Council approves construction contract and developer cost share for emergency water interconnect

Fair Oaks Ranch city council on a unanimous vote authorized a construction agreement with RL Jones LP and accepted a developer contribution toward the SAWS emergency interconnect project.

Clayton, who led the item for staff, said the interconnect will create a direct emergency connection to the San Antonio water system to provide a backup water supply and resiliency for Pressure Zone C. He told council the city issued a request for proposals in March and received four bids; RL Jones LP was the lowest and, in staff’s view, the best value for the construction work. The contract amount reported was $287,453; staff recommended a 5% contingency, bringing the authorization request to $301,825.65 and noting approximately $308,000 had been budgeted for construction.

Assistant director of public works Stephen Fried walked council through a related cost‑sharing agreement with the G. Leon Family Partnership. Fried said the city is upsizing an existing water main between Leslie Pfeiffer and Fair Oaks Parkway as part of the interconnect work and that the developer of the Cinco de Mayo restaurant needs a fire‑flow upgrade. Rather than construct two parallel lines, staff negotiated combined installation and the developer will contribute $50,000 toward the project, an amount Fried said is consistent with what the developer would have spent building the infrastructure on its own.

“Rather than constructing two separate water lines in the same corridor, staff worked with the developer to combine efforts into a single installation,” Fried said, recommending council approve the cost‑share resolution.

Council moved and seconded motions to approve both the construction agreement and the cost‑sharing resolution. The mayoral chair called the vote; councilmembers answered “aye” and both motions passed.

Staff said work is expected to begin after a notice to proceed and that the construction phase should take about 71 calendar days. The council packet shows the project supports the city’s strategic priority of reliable water resources and follows the city’s procurement standards.

Next steps: staff will execute the construction agreement and the cost‑sharing documents and return as required for any contract administration items.