that's kind of my question, because I know you're going to be bringing in huge
[15:58] equipment, and we're going to probably have to shut down streets. Would that be more beneficial
[16:03] to do that at night? Because, I mean, I'm just thinking about, I drive down Vodark every day,
[16:07] and I can't imagine you trying to haul in a massive piece of equipment.
[16:10] Sure. It's going to be a coordinated effort with the city, because we're going to submit to them
[16:15] exactly how long these trucks are, how long the turning, like what the turning radius
[16:19] is going to be, and there probably will be a coordinated effort to shut down some streets
[16:23] to make sure, because we don't want any oncoming traffic during that, but it's like a one-in
[16:27] and one-out, like it's not going to last very long, but we just have to make sure that
[16:32] possible streets are shut down in order to make that, make that route in there.
[16:36] Once we're in there, it's over, you know, and then everything can be done on site.
[16:40] It just comes back to the communication, making sure, and that wouldn't be on y'all,
[16:43] but on us, to make sure that anybody is aware, because they don't need to look out their window
[16:47] and see basically a transformer going down their street.
[16:51] And it probably will be, because if there's any cars parked on the street,
[16:54] we're going to have to ask the residents at that period of time, like, you know,
[16:58] we don't want any cars damaged, we don't want anything getting in the pathway,
[17:02] and some mishaps happening, so hopefully we can get everybody on board
[17:07] and we can coordinate a time and date to where we can have this equipment delivered.
[17:11] But like I said, it'll come in phases, so.
[17:16] Any other comments from Council?
[17:19] What is the feedback loop for residents if they have a complaint or a question
[17:24] or a concern, how do they get in touch with you guys?
[17:29] I mean, I know that Zach has created a QR code,
[17:35] and I think we have a copy of it here in the handouts in the back,
[17:39] and that's going to be directed specifically for this project.
[17:43] Awesome.
[17:44] And so it won't just be just anyone on Trinity,
[17:46] we're going to try and get emails out to a broader base,
[17:50] and so they even put it on the website as well.
[17:53] That's key.
[17:54] I want to make sure residents have a way of communicating
[17:57] if something is not going right.
[18:00] The nature of this meeting, we don't have the opportunity
[18:03] if we're back and forth with residents,
[18:06] but we encourage residents to come and show up
[18:09] to our next Schedule Council meeting where we have open form
[18:14] and they'll be able to respond,
[18:17] but they do have an avenue to be able to get in touch with you.
[18:21] Brad, I know you were very generous with your time the last time.
[18:26] Will you be hanging around for a few months
[18:28] because we do have a lot of people who have come to ask some questions,
[18:31] and I don't want their time to have been wasted just to sit here
[18:34] and listen to us.
[18:35] Yeah, for sure.
[18:37] Great.
[18:38] Thank you for sticking around.
[18:40] At this time, I don't believe we have any other items to cover,
[18:45] so the time is 6.49 and we are adjourned.
[18:50] Thank you so much for your service.