City of Gonzales
PUBLIC WORKS / CITY ENGINEER DEPARTMENT
ACTIVITY REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: June 20, 2023
FROM: Patrick Dobbins, Public Works Director/City Engineer THROUGH: Carmen Gil, Acting 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. Two DBE proposals were submitted on 4/18/2023 and an award of contract to the Otto Construction/WRNS Team at the 6/5/2023 Council meeting. On 6/13/2023 staff issued an RFP for PM/CM Services with proposals due on 7/12/2023.
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 update the wastewater portion of the city’s Capital Improvement Program for use in the Water/Sewer Rate Study.
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
10 WATER
1. Capital Improvement Program – Schaaf & Wheeler updated the city’s Water Model and updated the water portion of the city’s Capital Improvement Program.
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. All plans and reports were provided to SWRCB staff by the 11/30/2022 deadline. Staff is currently coordinating with SWRCB staff on grant funding for construction of the water and sewer pipelines and related facilities.
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. Staff is making a final progress report at the 6/20/2023 Council meeting.
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 project was substantially completed on 2/02/2023 and a ribbon cutting was held on 2/11/2023. The State Grant Manager visited the site on 5/12/2023 to inspect the installed improvements and authorized payment of the $178,000 of grant funds to reimburse the city. The Council accepted the work as complete at the 6/05/2023 meeting and a Notice of Completion was recorded with the County Recorder.
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.
On 6/12/2023 staff and the new Building Official met with the applicant to discuss building plan review process and the expected construction schedule
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 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.
PUBLIC WORKS OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
WASTEWATER
Staff continue to take daily reads and testing at the WWTP. Crews have been working on weed abatement at the WWTP.
Staff have been taking samples of wastewater
for our pretreatment program.
WATER
Staff continue to replace registers on meters with failed batteries on the east side of town. Staff continues to get the pool ready for the summer season including landscape maintenance.
Crews cleaning up the landscaping at the pool.
Public Works has joined with the Water Awareness Committee of Monterey County (WAC). This year WAC participated in the Salinas Valley Fair with a booth to educate people on the importance of our water resources. This helps the city with our outreach for water and stormwater awareness.
STORM WATER
Staff are performing weed control in all areas of the city including the storm water ponds.
Staff performing weed abatement at the tanks.
PARKS
Staff have repaired the swings at Meyer Park and continue to perform maintenance at the restrooms and playgrounds. Flag poles have been repaired.
CANYON CREEK & MEYER PARKS
Weed abatement continues at Canyon Creek Park and along the sound walls.
GOVERNMENT BUILDING
Staff continue to clean the Vosti Center restrooms daily. Staff maintain all City buildings.
STREETS
Public works crews are gearing up to begin painting crosswalks and street lines during the summer break.
Staff continue to weed whack all over town.