The Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves will consider award of a construction manager at risk contract to Turner Construction Company on Monday, according to John Carrara of The Goodman Corporation in his report to the Galveston Intermodal  Transportation Committee on Wednesday. Listen

“By January, maybe February, they will actually start construction,” Carrara said.  “In the meantime they will be moving faster than that on the renovations to the Shearn Moody Parking Garage, which is part of this.  It was part of the whole deal between the port and the city.”

David Bartels of TGC updated the committee on a trolley modification feasibility study and a survey of stakeholders, representatives of organizations that will be impacted by the return of the rail trolley system.  Listen

“We have approximately 20 stakeholders throughout the city,” he said.  “Private sector folks as well as public sector.”

Bartels said the emphasis of the study is on modifications to the system after it has been restored to operating condition.

Police Chief Henry Porretto and Lieutenant Michael Gray reported to the committee on a pay-by-phone system, which will utilize license plate reader equipment for the paid parking plan on Seawall Boulevard.  Listen

“It is the only thing we can implement fairly quickly,” Porretto said, describing the constraints of the ballot language approved by the voters.  “It is going to have challenges, but it also has some expansion capabilities that we believe will be helpful to us; including, we can use the same technology that we use on the Seawall in other sections of town.”

He said the system could be used in neighborhood parking districts, the Galveston College area and at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

A request for proposals is being prepared by the City Attorney’s Office.

Catherine Gorman of the Department of Planning and Community Development introduced Steve Schucraft, Michael McInturff, and Jimmy Thompson from HDR Engineering to discuss revision of the city’s thoroughfare plan, which he said doesn't exist.  Listen

“It’s a tool that the city doesn’t have now, that clearly states what your road network is, what the road classifications are; and maps what planned and proposed projects are, in a way that the community can all get a handle on what’s on the books,” Schucraft said, explaining that the information can be used to advocate for projects with the Houston-Galveston Area Council and other funding sources.

McInturff said the city does not now have an adopted thoroughfare plan.

“You’ve got ordinances that deal with through streets and so forth, but there is no thoroughfare plan,” he said.  “The best you have at this point is Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Galveston County Thoroughfare Plan.”