Several consequences will result if this plan comes to fruition not the least of which will be to destroy all vegetation along the planned route for about twenty-five (25) feet in each direction from the center of the road. This means a fifty (50) foot wide swath will be exposed to this devastating construction project. Many of the trees have been alive since before 1938 and they will surely be lost forever. BE enjoys one of the few remaining groves of Savannah Post oak trees in a residential neighborhood anywhere. The look and feel of the countryside that residents enjoy here in the city will be replaced by a treeless, sterile environment that will negatively impact quality of life with no benefit to the neighborhood. In the interests of neighborhood integrity, there must be a better way.

Maybe they can hire someone and go look at the wildlife that live around there or the type of trees that will be torn out. Find something that can be used to say it is going to effect the wildlife or historical trees?

Emerson54 said:

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Several consequences will result if this plan comes to fruition not the least of which will be to destroy all vegetation along the planned route for about twenty-five (25) feet in each direction from the center of the road. This means a fifty (50) foot wide swath will be exposed to this devastating construction project.

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I am not advocating for the sewer line to go down Rosemary...

Saying that digging a trench for a sewer will destroy "all vegetation" in a 50ft swath doesn't seem accurate. That means even weeds wont even grow in that 50ft wide swath.

A main sewer line is about 4 or 5ft wide and the trench is not much wider. With the option of the road, the trench will be buried under the street and re-paved. There are miles of trenches being created everyday and I do not believe any of them will create a 50 foot wide swath killing all vegetation. I would guess some of the homes in the area have even had recent landscaping work done with trenches for the purpose of drainage. And the trees are fine.

"And the trees are fine."

Couldn't be more wrong. Post oaks are extremely sensitive to root disturbance , including compaction. When you consider that the majority of tree roots are in the top 2 feet of soil and extend out from the trunk 2 times the height of a tree, these types of projects pose a threat to trees well outside the actual trench footprint.

Look what College Station did to Lick Creek Park when more lines were put down.

You can talk about streets, trees, and vegetation all you want. Still, the bottom line is that a neighboring city should never assume it can do whatever it wants beyond its boundaries, especially when it wants to infringe on a neighborhood in another city. As a lifelong Bryan resident, this confirms what I already knew: College Station has zero respect for our community.

GoodOleBryanBoy said:

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You can talk about streets, trees, and vegetation all you want. Still, the bottom line is that a neighboring city should never assume it can do whatever it wants beyond its boundaries, especially when it wants to infringe on a neighborhood in another city. As a lifelong Bryan resident, this confirms what I already knew: College Station has zero respect for our community.

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I live in College Station and I am sure 99% of us are on your side

GoodOleBryanBoy said:

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You can talk about streets, trees, and vegetation all you want. Still, the bottom line is that a neighboring city should never assume it can do whatever it wants beyond its boundaries, especially when it wants to infringe on a neighborhood in another city. As a lifelong Bryan resident, this confirms what I already knew: College Station has zero respect for our community.

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Then its time to contact your state rep and ask them to work to limit the use of eminent domain. CS is only considering it because the state allows them to do it.

I believe that CS will need a permit from Bryan to do this work. Both the cities of Bryan and CS have told me/my clients that increased cost of compliance is NOT a reason to get a variance. Well, it's time for CS to get a dose of its own medicine. Bryan needs to deny CS the permit since there's another alternative, even if it is more expensive. Either that or Bryan needs to negotiate that CS will provide free water and sewer service FOREVER for any property affected by the construction. Time for Bryan representatives to earn their salaries.

MyNameIsJeff said:

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Koko Chingo said:

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Emerson54 said:

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Several consequences will result if this plan comes to fruition not the least of which will be to destroy all vegetation along the planned route for about twenty-five (25) feet in each direction from the center of the road. This means a fifty (50) foot wide swath will be exposed to this devastating construction project.

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I am not advocating for the sewer line to go down Rosemary...

Saying that digging a trench for a sewer will destroy "all vegetation" in a 50ft swath doesn't seem accurate. That means even weeds wont even grow in that 50ft wide swath.

A main sewer line is about 4 or 5ft wide and the trench is not much wider. With the option of the road, the trench will be buried under the street and re-paved. There are miles of trenches being created everyday and I do not believe any of them will create a 50 foot wide swath killing all vegetation. I would guess some of the homes in the area have even had recent landscaping work done with trenches for the purpose of drainage. And the trees are fine.

