An informational meeting was held on Dec. 5 at City Hall to discuss the status of the development plans for phase one of the McBride housing project.

Phase one of the project received a preliminary plat approval this past spring. Final development plans and final plat for phase one have been reviewed since then.

If the engineers of McBride Homes address the remaining comments to the city’s satisfaction, then the third version of the comment review letter could be the final one. This would allow McBride to petition the city to move phase one through the formal approval process.

Archer-Elgin Engineer Cameron Schweiss said that they are already looking toward final developments.

”So at this time the plat has not been approved, the final plat has not been approved and final development plans have not been approved, but we are to a point where you all have seen the comment review responses. We’re down to a few pages of coordination items left,” Schweiss said.

The engineers and utility departments had been coordinating in the background on how phase one is implemented, as well as getting a better understanding of the final package that will be submitted in front of the Cuba City Council in the coming weeks or months.

Schweiss said this meeting was a chance to review comments made on the project and hear any additional comments the city had.

Schweiss then opened the floor to the project's utility supervisors.

“With that in mind, we need to make sure all the utility supervisors had a chance to kind of speak any final piece or any final comments that they might have, that would need to get relayed back to McBride and their engineers so that those call all be picked up, and they can submit a final development plan package and final plat that can be considered to the city for approval,” Schweiss said.

Joined by Electric Supervisor Andy Simpson, Schweiss said that there was a necessary easement on the eastern boundary of the property that is outside of phase one.

“There is an easement...that’s necessary for the city to get overhead electric to phase one of the development,” Schweiss said. “That’s been identified as in the development agreement, as the developer would grant that to you.”

If McBride does not have any issues with the easement, it will be granted as part of the final plan approval for phase one, even though the area is not included in phase one, because it is the city’s most economical way to get power to the development.

Schweiss said that extra fixtures will be sent to the city in case the ones being used in the McBride development become obsolete.

“So the development agreement, in its approved form, required the developer to, if they required anything beyond your normal street light on wood poles, that they would provide the fixtures and the bolts for the city for installation, since it’s customary for the city to install those,” Schweiss said. “We’ve asked for 10 percent to keep on hand so that, if for some reason, those fixtures were obsoleted years from now, and we had to replace one, we can match it one for one.”

When all the stock of fixtures runs out and are no longer in production, it then becomes the city’s job to pick a light fixture.

Simpson said that while the poles should be fine for a while, the light fixtures will require more maintenance.

“I think we’re going to do 10 percent of the poles. I don’t think we’re going to have any problems because the poles have a concrete base. They’re not going to go bad,” Simpson said. “But as far as light fixtures, those do change, it seems, like every five years.”

Having gone over all the electrical comments pertaining to the development, Schweiss switched over to the sewer department.

Schweiss said that he has met Sewer Department Supervision AJ Harman over the course of phase one.

“We met with contractors doing some of the upgrading,” Schweiss said.

They met with Cochran Engineering, which is doing the final planning and engineering of the development on behalf of McBride, and they made a modification to the plan.

“They made a change dated Nov. 17, which was submitted to the city on Nov. 24, relative to manhole locations at the tie-in location at the downstream end of the subdivision where it ties into the city sewer system and has added a manhole,” Schweiss said.

Schweiss spoke to a comment Harman brought up over the property and meeting the minimum standards for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources sewer slope.

“So it’s very flat. They’re able to get within DNR standards to allow tolerances for a lot of the sewer, but we’re asking that the sewer, as it’s installed, be surveyed, and that those as-builts be provided by the developer to the city as satisfaction, to the sewer department that it’s been installed correctly and it’s not going to be a long-term maintenance issue,” Schweiss said.

Schweiss said that the risk to the city was addressed in their contract response letter. They would like to hold a preconstruction conference with the contractors actually doing the work after the development plans are approved to establish points of contact and protocol. Also, they want to go over the survey information and as-builts, so the city approves of the infrastructure after the sewer has been installed.

Harman said at the moment, the McBride development doesn’t have a DNR permit for the construction of the sewer.

“As of yesterday, they’re still working on it,” Harman said.

With no other comments to address on the sewer situation, Water Department Supervisor Glenn Shockley said it would be best for the city if they could tie the eight-inch water main to the south entrance.

“The eight-inch on the south side of the project has been installed and is live up to the developer's property,” Shockley said. “You know it would be in the city’s best interest if we could let them tie on that south entrance. We’re already going to do the north entrance on McLeod.”

Schweiss said the water system deficiencies, found as part of a water study done a few years ago and the ongoing improvements on their water system project, allowed for the go-ahead on running a new water main along the north side of state Highway ZZ.

“The sooner that those two points connect, you know, the better the system works, and the better connection you have on either side,” Schweiss said. “The work that’s being done this year, it’s part of the city water project. Ultimately, it will benefit that side of town through this subdivision.”

Treatment Plant Operator David Minarri said they should start thinking about treatment plant expansion.

“We’ve got enough capacity for phase one and I don’t know how many in phase two or three, but we can probably handle up to a couple hundred houses,” Minarri said. “When they’re almost halfway through development, that’s when we’re going to be out.”

They are currently in the planning stages of this expansion.

Schweiss said that they are proposing to have concrete streets in the subdivision.

“We have at least some cautious concerns about subgrade and kind of how those roads are built, so in our plan reviews, we require a certain level of compaction testing and reporting to be done, and turned into the city as work progresses,” Schweiss said.

Alderman Ward One Ray Mortimeyer asked for the timeline of the start of construction.

Schweiss said that work on utilities and road crossings should start in late winter or early spring, but it will depend on council approval.

“No infrastructure will go in until council approves of the final development plans and the final plat,” Schweiss said.

Alderman Ward Two Pitts Lesesne brought the drainage problem in Cuba.

“Should problems with the storm drainage or with these retention ponds, or should anybody get flooded, to include us, the neighbor or whatever, who would be responsible for that if this turns out not to be engineered properly?” Lesesne asked.

Schweiss said that they are taking it by each phase of the development.

“So basically we’re requiring each phase, individually, to prove to us by calculation that the postdevelopment flow does not exceed the predevelopment flow and show all the calculations to back that up,” Schweiss said.

Lesesne read some complaints that were sent by neighbors of the development, such as work starting before 7 a.m. with loud backup beepers and excavation equipment, and poor air quality.

Schweiss said that something like dust flying everywhere and being tracked into the road is the developer's responsibility for containing it. They will also adjust the working time and address the other issues.

Lesesne asked if the utility easement will be grass or if concrete will be placed over the top of it?

Schweiss said that some areas will have sidewalks over the utilities and others will have grass.

A finalized plan for the development is still in progress.