City of Gonzales
PUBLIC WORKS / CITY ENGINEER DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: February 22, 2022
FROM: Patrick Dobbins, Public Works Director/City Engineer THROUGH: René L. Mendez, City Manager
SUBJECT: Public Works Activity Report
BUILDING PROJECTS
1. Community Center Complex Project – This project is being delivered through Design-Building contracting. Group 4 Architects is preparing the “Design Criteria” documents that were approved at the July 19, 2021 Council meeting. Statement of Qualifications from seven Design/Build teams were received by the September 30, 2021 deadline. Staff presented preliminary design concepts and the site layout at the November 15, 2021 and December 6, 2021 City Council meetings. At the December 6, 2021 Council meeting, staff received direction to proceed with preparation of the design criteria documents for the Community Center Complex and include a gymnasium as an alternative based on available project funding.
2. Emergency Generator Replacements – At the February 7, 2022 City Council meeting, a $175,000 contract with Alltech Services was approved to replace the back-up generators at City Hall, Police Station, and the California Breeze Sewer Lift station.
WASTEWATER PROJECTS
1. Industrial Wastewater (IW) System/Reclamation Plant – A final design contract with Dudek Consulting was authorized at the October 2, 2020 City Council meeting. The Project EIR was approved at the September 20, 2021 City Council Meeting. Dudek is completing the design for the IW Treatment Facility. Staff and the city surveyor are finalizing the temporary and permanent easements needed for the project. Staff is completing the SWRCB State Revolving Fund loan for project financing.
2. Regional Board Permit Coordination – On January 1, 2021, City staff held a Zoom meeting with Regional Board staff to update them on improvements at the City WWTP, IW System design and AGENDA
ITEM
11 phased approach to expanding the wastewater system to serve developments in the City’s Sphere of Influence. On July 30, 2021, City staff submitted the Second Quarter Monitoring Report to the Regional Board. On September 9, 2021, we received notice of the pending new Waste Discharge Permit for the WWTP. On October 28, 2021, we submitted the quarterly self-monitoring report for July, August, and September to the Regional Board.
WATER PROJECTS
1. Equip Well 7 Project – After operating the well for a week by discharging the produced water to the nearby slough, water quality samples were taken by County staff on January 11, 2022. Preliminary lab results were received on January 28, 2022 and the rest of test results should be available in the next couple of weeks.
2. Alpine Court Water/Sewer Service – Grant agreements with the State Water Resource Control Board (SWRCB) to fund the preliminary and final design of extending water and sewer service from Gonzales River Road to Alpine Camp were approved at the July 6, 2020 City Council meeting. On July 22, 2021, Schaaf & Wheeler submitted a draft preliminary design report. On December 14, 2021, Schaaf & Wheeler submitted the 60% plans, specifications, and cost estimate for our review.
Staff is holding bi-weekly progress meetings with SWRCB staff.
ROADWAY PROJECTS
1. Slurry Seal Contract – MNS Engineers provided draft construction documents for this contract for review by City staff. Staff will bid the contract in March 2022 with the work to occur in June 2022.
2. North Alta Street Drainage – Schaaf & Wheeler provided a letter proposal to design improvements to the existing drainage system along Alta Minor and Alta Major.
3. Gonzales River Road Bridge Rehabilitation (Monterey County) – On December 3, 2021, Staff issued a letter of comments to County staff on the draft Initial Study/Mitigated Neg Dec for County consideration. Staff requested a meeting with County staff and the Consultant Design Manager to discuss our concerns with the 18-month closure of the bridge while construction takes place.
4. Tenth Street –As authorized at the November 1, 2021 City Council meeting, STOP signs were placed on the Tenth Street legs at the intersections of Belden Street and Day Street in mid-December.
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
1. Vista Lucia Development (City’s Sphere of Influence - East of US 101) a. City staff reviewed the Admin Draft #1 and Admin Draft #2 of the SEIR and provided comments to the Community Development Director.
b. City staff is holding monthly Zoom meetings with Pembrook Development and their consultants regarding their development project.
c. Psomas developed a capital program of improvements to convey sewage from the SOI to the City WWTP for treatment and provided the draft technical memo in Mid-November for staff’s review. d. Staff and our on-call traffic engineer met with Caltrans District 5 staff on June 10, 2021 to begin the process of a Project Study Report/Project Development Support (PSR-PDS). Staff will issue a Request for Proposals to engage a transportation engineer to prepare the PSR-PDS documents.