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It will take quite a bit of room to complete the install. I'm thinking you'd need room on either side of the trench to move equipment. It takes quite a bit to maneuver a large excavator. I'd think 15-20' each side even assuming the excavator is straddling the trench the whole way. I don't know how deep the line is going to be, but depth will only require larger equipment.

50' isn't much.

I guarantee this project won't move forward as currently presented.

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It's not going to take 50 feet of space to create this sewage line. It's desperately needed and the folks along Rosemary drive will be just fine. Change is hard, but it's needed.

This.

Koko Chingo must not have much experience with pipeline projects.

You need the 4'-5' width of the pipe (whatever diameter they use).

The trench needs to be wider than that to give the workers room to put the sections of pipe together and weld or fuse or whatever method they go with depending on pipe material. Add a couple feet each side at minimum.

OSHA requires the spoil from the trench to be back at least 2' from the edge of the trench to reduce the likelihood of cave-in or trench collapse or spoil being knocked back into the trench. So 2' plus the width of the spoil pile, which will be much wider than the width of the trench depending on depth of the trench and given the fact that the spoil will spread out when dumped by the bucket of the excavator.

On the opposite side of the trench, you need room to lay out wooden skids to put joints of pipe on so they can be fused or welded at grade in whatever lengths they can manage before they lower long sections of pipeline into the trench, reducing the number of welds or fuses that have to be performed in the trench.

Don't forget the width of the excavation machinery. And room for the swing radius of the boom on the trackhoe or backhoe.

You maybe could get it done in a 30' wide work zone, but you would need a pipeline inspector/job supervisor that is a real stickler for details and is not managing the project from the office.

40'-50' width is likely.

Maybe I'm just cynical about elected officials in general, but to me the explanation goes like this:

1) CS council members who voted for this get to tell their voters that they're saving the city money

2) All of the people who will be negatively impacted by this project can't vote in CS elections

Smeghead4761 said:

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Maybe I'm just cynical about elected officials in general, but to me the explanation goes like this:

1) CS council members who voted for this get to tell their voters that they're saving the city money

2) All of the people who will be negatively impacted by this project can't vote in CS elections

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Yep. The optics of this are turrible for College Station. If they're smart they'll drop this asap and get to work mending fences with their neighbors.

I don't think they'll be saving CS money when they'll inevitably be faced with lawsuits. Legal fees and whatever a judge will decide CS needs to pay all add to the cost.

Can someone explain to me how it can possibly be legal for officials in political jurisdiction A to exercise eminent domain against those in political jurisdiction B? Those residents don't get any say in the electoral process of A and don't get to participate in government.

If Texarkana wanted to condemn some land in College Station (like the new city hall, for example) can they just do that?

Smeghead4761 said:

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Maybe I'm just cynical about elected officials in general, but to me the explanation goes like this:

1) CS council members who voted for this get to tell their voters that they're saving the city money

2) All of the people who will be negatively impacted by this project can't vote in CS elections

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Dear Citizens of Bryan,

We've got your back.

Signed,

Citizens for Wellborn

Tailgate88 said:

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Smeghead4761 said:

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Maybe I'm just cynical about elected officials in general, but to me the explanation goes like this:

1) CS council members who voted for this get to tell their voters that they're saving the city money

2) All of the people who will be negatively impacted by this project can't vote in CS elections

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Dear Citizens of Bryan,

We've got your back.

Signed,

Citizens for Wellborn

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Just think of all the city services provided to Wellborn by CoCS now.

Trash and recycling. No, wait a minute…

Water. Oops. That's Wellborn SUD providing that!

Electricity! Uh oh. Dependable BTU is providing that power.

Sewer. Umm, no.

Street paving! Can't really tell.

At least there is a fire station down there now. It says South Brazos County or something. That's College Station, no?

Maybe CSPD makes a cursory drive through the area once in awhile. Maybe.

The only thing keeping COCS from being run into the ground by poor leadership is the university

BattleGrackle said:

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The only thing keeping COCS from being run into the ground by poor leadership is the university

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100%

You are going to throw a salamander in the ditch and take a photo with it, aren't you?

BattleGrackle said:

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The only thing keeping COCS from being run into the ground by poor leadership is the university

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But without it, would there be such poor leaders? Really makes you think.

LSCSN said:

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BattleGrackle said:

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The only thing keeping COCS from being run into the ground by poor leadership is the university

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But without it, would there be such poor leaders? Really makes you think.

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Excellent point.

