City addresses sewer line concerns with residents

The Cameron City Council heard from two citizens concerned with sewer line issues among other things during a meeting on Oct. 21.

Cameron residents Craig Kistler and Matthew Montelongo were on the agenda to address sewer issues with the council.

Kistler spoke to the council concerning the city sewer lines and the lift station at Highway 77 near his home.

He said he has had continuing issues with the sewer line backing up since he moved into his house in 2007. He said the city has come out three times and cleaned out the lines and replaced the clean out when they moved in. He said he has had plumbers out approximately nine different times and that the city said that it is their fault that things are getting flushed from surrounding properties.

“I have had to open up the clean outs in all three places on my property to the sewer can flow out in my yard because it is backing up,” Kistler said. “I don’t even know how much we have spent on this.”

Kistler requested that the lift station be replaced at Highway 77 (Travis and Industrial). 

Utility Director Gerald Brunson said that is a problematic line and the cost to replace that lift station is approximately $130,000. He said that the city is waiting on approval from the Texas Water Development Board for the next CDBG project with them and that is the first lift station that will be replaced.

“When you brought this to me several months back I went to Gerald about this and Tommy (Valle) about this and took it to the city council,” City Manager Rhett Parker said. “We bumped up our lift station projects immediately and I thank you for that. That gave me the push to get these replaced. We are waiting for the Texas Water Development Board. It just takes time when we are dealing with state agencies.”

Mayor Connie Anderle said the city is focused on getting this fixed because nobody wants sewage in their yard.

Kistler was concerned about how long it would take for it to get replaced.

Engineer Tommy Valle said that it should take about four months for the project to get underway after bids go out and construction should get going. He said approval could be in the very near future and then things will get rolling.

Montelongo requested that something be done to the water line to his house. He said he is looking for any kind of help with replacing the water line that is in the street that has a crack in the line.

Brunson said that he had plumber Bill Pair come over and suck the line out and that they found that line is broken and rocks are getting into the line under the street. He said the city will come out and take the asphalt on the street out at the city’s cost and then he can have a plumber fix the line.

Craig Arnold with the Street Department told council during reports that they will begin to repair the streets were the water and sewer lines have been replaced. He gave a list to the city council. There was $120,000 budgeted for those repairs. 

In other business the council also:

- Approved a special use permit from Dwayne Simes’ for the placement of a horse at 407 South Colfax.

- Approved a request from Yoe High Principal Brian Stork for closure of roads for the Car Bash on Oct. 23.

- Approved a request from Pastor Basilio Montez for the closure of roads for Holy Ground Baptist Church’s anniversary on Oct. 27.

- Heard a presentation from Cameron Economic Development Corporation Director Ginger Watkins on the CEDC’s annual report.

- Approve a construction contract with Fuquay, Inc. of New Braunfels in the amount of $49, 640 for rehabilitation of seven manholes to utilize remaining funds fom the city’s CDBG project.