City approves water, wastewater master plans

The Odessa City Council unanimously approved two new master plans during their Tuesday City Council for rehabilitating and expanding their water and wastewater master plans as they prepare for the city’s expanding development.

Public Works Director Tom Kerr presented both master plans to the council Tuesday and highlighted some of the needs to the city’s water and wastewater systems.

“The purpose of the master plans is to provide for the possible use of the funds for the long-term sustainability of the system,” Kerr said.

Kerr said system needs had been identified in the plans. Many of the needs had to do with new developments based on growth projections, as well as the rehabilitation of aged infrastructure like water lines.

The growth they’re seeing in development is in the northeast and the southwest, where they plan to place major trunks to provide water to the area, Kerr said. Both of these projects are projected to be completed in the next five years, with additional projects scheduled over 10 years and 25 years.

Kerr said they also identified where they are seeing leaks in the pipes, and said cast-iron pipes were their main issue and where they will be emphasizing most of their funds on in regards to rehabilitation.

Their primary focus for the wastewater system will be the installation of the sewer lines P and Q, as well as rehabilitating several miles of asbestos-cement sewer lines.

“The thing about that is that it’s failing at a rate that is really critical for us,” Kerr said about the asbestos-cement sewer lines.

The City Council also unanimously approved a request from the Odessa Housing Finance Corporation to rezone some of their lots from general residential to special dwelling districts. These 12 lots, located east of the intersection of Fitch Avenue and Lamesa Street, will allow for smaller lot widths to accommodate affordable housing, Planning Director Randy Brinlee said. They will be infill housing located near other single-family residences, and each lot will consist of a single-family home.

Brinlee added there is another property owned by OHFC south of that one that they also plan to bring to the council for rezoning for further affordable housing development.

The rezoning will have to be approved a second time by the council at their next meeting before it is finalized.

IN OTHER BUSINESS, THE CITY COUNCIL

>> Approved City Council minutes, May 28, 2019.
>> Approved City Council workshop minutes, May 28, 2019.
>> Approved City Council work session minutes, June 4, 2019.
>> Approved the request of Nestor M. Quinonez, owner, for original zoning of Light Industrial (LI) on an approximately 0.3 acre tract in Section 32, Block 42, T-2-S, T&P Ry. Co. Survey, Ector County, Texas (southwest of the intersection of Maurice Rd. and S. County Rd. West) (Ordinance – Second and Final Approval).
>> Approved the annexation of 4521 W. 42nd St., 12012 W. Westland Dr., and 3510 W. 14th St., into the Ector County Utility District (Resolution).
>> Approved the rejection of bids for overflow basin liner.
>> Approved authorizing the abandonment of a portion of 20’ alley right of way upon receipt of payment in the amount of valuation to be set by Ector County Appraisal District.
>>Approved the renewal of a contract for auctioneering services.
>> Approved the request by Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, owner, for rezoning from Single Family-Three (SF-3) to Neighborhood Services (NS) on Lots 10-14, Block 62, Harrisdale Subdivision (at the northwest corner of University Blvd. and Ventura Ave.) (Ordinance — First Approval).
>> Approved the request by XTX Associates, LLC, owner, Newton Engineering, agent, for rezoning from Planned Development-Retail (PD-R) to Light Commercial (LC) on Lots 12-13, Block 41, Harrisdale Addition, 6th Filing (on the northeast corner of Troy Ave. and University Blvd.) (Ordinance — First Approval).
>> Approved amending the boundary lines of the five Single Member Districts (SMDs) to include the lands annexed pursuant to Ordinance 2018-46, adopted on November 27, 2018 (Ordinance — First Approval).