Sidewalk upgrades begin in Texas Heroes Square

Work continues in Texas Heroes Square along the 400 block of Saint James Street in Gonzales as part of an effort to upgrade city sidewalks to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Texas Accessibility Standards.

Improvements are also being made in drainage and grading in the 400 block of Saint James as part of the 2021 Sidewalk Improvement Plans for the City of Gonzales. The work is being performed by Diamond X Contracting Inc. at a cost of $699,633.40 with a contingency of five percent, or $34,981.67, for unforeseen issues during construction.

The city also is spending $70,000 for engineering, $30,000 for grant administration and $10,000 for environmental services associated with the grant funding for a total fiscal impact of up to $844,615.07.

Funding for the project comes from Gonzales Economic Development Corporation (which contributed $50,000); a Texas Community Development Block Grant (in the amount of $500,000); from the city’s Water Fund ($35,661); and the General Fund (up to $258,954.07).

Originally, the city had budgeted $500,000 to perform the work some two years ago, but as the project was delayed, costs escalated. The city had received bids for the work on May 12, 2022, but those bids were subsequently all rejected due to budgetary issues. The project was rebid and bids were received Sept. 29, 2022, with Diamond X coming in as the lowest bidder. Street Department director Todd Remschel is serving as the project manager, while city engineer J. Keith Schauer of Doucet & Associates is the project consultant.