Council making final decision for improvements
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com

The final action needed for the city of El Campo to borrow $1.65 million for capital improvement projects ranging from Civic Center renovations to a new fire truck will take place during City Council's early meeting Tuesday.

Mayor Phillip Spenrath will call the regular City Council session to order at 5:30 p.m. in chambers, 315 E. Jackson to accommodate a scheduled second public hearing on proposed annexations (please see related story) set for 7 p.m.

The Certificate of Obligation dollars will be supplemented with $1.25 million in fund balance dollars - for a total $2.9 million capital improvement project.

The bulk of that funding - slightly more than $1 million - is designated for a major revamp of the El Campo Civic Center, originally a K-Mart retail center when it opened in 1979.

The building's roof, air-conditioning units and floor tile are original to the retail center although interior spaces were redesigned when the community center opened in 1989.

The facility will be closed August through October of next year to allow for the construction to take place.

In addition to basic work, the city will expand women's restroom facilities to comply with occupancy load laws - staff recently discovered the Civic Center should have at least 14 more women's stalls.

Additional entrance and exit doors are also being examined as well as partitions to further divide the main auditorium when needed, a dance floor and change to the outside facade.

No formal decisions have been made on exactly how much work will be done on the Civic Center.

A new fire pumper truck will consume $590,000 of funds. It is tentatively scheduled for delivery in January and will likely be paid for out of the fund balance portion of the package.

Renovations to the El Campo Police Department and EMS building is expected to cost $572,000. A new sally port, expanded jail and dispatch area and more office space are in the plans for the revamp of the 1974-era building.

Structural issues will also be addressed.

The remaining $721,000 of the project is designated as:

• $391,00 for fees, debt issuance expenses and contingencies.

• $300,000 for a new animal control building.

• $30,000 for a renovation at the city Aquatic Center to allow for closed windows at the top of the facility in an effort to retain more heat during winter months.

El Campo taxpayers will see the effect of the certificates of obligation on their bills starting in the fiscal year 2008-2009.