City of Gonzales
PUBLIC WORKS / CITY ENGINEER DEPARTMENT
ACTIVITY REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: June 17, 2024
FROM: Patrick Dobbins, Public Works Director/City Engineer THROUGH: Carmen Gil, City Manager
SUBJECT: Public Works Activity Report
BUILDINGS
1. Community Center Complex Project – Staff held a preconstruction meeting with the contractor, Construction manager and USDA staff on 6/05/2024. The Notice to Proceed with Construction was issued to the contractor effective 6/10/2024.
2. City Owned Buildings – Staff recently obtained market rate rental appraisals for several city owned buildings.
WASTEWATER
1. Industrial Wastewater (IW) System – Staff and a real estate appraiser are finalizing the temporary and permanent easements needed for the pipeline contract.
2. RFQ for Wastewater Design services – On 5/08/2024 Staff received Statement of Qualifications from five consulting firms. Staff interviewed the five firms on 6/04/2024.
ROADS
1. Safe Routes to School Steering Committee – The last community member Steering Committee was 5/22/2024. TAMC staff will present the steering committee’s recommendation at the 6/17/2024 Council meeting.
AGENDA
ITEM
12 2. Monterey Salinas Transit Circulator – Over the last two years, MST staff has coordinated with city staff to replace the Dial-a-Ride Service with a fixed route bus service in Gonzales. MST’s design consultant recently completed the design and staff recently issued a City Encroachment Permit for the project.
PARKS
1. Meyer Park – On 5/02/2024 staff mailed a survey to property owners in the Calif Breeze subdivision asking if they’d support a phased-in increase to their assessment to fund improvements at Meyer Park. Prop 218 ballots to increase the Calif Breeze assessments were mailed to all property owners on 6/07/2024. The ballots will be tabulated as part of the 7/22/2024 Council meeting.
SOLID WASTE
1. Quarterly Tri-Cities Franchise Agreements Meetings – Staff from the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority, Tri-Cities Disposal 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.
OTHER PROJECTS
1. South Salinas Valley Broadband Authority – Staff is working with Tilson Technology on the design of the fiber optic system for improved internet speed for Gonzales residents
2. 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. Staff purchased several iPads for use by Public Work field personnel. In February 2024, staff engaged a new GIS support consultant, and we are holding monthly meetings.
3. Transportation Agency for Monterey County – Patrick Dobbins is the Chair of the Technical Advisory Committee for 2024.
PUBLIC WORKS OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
WASTEWATER
Staff perform daily inspections and water quality testing of the influent and effluent at the wastewater treatment plant. Staff also perform rodent control.
Staff have been addressing the weeds at the existing and new treatment plant by discing and Green Valley sprayed the treatment plant for weed abatement.
WATER
Staff continue to perform testing and maintenance on the water system.
Well 5 - Maggiora Bros. pulled the non-functioning motor and advised staff that a replacement motor was needed. The motor will be installed and Well 5 should be back online by June 12.
STORM WATER
Staff continue to clean and maintain the bioswales along Center Street.
PARKS
Staff mow the lawns, clean the restrooms, remove trash, and make repairs in parks regularly. Staff placed concrete blocks and large rocks around Centennial Park to prevent people from driving onto the fields as staff repairs irrigation breaks on a regular basis. Staff installed the new softball fence at Centennial Park.
Staff clean the restrooms and grounds at Meyer Park. Staff are using a nontoxic product with pheromones to chase the squirrels away.
Staff repairing irrigation lines at Centennial Park.
GOVERNMENT BUILDING
Staff continue to maintain city owned buildings. Staff clean the Vosti Center restrooms daily. Staff clean the Council Chambers weekly. Staff installed a door closure at the Council Chambers media room. Staff also installed combination lock pads on the exterior doors at City Hall.
STREETS
Staff continue to fill potholes. Staff have painted Stop bars and Stop legends on the south-west side of town. Staff will continue to paint the street legends, when new paint order arrives. Staff cleaned and weeded the bioswales. Staff perform weed control in town, along south Alta Street, the perc ponds, the water tanks, and along Fanoe road.
Staff leveling the road in advance of
painting Stop Bars and legends.
Staff working on weed control.
EVENTS
City Council recognition of Martin Espinoza for
20 years of service to the City