A rainy Monday morning marked the beginning of the Pecan Creek project as city and county officials, representatives from the Texas Department of Transportation, the Army Corps of Engineers and Rep. Michael Burgess met at the Santa Fe Depot to kick off the project to widen and rechannel the creek.

Local officials had originally planned a ground breaking ceremony at the bridge on East California Street, but dismissed the idea after a weekend of heavy rains left the ground too soggy to shovel.

Despite the change of venue, a good crowd turned out to hear remarks from Burgess, Mayor Glenn Loch, TxDOT District Engineer Larry Tegtmeyer and a representative of the Army Corps of Engineers.

In an interview prior to the ceremony, Gainesville City Manager Barry Sullivan said he’s pleased that the project is finally coming together.

“We’re very excited about this project. The money and planning are helping this come to fruition,” he said.

At least three agencies plan to take on the project — the city of Gainesville, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

The project is set to begin early this week when TxDOT workers begin removing and replacing the California Street bridge across Pecan Creek early this week. The Broadway bridge is also scheduled for replacement.

In addition to some of the construction work, the city is also responsible for purchasing the land required to complete the project, Sullivan added.

“The Army Corps of Engineers is going to complete the channel work,” he said.

Burgess said he has been aware of the flooding problem along Pecan Creek for years.

His first brush with Gainesville’s propensity high water came when heavy rains endangered and displaced animals at the Frank Buck Zoo.

“(Today’s ceremony) is another step along the way to getting a long-standing problem resolved for Gainesville,” Burgess said. “One thing we know about Texas. It will (always) rain again. If it (the Pecan Creek project) remains undone, homes and people will suffer as a consequence.”

Burgess said he and his colleagues in Congress were working on appropriations when he got word of the severe flooding of June 17, 2007.

“You know it’s a bad day when (the Gainesville flood) is the lead story on CNN,” he said during his remarks to the crowd.

Burgess said he and his staff quickly obtained photos of the flood and used the photos to push for funding for the project.

“We blew up the photos and took them to the floor of the House,” he said.

He also reminded Congress that the flood took the lives of three Gainesville residents — a grandmother and her two young granddaughters.

Finally, Loch said he credits former Mayor Kenneth Kaden with helping start up the project and Congressman Burgess for helping make the effort a reality.


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