2. Puente Del Monte Development (City’s Sphere of Influence - East of US 101) - On October 30, 2020, City staff held a coordination meeting with Jackson Family Investments regarding wastewater conveyance and treatment for their proposed development project. City staff has followed up with more information on the wastewater system expansion and coordination with Caltrans on future improvements to the freeway interchanges.
OTHER PROJECTS
1. GIS – City staff continues to work on a GIS mapping system by inputting field data for water, sewer and storm drainage systems. Our water and wastewater consultants are using the GIS to develop capital improvement projects to serve the proposed development projects in the SOI. We hold monthly coordination meetings with a GIS Consultant.
2. FEMA Flood Map Updates – Over the last year, FEMA and their consultants have been remapping seven watersheds in the Gabilan Mountains in the vicinity of South Salinas, Chualar, Gonzales and Soledad to update their Flood Maps. In July 2020, City staff engaged Schaaf & Wheeler to review the mapping and drainage data collected. Preliminary flood insurance maps were released for public review on October 21, 2021. At the December 06, 2021 City Council meeting, City staff made a follow-up presentation on this project along with a letter to be sent to FEMA with our comments and questions on their mapping effort.
3. Microgrid Project – Staff has been coordinating with Concentric Power staff on various elements of the project design including participating in biweekly coordination meetings. At the July 19, 2021 City Council meeting, a contract for Program Management services was approved with Sage Energy.
A kick-off meeting was held on August 11, 2021 and we hold monthly progress meetings with Sage Energy staff.
4. PW Intern – Since mid-August 2021, Briana Medvecki, a second-year civil engineering student at Hartnell College has worked as a part-time intern. She updates the City’s GIS system and helps Public Works staff with some of their efforts.
PUBLIC WORKS OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
WASTEWATER
Staff continues to monitor the WWTP, daily tests and inspections. Staff has addressed a sewer back up, again, at Seventh Street and Alta Minor. We continue to disc and rip the discharge fields. Staff have also disced the adjacent fields, City owned parcels set aside for the Industrial Treatment facility, to keep from being a nusance to the other farmers. Staff continually monitors the industrial facilities for chlorine and cleaning products in their discharge. Staff have had discussions with Taylor Farms regarding their lack of consistancy in treating their discharge. The plant has experienced five upsets during the past three months.
Staff cleaned and greased all aerators in ponds 1-6. Staff performed regular six month maintenance at the treatment facility.
WATER
Staff has been changing out more meter registers around the city. As we read meters, we are finding more meter’s registers dying on the east side of Gonzales. The registers only last about 15 years. Staff is working on getting the pool ready for the summer. There are some repairs to equipment that need to be done and staff has begun these repairs. Staff continues to take residuals and operate the wells. Well 7 is almost complete. Staff has been running the well to waste several days a week, in order to keep it operational. Tesco will be onsite soon to complete the build. Staff also has replaced some meters and is checking for meter leaks regularly.
STORM WATER
Although there hasn’t really been a storm season, staff continues to make sure that storm drains are clean and prepared in case of rain. Staff has also been training on Second Nature software, which the City uses to implement the MS4 permit. Several staff members are regularly using the iPad and Second Nature program to update outfalls and record data. This data is also being recorded in GIS.
PARKS → CANYON CREEK & MEYER PARKS
Staff is preparing for upcoming sport activities used on park fields such as weekly maintenance like mowing and field prep like fixing sprinklers and work on grass to get them nice and green.
GOVERNMENT BUILDING
Crew can now get caught up on giving City buildings TLC that they need.
STREETS
Crew has cleared dirt from median strips located from Farmer’s Market to Jim’s Liquor store to allow crew from Caraccioli Cellars to give them an upgrade on looks. Crew has also been trimming trees as needed and picking up trimmings from residents of Gonzales
PLANNING
Public Works Director and City Engineer continues to work on the Capital Improvement Project Plan, the Pavement Management Plan, and the needed upgrades to the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
TRAINING
Staff participated in confined space training on January 27th, with the South County Cities. Pat Conway of Cal Rural water will be here on February 22nd to help with math training for anyone taking an exam.
There are several webinars and online trainings that staff will participate in. Staff continues to have bimonthly tailgate training.
INTERNSHIP
Birana Medvecki is our Intern currently. She has returned after recovering from hip surgery. She is working on GIS and creating maps for the City to utilize. She is also working on a series of videos to be posted on Facebook, “A Day in the life of Public Works”. PW intends to educate the public with these videos.