City of Gonzales
PUBLIC WORKS / CITY ENGINEER DEPARTMENT
ACTIVITY REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: May 15, 2023
FROM: Patrick Dobbins, Public Works Director/City Engineer THROUGH: Trevin W. Barber, City Manager
SUBJECT: Public Works Activity Report
BUILDINGS
1. Community Center Complex Project – Staff provided a progress report at the 1/17/2023 Council meeting. On 1/31/2023 the Request for Proposals was issued to the three short-listed Design/Build Teams. City and Swinerton staff held a series of confidential meetings with the Design/Build Teams over the last two months. Two proposals were submitted on 4/18/2023 and the teams were interviewed on 4/27/2023. City and Swinerton staff are meeting with the top ranked team and discussing the scope, fee and schedule with an award of contract expected to be presented at the 6/5/2023 Council meeting.
WASTEWATER
1. Industrial Wastewater (IW) System – Construction documents for the IW Conveyance and Treatment Facility was completed in September 2022. Staff, city surveyor and real estate appraiser are finalizing the temporary and permanent easements needed for the pipeline contract. City staff is coordinating with the State Water Resources Control Board regarding the city’s State Revolving Fund loan application (most recent virtual meeting was 3/14/2023).
2. Capital Improvement Program – Psomas is updating the wastewater portion of the city’s Capital Improvement Program and they submitted a draft CIP that was revised based on staff’s review.
3. Water/Sewer Rate Study – Through a Request for Proposal process, Lechowicz & Tseng was engaged to prepare a Water/Sewer Rate Study. They are reviewing the city’s rate structure, utility billing data, impact fee studies and capital improvement programs in order to develop a financial model.
AGENDA
ITEM
12 WATER
1. Capital Improvement Program – Schaaf & Wheeler recently submitted a draft CIP for the city water system.
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 7/06/20 City Council meeting. Staff prepared a draft agreement with the property owner and the City Attorney is coordinating with staff to finalize it. All plans and reports were provided to SWRCB staff by 11/30/2022 deadline.
3. Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency – Staff is an alternate on the SVBGSA Technical Advisory Committee (Soledad staff is the representative for South Valley cities).
ROADS
1. Safe Routes to School and the Fifth Street Separated Bike Lane Pilot Project – This project was presented at the 3/20/2023 Council meeting and the striping and high visibility crosswalks were installed on 4/5/2023 for the three month pilot project. Staff presented a progress report at the 5/01/2023 Council meeting and received direction to continue the pilot project but remove the “wave” delineators.
PARKS
2. Skate Park Improvements – Phase Two improvements to the skate park were funded by the 2018 Parks Bond Act. The contract with American Ramp Company was approved at the 9/19/2022 Council meeting. The contractor began installation on 1/23/2023. The project was substantially completed on 2/02/2023 and a ribbon cutting was held on 2/11/2023. The final punch list item will be installed in June 2023. The State Grant Manager is visiting the site on 5/12/2023 to inspect the installed improvements and authorize payment of the $178,000 of grant funds to reimburse the city.
3. Meyer Park – Staff has coordinated numerous maintenance items over the last several months including fixing light fixtures, replacing uplifted sidewalk, pruning trees, and replacing the rubber mulch under the swings with wood fiber. We are working with MST on installing a bus shelter that the city and MST will split the cost for.
SOLID WASTE
1. California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (“Cal Recycle”) Coordination – Our annual meeting with staff from Cal Recycle, Salinas Valley Solid Waste Agency, Tri-Cities Disposal & Recycling, and the cities of Greenfield, Soledad and Gonzales was held on 4/26/2023.
2. Quarterly Tri-Cities Franchise Agreements Meetings – Staff from the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority, Tri-Cities Disposal & Recycling and the cities of Gonzales, Soledad, and Greenfield meet on a quarterly basis to discuss the various waste collection programs (commercial accounts, food waste, organic waste), compliance with latest state regulations, public outreach and education, customer surveys, etc).
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
1. Vista Lucia Development (City’s Sphere of Influence - East of US 101) a. 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.
