Business View - May 2015 151
There are more out there, but the worst streets we
have in the city are those 30 streets. It’s not too bad
of a number.”
Smith said a unique element of public services work in
Alvin, as compared to other areas of Texas, is the soil
that’s underneath the roadways – which can fall apart
and negate any surface improvements.
The city hired an environmental laboratory to do core
samples that ultimately inform workers what needs
to be done to stabilize soil, and determine what base
needs to be mixed in during construction.
“That’s 100 percent of the time,” he said. “If we’re go-
ing to build a road, we’re going to have a lab test it. Be-
cause I can go out and I can put a cap on top of it and
do an overlay – and make the prettiest looking road
out there – but as soon as I do that and turn around,
it’s going to fall apart.”
Among the projects being planned by Smith and his
team these days is a $2.5 million automated meter
reading initiative that will allow utility billing personnel
to both read meters and detect small leaks and tam-
pering from their offices. Customers can also be called
in advance to tell them about possible leaks, which will
ultimately provide a chance to save water.
Also, to accommodate the city’s growth, Smith said a
new elevated water tower is being added for storage
capacity and Phase 2 of improvements on the waste
water treatment plant are underway.
Grant funds have been received from the state’s Gen-
eral Land Office for hurricanes Dolly and Ike, which
INFRASTRUCTURE