Professors live in ivory towers not the real world. CS City Council, since the early 60's, has largely been composed of A&M professors or, at least, mainly influenced by a politically very active professor led electorate. Bryan, which existed long before there was an A&M, has had mostly business people running their city. These two conflicting mentalities, academics vs business people, have been at the root of decades of conflict between the two cities.

It is very similar to the conflict in the US today. College professors brainwash students to believe socialism, leading to communism, is the ivory tower better way to run any nation or globe. The real world has proven over and over that socialism does not work; and that freedom and capitalism, though far from perfect, work much better.

Intense government control destroys people, their private property and freedom.

Beverley Estates versus CS government control is just another little conflict in the same long history.

An old Bryan business man once told me that in the late 1940's, Gib Gilcrist, President of A&M, told him, "I will live to see the day that tumbleweeds will blow down Main Street of Bryan."

Has Lord Crompton weighed in on the dilemma?

What's best for CoCS vs. old growth trees will be killed.

His stomach must be in knots.

maroon barchetta said:

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Tailgate88 said:

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Smeghead4761 said:

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Maybe I'm just cynical about elected officials in general, but to me the explanation goes like this:

1) CS council members who voted for this get to tell their voters that they're saving the city money

2) All of the people who will be negatively impacted by this project can't vote in CS elections

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Dear Citizens of Bryan,

We've got your back.

Signed,

Citizens for Wellborn

---

Just think of all the city services provided to Wellborn by CoCS now.

Trash and recycling. No, wait a minute…

Water. Oops. That's Wellborn SUD providing that!

Electricity! Uh oh. Dependable BTU is providing that power.

Sewer. Umm, no.

Street paving! Can't really tell.

At least there is a fire station down there now. It says South Brazos County or something. That's College Station, no?

Maybe CSPD makes a cursory drive through the area once in awhile. Maybe.

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Ah, but Wellborn residents now have the privilege of paying city taxes.

The original plan by CoCS was to put a 30 inch sewage line down Cooner street. This has been funded and completed. Cooner street does not need a 30 inch sewage line - so why do it. At the time, the plan was to rehabilitate the lift station and use existing rehabilitated sewer lines to service increased capacity from the Hensel Park development and commercial development of North Gate. The original plan was to stay within the CoCS .
Now the plan is to abandon existing lines including the lift station and force a line down North and South Rosemary. At least 8 bore holes are planned.
If you need to see what a bore hole looks like for a smaller line go look at the one near Producers Coop before it is filled back up. The bore holes themselves will devastate the neighborhood. There are two that are at 90 degree angle in the middle of the street which means that the holes will have to go 90 degrees to each other. Who designs a gravity flow sewer line with 90 degree angles?

And don't forget that this line as printed does not include construction easements. Plan on the entire 50ft right of way to be used if not more - the current street is only 20 feet wide and tree lined.

Some of the proposed sewer line on N Rosemary is at at depth of 23feet - open trench - I repeat open trench - the rest is at 10-15 feet open trench. Just the maneuvering of construction equipment and spoils to do that will destroy the road and vegetation never mind any tree whose canopy reaches over.
There are other ways to do this.

The City Manager of College Station would have you believe that lift stations are dangerous. I guess that is why the City of Bryan just funded one ($6M) to serve the area near RELLIS. I guess that is why the City of College Station has more than 15. Indeed we live in dangerous times.

You have not seen the proposed line. It is on the opposite side of the street that the current Bryan utilities are on. So that side of the street even with minimal trenching - and a 23 foot trench is not minimal - will require most of the existing ROW for construction. All the vegetation within that ROW and anything near that ROW will be destroyed.

Additionally, homeowners have been told that in order to access their driveways, additional construction easements will need to be accomplished. So in order for you to drive in to your own home you will have to cut down trees and any vegetation in that temporary easement will be destroyed.

All to serve the commercial development of College Station.

Quote:

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Ah, but Wellborn residents now have the privilege of paying city taxes.

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As I recall some PRCS Councilman was fond of pointing out- they drive on OUR streets without paying taxes. Now they can without feeling guilty.

laavispa said:

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Quote:

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Ah, but Wellborn residents now have the privilege of paying city taxes.

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As I recall some PRCS Councilman was fond of pointing out- they drive on OUR streets without paying taxes. Now they can without feeling guilty.

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Except for all the sales taxes.

As a citizen of Free Wellborn, I still drive on his 'bloody' streets without paying taxes.

Seriously though, seems Bryan residents have deep pockets but my offer stands. SEE previous post on this thread.