The Final Technical Memorandum was submitted in April 2022. b. Staff and our on-call traffic engineer have coordinated with Caltrans District 5 staff on the process for preparation of a Project Study Report/Project Development Support (PSR-PDS).
Staff will issue a Request for Proposals to engage a consultant to prepare the PSR-PDS documents.
c. On 3/28/2022 Staff met with Monterey County PW staff and discussed the applicant’s preliminary offsite roadway design. Staff met with Monterey County staff on 10/7/2022 and discussed executing a Maintenance Agreement for the city to be responsible for maintenance of Associated Lane when it’s widened as part of the Vista Lucia Development (maintenance will be funded by an assessment district formed as part of the development).
2. Rianda Cooler Development Project (Gloria Road) – Staff is coordinating with the applicant’s site civil engineer on frontage improvements along Gloria Road and the extension of city water/sewer service to the project site. We participate in bi-weekly meetings with the applicant’s consultant team.
3. DR Horton/D’Arrigo - In June 2022, DR Horton began the feasibility analysis of developing the 130- acre parcel owned by D'Arrigo Bros. DR Horton introduced the project at a Joint Planning Commission/City Council meeting on 8/01/2022. Staff provided a progress report at the 11/07/2022 Council Meeting. Staff held a virtual meeting with DR Horton staff on 5/02/2023 to discuss proposed water and sewer improvements along future Herold Parkway to serve the Rianda Cooler Project.
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 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 two years, 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. Preliminary flood insurance maps were released for public review on 10/21/2021. At the 12/06/2021 City Council Meeting, City staff made a presentation on this effort along with a letter to be sent to FEMA with our comments and questions on their mapping effort. A 90-day appeal period began on 5/12/2022 and we emailed our comment letter to FEMA staff on 7/26/2022.
3. Transportation Agency for Monterey County – Patrick Dobbins attends the monthly Technical Advisory Committee meetings and is the TAC Vice Chair for 2023.
WASTEWATER
Staff continue to take daily reads and testing at the WWTP. An aerator in pond 6 has been down for about two months. There has been a backorder of motors and parts. We expect the motor to be in May and staff will promptly install the new aerator. Staff cleans out Cal Breeze lift station weekly due to an abundance of rags and “disposable” wipes.
WATER
Staff continue to replace dying registers on meters on the east side of town. Staff is repairing irrigation leaks now that the water in the parks is turned back on after the winter.
Staff repairing irrigation at the Vosti.
Due to the new fence installed at the Vosti Center, a section of irrigation needed repairing. There was a leak at the water line near the pool and staff have repaired it.
STORM WATER
Staff have continued to keep storm drains cleared as it continues to rain occasionally. Staff is beginning to perform weed control in all areas of the city including the storm water ponds.
PARKS
Staff is working hard to get the pool ready for the upcoming season. Staff finally found a pool repair electrician in the bay area that is willing to come to Gonzales. They will be onsite in May to re-install and repair all the lighting in the pool. Staff are repairing areas of the deck that have flaked off. Staff have replaced the thermostat and igniter on the heater. Staff will be performing cleaning, repairs and balancing in the first weeks of May in preparation for the Health Dept. inspection.
Staff is waiting for delivery of replacement swings at Myer Park. An older child tried to get into a baby swing and got stuck. She was assisted by the Fire Dept. Staff continues to mow, edge, weedwack and care for the parks. Staff assisted in preparation for the Día del Niño celebration. The Flag poles in Central Park and Centennial Park need repair. Staff will perform repairs in May.
CANYON CREEK & MEYER PARKS
See above.
GOVERNMENT BUILDING
Staff continues to clean the Vosti restrooms daily, as they are used by softball and little league. Staff maintain and make repairs to all of the city owned buildings. A new fence was installed at the Vosti Center to maintain safety for Kid Power during operating hours.
STREETS
Public Works has a new paint rig and was able to begin striping the streets. Staff supported Ecology Action on the pilot bike lane project on Fifth Street.
Staff painting high visibility crosswalks.