Shepherd moves to start spending huge grant

SHEPHERD — The Shepherd City Council is now ready to begin renovating its sewer system.

At the Dec. 9 meeting, council members awarded a bid for the city sewer project to Kings Solutions, who were able to do the base bid and two alternates and still come in under budget, City Secretary Debra Hagler said.

The bid award was for $2.6 million, and the firm will do pipe bursting and replacing sewer lines in the downtown area, Hagler said.

The two alternates mean that instead of rehabilitating manholes, they will be replaced; and piping up to the commercial and residential easements will be replaced as well.

Construction is scheduled to start sometime in January 2025, weather permitting, she said.

The city of Shepherd received a total grant of just more than $4 million and has spent funds on administration and engineering fees and contingency funds.

In other business, the council:

• chose Rayvan and Associates to administer a reallocation grant, should the grant be approved;
• approved a lot split at 630 S. Railroad St. for Crystal Contreras;
• approved repiping a water well at a cost of $32,000;
• reappointed council member Mark Porter as Mayor Pro Tem;
• reappointed Bob Steely as Municipal Judge; and
• adopted the 2025 holiday schedule, which mirrors the San Jacinto County schedule.