UPDATE 1/25/2021: Updates On Current Events
UPDATE 10/21/2020: City Council voted 5-2 to approve a 1% match in the $65 million dollar CDBG-MIT grant application at the October 19, 2020, meeting. The application includes the demolition of our wastewater treatment plant to create a detention area, however the cost for detention in that area is not included. Here’s a link to the meeting. Start about 4.30 into the meeting. Very interesting. Bellaire is committed to pay over $650,000 if the grant is awarded and the City accepts it.
Even while approving this application 7-0 on October 5th, some Council members expressed uncertainty about accepting the grant. Which begs the question, did Council in essence approve the loss of the wastewater treatment plant by their votes to approve the grant application? Why approve the application if they don’t intend to commit to the loss of the plant? They could have just said no.
What would the loss of this utility mean for Bellaire? How would it affect our image as an affluent community if we are dependent on the City of Houston for this important service? Both West University and Southside Place maintain their own wastewater facilities. One of the main reasons buyers purchase a home in Bellaire is because they prefer a small town that is not part of Houston.
Have any other plans for detention in the Southdale area been developed? What about removing the brick and concrete wall that borders the Public Works area along Beechnut?
That wall essentially serves as a dam, and is located at the lowest area in the 
City’s flood plain. Without the wall high water could freely flow across Beechnut, into Cypress Ditch, and on to Brays Bayou. Why not replace it with an open metal fence?
Posted 10/18/2020 – Do we really want to pay the City of Houston to take over our wastewater treatment? Would the loss of our municipal wastewater treatment plant save Bellaire from flooding? Bellaire residents have until October 27th to comment on this plan.
Interim-City Manager Brant Gary made a presentation to City Council in September 2020 and a second one on October 5, 2020, regarding the Community Development Block Grant-MIT program offered through the Texas General Land Office. He requested Council’s approval to submit a $65 million dollar flood mitigation grant that would include the demolition of our Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).
The land, including the existing Public Works buildings, would give way to some sort of a detention area in the vicinity of Lafayette Park, the Officer Lucy Dog Park, and private residences. No plans were presented for the detention area. This was last minute notice, since the application deadline is October 28, 2020. Find a recent article on this proposal here and click on the link to The Wastewater Treatment Plant and the CDBG-MIT
Bellaire’s wastewater plant would be gone, and wastewater would be routed to the City of Houston’s Almeda Sims plant via an 8 to 9 mile long pipeline. Public Works would be relocated. Land and new buildings are included in the grant but not a new wastewater treatment plant. Here’s the link to the October 5, 2020 Council meeting. The October 5th CDBG workshop begins about 3 minutes into the meeting. I encourage everyone to listen to it.
Three small cities, including Galena Park, were mentioned as customers of COH for wastewater treatment. Since no cost comparisons were included in the presentation I called Galena Park to verify their monthly service charge and to ask about the service. I was informed that they have their own WWTP and I emailed the Mayor and members of City Council with this information.
It turns out there’s a small area of Galena Park called Woodland Acres, consisting of 343 homes separated from the main area of Galena Park by industrial areas, a marshalling yard, and a bayou. Galena Park pays the City of Houston $12,000 per month for wastewater treatment in that area only. Woodland Acres is the area on the Galena Park map located at the northeast corner of Galena Park.
If you extrapolate the cost to Galena Park, that’s about $23 per home per month. Bellaire has 6000+ homes. At an average of $23 per home that’s about $140,000 a month or $1.7 million a year. Perhaps the cost would be much lower, but since no cost estimates were presented, other than $1.638 per thousand gallons, who knows?
The low to medium income area requirement in the grant is also a concern but I-CM Gary had assured council that would be covered by areas in Houston. The State’s tie breaker in scoring between applications is the higher poverty rate. It’s worthwhile to explore City of Houston personnel’s involvement in this grant, too, as there must be some agreement in place and they stand to benefit from this grant.
Brant Gary also explained at the October 5th meeting that Bellaire’s match would be about 1% of a $65 million dollar grant, and mentioned a commitment of 1% in the presentation. Council approved the request to move ahead with the application 7-0.
Posted on the agenda for the October 19, 2020, Council meeting is an item requesting that Council commit $650,000 in matching funds now for the project. However a match is not required by the GLO, it just adds 5 points to the score.
Council will make this decision before the grant is even awarded or a decision is made to accept it. There has been little or no feedback from the residents about this grant, losing our wastewater treatment plant, or about committing $650,000 to a match that is not a requirement.
Why Not Just Say No?
The Mayor suggested at the October 5th meeting that approval of this grant application did not commit the Council to accept the grant, so why not move ahead. But it seems to me that Council’s 7-0 vote shows that in exchange for that $65 million they are willing to approve such a change and hand over control of our wastewater treatment to the City of Houston. What that means for Bellaire’s future is uncertain.
We will continue to pay down the $7.5 million for the Siemens contract to repair the wastewater treatment plant even if it’s gone. No one asked about the project management costs in the Siemens agreement if the plant is demolished. Would those costs be reduced?
We would still be responsible for remediation and development of the detention area, plus the continuing costs for City wastewater lines, lift stations, and personnel. And we have no idea if this would result in savings to the City or aid in flood mitigation for Bellaire. Our cost for Houston water seems to increase every year, with no alternative. Would the same hold true for wastewater treatment?
Soliciting feedback from Bellaire residents by October 27th was mentioned at the October 5th meeting, but the only notice I’ve seen is from the Southwest News. And as you can deduce, I am not in favor of losing our WWTP and relying on Houston. I’ll be emailing City Council with my thoughts and I encourage all Bellaire residents to do the same.
Please research this issue and let the Mayor and City Council know what you think, pro or con, by October 27th!
Email our City Clerk, Tracy Dutton at tdutton@bellairetx.gov, and ask her to forward it to the Mayor and City Council.
Find the earlier article on the WWTP grant proposal here
Texas General Land Office CDBG-MIT Competition Application Guide
More Information on the CDBG-MIT from the Texas GLO
Email the Mayor and City Council via our City Clerk, Tracy Dutton, at tdutton@bellairetx.gov and request that your email be forwarded to them.
Total outstanding bond debt on 9/30/2020 stands at $116.4 million.
$6 million in bonds remain unissued.
Construction on the new Bellaire High school is complete. The original building was demolished during the week of July 13-17, 2021. 
FEMA imposes requirements for new structures and limits on existing structures in flood zones. Check with Development Services for more information,
