From the FBStar: Will The County Finally Keep The 2000 Mobility Bond Promise For Mckeever Road? -- and what happened to the 4 million dollars???

MCC/CRD comment: Mr. Hilton and the rest of the Arcola city council must be breathing a sigh of relief, but of course as the old saying goes, "it isn't in until it's in"....

Click the title link for the full story:

Consent agenda includes funds for McKeever Road

By Cheryl Skinner
Consent agenda includes funds for McKeever Road

By Cheryl Skinner

Fort Bend County Com-missioners will be considering approval of $1 million to repave the portion of McKeever Road that lies in the incorporated portion of Arcola this week. Precinct 1 Commissioner Tom Stavinoha said the plan is to add six-foot shoulders on each side of the existing roadway and this portion is the most costly because it has more trees that will have to be removed and disposed of.

The funds for the McKeever Road project will come from the Mobility Bonds, approved by voters in 2000. While the original amount set aside by the county for this project was $4 million, the current improvements (which include the $1 million for the city portion and the remaining $1 million plus for the county’s segment) should cost slightly over $2 million, Stavinoha said. “I am still trying to figure out what happened to the other $2 million. I AM TOLD THAT I APPROVED THAT AMOUNT FOR ANOTHER PROJECT BACK IN 2001, BUT MY MEMORY FAILS ME on that one,” Stavinoha said.

When the bond issue was approved in 2000, the county was hopeful that McKeever Road could be turned into a multi-lane boulevard at a total cost, at that time, of about $21 million. The county allowed for the approved $4 million and was counting on the remaining funds being secured through the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and perhaps private developers. It soon became apparent that TxDOT did not have the available funds and no interest was shown by any developers, Stavinoha said.

“That plan was downsized—big time,” he added. . .

. . . Some Arcola residents and city officials have criticized the county’s plan to do minor work on McKeever and the delay in beginning the project. Officials there have said the county was holding out on road work to force the city into cooperating with the owner of a private airport that borders McKeever Road. For years it has been rumored that various changes to adjacent roads would allow the airport to extend the runway and benefit only the private business owner.

Stavinoha said improvements will be a benefit to all of those who travel the road. “Of course, there will probably be a lot more speeding tickets written because they will go faster once the shoulders are added,” he quipped.

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Post-script: I think the precinct chair should have been concerned about the school children and families that often travel that hazardous roadway and have waited since 2000, and many promises, for it to get down...


Background:

http://missouricitychatter.blogspot.com/2008/01/arcola-city-council-member-speaks-up-on.html

http://www.fortbendnow.com/news/?c=Arcola-City-Council

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Fort+Bend+Star%2C+McKeever+Road&btnG=Google+Search (FB Star searches)