Engineer outlines sewer-plant work, MC Street bridge redesign and airport drainage reimbursements

Bastrop — At a council meeting Tuesday, Chad Fisher, a representative of the city engineer’s office, briefed council members on current and pending infrastructure work funded through the Sales Tax District and other sources.

Fisher said the sewer-plant construction contract is under way and the city plans to replace four pumps that feed the clarifier and one clarifier arm; an on-site inspector will oversee daily work. He described how wipes and similar debris contribute to pump failures and said some replacements are age-related while others address capacity concerns.

On airport work, Fisher reported the terminal-area drainage project is complete and said typical funding will be 90% from the Federal Aviation Administration with a 10% state reimbursement; staff will pursue reimbursement before charging the general fund.

On MC Street, the engineer described a design change: instead of rebuilding a bridge the plan replaces it with two 10-foot culverts/ponds and improved riprap and guardrail. The road cross section is roughly two 10-foot lanes with shoulders; Fisher estimated 90 calendar days for construction and cautioned weather could add days, producing an effective schedule closer to 105 days.

Fisher warned that downstream channel maintenance (conducted by the parish) is essential to prevent backups: "Everything that you have drainage-wise has to go somewhere and it has to go through the parish," he said. He also noted procurement challenges on some street projects — including limited bidders and material shortages — that have delayed advertising and award.

Council members asked for design copies and engineer reports; staff said designs and a one-page project summary will be circulated to council and included in the next packet for possible appropriation.