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Forest Cove 1-CS 980311 ROBERT W. POPE & ASSOCIATES 4011 W. PIANO PARKWAY SUITE 104 PLANO, TEXAS 75093 (972)964-8801 - FAX (972)596-6547 March 11, 1998 Mr. Kenneth M. Griffin, P.E. City Engineer City of Coppell 255 Parkway Blvd. Coppell, TX 75019 Re: Forest Cove Estates, Phase I & II Dear Mr. Griffin: This letter is an attempt to outline the items we discussed regarding the impact of installation of the proposed 24" water transmission line in Sandy Lake Road adjacent to the subject projects. We understand there are two areas of potential conflict between construction of the water line and our on-site construction: (1) paving of the connection of Forest Bend Drive to Sandy Lake Road, and (2) construction of the screening wall, landscaping and irrigation system within the landscape easement area along Sandy Lake. It is our intent to begin construction of Phase 1 model homes as soon as we are able to pave the project and satist~ the City fire protection and access requirements. This will necessitate connection of Forest Bend Drive to Sandy Lake Road in early April; model home construction will start shortly thereafter. The builders also plan to set a tempora~ sales office at the entrance as soon as possible in order to start pre-selling homes. They hope to start home construction in May following final acceptance of Phase I improvements. Since the above schedule for connection to Sandy Lake Road is critical to the marketing plan, you have agreed to allow us to pave the connection concurrent with the paving of Phase I; prior to paving you will determine if we should leave out a section of the approach for future installation of the line or if the water line contractor will be required to bore the crossing. We are willing to delay construction of the screening wall until the water line contractor is through with the segment adjacent to our project if we have the City's assurances on the following items: 1) We will receive final acceptance of the project without installation of the screening wall, landscaping and irrigation system shown on the currently approved plans. We will work with your staff.to structure a mutually acceptable escrow agreement to assure funds for the work are available when the water line is completed. 2) We are concerned about the impact of the water line ditch on the depth of piers for our wall. We have not yet completed design of the wall but, based on past experience, we anticipate the need for belled piers bearing approximately 8 feet below existing grade. Since the centerline of the water line will be only five feet from the wall, any over- excavation by the contractor could cause future settlement and movement problems. We Letter to Mr. Kenneth m. Griffin, P.E. 'March 11, 1998 Page 2 request that the contractor be specifically advised of this concern and the need to keep the separation of the ditch and wall to a maximum. Prior to letting of the contract, we request the opportunity to review the plans and specifications with your consultants to satisfy our concerns. 3) Probably the greatest concern is the impact of delay of the wall on our marketing plan. Buyers in this price range expect to see a walled and well landscaped buffer from streets such as Sandy Lake; it is difficult for buyers to envision what the final product will look like from a set of drawings. To meet our marketing schedule, we need to have the wall in place no later than August 1 of this year; if the water line work adjacent to Forest Cove is completed by the end of July, there should not be a problem making this schedule. We need some assurance from the City that the contract will be let in a timely manner and will include provisions requiring the contractor to concentrate his initial efforts adjacent to Forest Cove. We understand the importance of the proposed water line to existing and new residents of Coppell and look forward to working with your staff and consultant to address the above concerns. Please let me know if you have any questions. u"/Rol~ert'W. Pope, P.E. cc: Mark Messer, Pacific United Development Corp. Terry Mitchell, P.E., Carter & Burgess Gary C. Hendricks, P.E., Shimek, Jacobs & Finklea, LLP.