Mineral Wells Area News

MINERAL WELLS — A major roadblock in the Turkey Peak Reservoir project is close to being cleared after the Palo Pinto County Municipal Water District #1 board unanimously approved an interlocal agreement this past Friday regarding the rerouting of Farm to Market Road 4 and upgrade of Ward Mountain Road.

The agreement, which still requires approval from Palo Pinto County Commissioners Court later this week, outlines responsibilities for road construction and maintenance related to the Turkey Peak Reservoir project.

The interlocal agreement establishes responsibilities for the construction and maintenance of Ward Mountain Road, which will serve as the primary alternative route once a portion of FM 4 is abandoned and later inundated by the reservoir.

The Commissioner’s Court is scheduled to consider the same agreement at a special meeting on May 1, when they are expected to approve the document.

The agreement represents a significant breakthrough after an impasse between the water district and the Texas Department of Transportation over plans for FM 4 stalled the project.

The stall prompted the district to hire a lobbyist in early February to help expedite a resolution with the state agency after discussions over a memorandum of understanding between the two entities could not be reached.

The water district’s original timeline was to have a general contractor in place by spring of 2025, but the lack of an agreeable MOU caused a stall in the progress of construction.

Officials indicate a solution is now on the table.

“Everybody seems to be on the same page now about marching forward and what the path is,” said Howard Huffman, general manager of the water district. “We met with TxDOT yesterday. We’re working diligently.”

Huffman emphasized the collaborative effort between the water district and county officials in developing the agreement.

“I worked very closely with Commissioners Jeff Fryer and Jim Pollock, who is retired and from TxDOT,” Huffman said. “Jim brought some valuable information to the effort when developing the cost summary.”

According to Huffman, the Ward Mountain Road upgrade is estimated to cost between $15 and $20 million and will be financed through water rates from those buying water off the system, with the exception of Lake Palo Pinto Area Water Supply Corporation customers.

Huffman explained that the road costs would be in addition to previously allocated funds.

“So the $15 million OPCC that we discussed at the time that we applied for construction funds, it was still our belief that TxDOT was going to come in and be a partner on this loan,” Huffman said.

Lone Camp resident and co-founder of Save FM 4 Casey McGlaun asked the board, “How is it that TxDot is off the hook for this?”

Huffman said he didn’t have an answer as to why TxDot chose to not help pay for the road.

“Whatever the history is, the history is. So we will add this additional money to complete this road on top of the construction costs we’ve already asked for. So it would be in addition to the $200 million.”

Water district legal counsel Rhett Warren explained that the water district will be responsible for the planning, design, and construction of all road and bridge work associated with the project.

The agreement also outlines a 10-year maintenance commitment from the water district, which will contribute $82,000 annually for the first eight years to cover road maintenance costs.

During the meeting, officials assured concerned residents that no houses would need to be acquired for the Ward Mountain Road improvements.

“At this time, the engineering does not show that any houses will be taken out,” Huffman told concerned residents. “There are three curves that we have to straighten out.”

Warren added that only a small amount of additional land would be needed, noting that “there will be maybe an acre in this curve, an acre in that curve” with a total of “five to ten acres” needed to straighten dangerous curves on the road.

Huffman explained that the Ward Mountain Road construction will be a complete rebuild rather than a surface improvement.

“We’re not going to go and just put a surface coating over Ward Mountain Road,” Huffman said. “Ward Mountain Road will be stripped down to bare ground and we will start lime treating that and treating that road just as if it was brand new construction going through a field where there never has been a road before.”

He added that despite the extensive reconstruction, the new road will follow nearly the same path as the current one, with the centerlines matching up “pretty much where the centerlines are at today” except for the straightening of the curves.

Huffman also noted that the road design meets rigorous standards.

“It is designed to a national standard, which is pretty much what TxDOT would use as well and they’re agreeable with this plan,” Huffman said.

Several residents attended the meeting to request improved communication from the water district about the project’s progress.

“We’re representing a lot of people out there. I can speak for at least 300,” said Johanna Miller, a Lake Palo Pinto resident, expressing the community’s desire for better information sharing.

Greg Booher, another Lake Palo Pinto resident, expressed relief about the progress with TxDOT while also emphasizing communication needs.

“That’s wonderful news,” Booher said after hearing about the agreement with TxDOT. “So if you could keep us communicated with, that would be even better news. Because then we know something’s happening. Right now, we don’t know anything. Communication is always the best record.”

Huffman acknowledged the importance of communication and committed to developing a better system to share project updates with affected communities, particularly those in the Lone Camp and Santo areas.

“When construction starts, we’ll see how it will work with public notices and as we get closer to bid opening this summer and we kind of get that off our plate, absolutely we need to develop a network,” Huffman said regarding public communication.

The water district faces a tight timeline imposed by TxDOT and the governor’s office, with all documentation due to TxDOT by May 2.

“We have to have everything to TxDOT by next Friday,” Warren said. “This process that we are trying to do at the direction of TxDOT and the governor’s office that we’re squeezing into like a six-week period could normally be a six-month period, but they kind of held our feet to the fire.”

The Turkey Peak Reservoir project, which will add approximately 6,000 acre-feet of water capacity, has been in development for almost two decades and the Ward Mountain Road construction project is currently projected for completion in summer 2027.

In other related business, the board unanimously approved a resolution formally requesting that TxDOT abandon the section of FM 4 that will be inundated by the reservoir and sell it to the district.

The board also approved a resolution regarding water rights from the Brazos River. The resolution authorizes the district to amend a Comanche Bend water right permit through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, allowing for municipal and industrial use of leased water for potential reverse osmosis operations.

---