City manager James Fisher presented information to the city council on Monday concerning the grant award for $500,000 for an improvement project for pedestrian and street improvements in the Levelland downtown district.
Fisher said the grant is funded through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) via the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Texas Department of Agriculture.
The city approved an interlocal agreement with South Plains Association of Governments (SPAG) in February 2024 for the preparation of the grant and the city approved an amendment to the interlocal agreement with SPAG to perform the establishment of a record keeping systems, completion of environmental review, bid/contract award process, labor standards of compliane and completion of construction and filing of all required closeout information at a cost of $50,000.
As a condition of funding, the city of Levelland must comply with Section 3 of the HUD Act of 1968 and to the greatest extent, direct economic opportunities generated by CDBG funds to low- to very low income people and ensure that Section 3 businesses have the information to submit a bid or proposal for the project as well as Section 3 workers having information about any available job opportunities related to the project.
A company may qualify as a Section 3 business if owned by low-income people, is owned by Section 8-assisted housing residents, if 75% of labor hours for the business in a three-month period are performed by Section 3 workers, or disbursed through chamber of commerce.
Parkhill engineers provided a probable cost at $430,000 in February 2024, which includes general, demolition, Fifth Street improvements and Austin Avenue and Avenue G improvements.
The project is expected to include the following contracting opportunities: grant administration and engineering services (previously selected), prime contractor and subcontractors.
The prime contractor will be in charge of the reconstruction of downtown infrastructure along 5th Street, Austin Avenue and Avenue G, including 979 LF of sidewalk, 1,570 LF of curb and gutter, 700 LF of trench grate, 20 curb ramps, utility adjustments, pavement repair and related appurtenances.
Subcontractors will be needed for concrete work, excavation, earthwork, utility adjustments, pavement repair, asphalt, traffic control, metal fabrication and ADA compliance specialist.
Bids and small purchase opportunities expected for the project include concrete work, utility adjustments for water, sewer, manholes and valves, excavation and earthwork, metal trench grate supply and installation, traffic control services, pavement and asphalt repairs and material purchases for concrete, base, steel and ADA panels.
Fisher said a person may qualify as a Section 3 worker if their annual income is below the county threshold for a family or a current or recent Youthbuild participant. Section 3 workers that reside near the project location may also qualify as targeted Section 3 Workers. To register and search for opportunities, visit WorkInTexas.gov or HUD’s Section 3 Opportunity Portal.
The city of Levelland will track all hours for workers on the project based on three categories of workers requiring collection of certain income information (all workers, all Section 3 workers, Targeted Section 3 workers).