City of Gonzales
PUBLIC WORKS / CITY ENGINEER DEPARTMENT
ACTIVITY REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: May 5, 2025
FROM: Patrick Dobbins, Public Works Director/City Engineer THROUGH: Carmen Gil, City Manager
SUBJECT: Public Works/City Engineer Department Activity Report
WASTEWATER
1. Industrial Wastewater Pipeline – Construction of the IW Pipeline began on 11/04/2024 and is approximately 70% complete with final completion expected by 5/15/2025.
2. Industrial Wastewater Treatment Facility - The IW Treatment Facility contract was issued for public bid on 1/15/2025 and six bids were opened on 2/26/2025. As reported at the 3/17/2025 Council meeting, the submitted bids were over the engineers’ estimate and exceeded the project budget, so staff has requested a $6M Amendment to the $29M State Revolving Fund loan for the IW System.
3. Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) – City staff provides Regional Board staff with updates on the operations and maintenance efforts at the WWTP and our progress on constructing the IW System.
Staff is meeting with the Regional Board regulator on 4/15/2025.
BUILDINGS
Community Center Complex Project – The project is on schedule to be completed by December 1, 2025. Construction Manager Luis Flores provided the attached memo with project updates. The construction team will provide an update at the 5/19/2025 Council meeting. The on-site project camera can be accessed at this link:
https://share.earthcam.net/GonzalesCommunityCenter/gonzales_community_center_complex/camera /view_1/timelapse
AGENDA
ITEM
12 STREETS
1. Staff is seeking proposals from consultants to prepare the bid documents to resurface the first block of Fourth Street (Alta Minor to Belden Street) and the 400 block of Alta Minor. Funding is $636,150 in SB 1 funding.
2. TAMC Safe Routes to School Program - Staff engaged a consultant to design Pedestrian Safety Improvements along Fifth Street from the Southbound Highway 101 on/off ramps. Funding is a $250,000 RSTP grant from the TAMC. These projects will be combined into one project as it’s the same road corridor.
SOLID WASTE
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. Emergency Preparedness – The PW Director and PW Supervisor meet monthly with Fire Chief Muscio and Police staff to discuss Emergency Preparedness. Topics include tabletop exercises, emergency notifications to residents and outfitting the Emergency Operations Center. The EOC is now planned for the space in the Medical Building recently vacated by Sun Street Centers.
2. Geographic Information System (GIS) – City staff continues to work on the City’s GIS mapping system by inputting field data for water, sewer and storm drainage systems. Staff hold monthly meetings with ProWest (GIS consultant) to seek their assistance with our mapping efforts. Other mapping efforts include assessing sidewalks to map uplifted or missing sidewalk panels and performing a street sign inspection.
PUBLIC WORKS OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
WASTEWATER
Staff check the influent and effluent, run daily inspections and check Dissolved Oxygen levels, pH, and conductivity at the wastewater treatment plant on a daily basis. Staff repaired the city-owned trash pump and returned the rented pump to Rain for Rent.
Staff have been working with Sierra Construction to ensure that the sewer connections for the Industrial Wastewater pipeline are accurate along Katherine Street in the Industrial Business Park Sierra Construction and PW staff confirming the sewer
connections to new industrial wastewater line.
WATER
Staff tests for chlorine residual daily, and maintenance on the water system. Staff repairs chlorine leaks and performs maintenance on the wells.
For March, all water samples taken at the sampling stations for the water system tested negative for coliform. The Drinking Water Board recently required Well 6 to be tested for Coliform every month for three months. The testing over the past three months was negative for Coliform so the Drinking Water Board gave the ok go to quarterly testing at Well 6.
Staff addressed two water leaks this month. Both were on the residents’ side of the water meter.
State Senate Bill 998 states that utility customers must be given 60 days to pay their water/sewer bill. A 7-day notice is posted before any shutoffs can occur. City staff posted over 52 door tags for shut off this month. Seven days later staff had 17 residents disconnected. It takes at least half a day, and several staff members to hand out 50+ door hangers. On the day of shut-offs, staff disconnect the water meter before 8:00 am. Staff then spend part of the day turning water services back on, as residents visit City Hall to pay their utility bill.
PARKS
Staff mows turf areas in the City parks regularly. Staff cleans restrooms, cleans trash, and make repairs in parks. Staff repair and maintain irrigation in Central and Centennial Park.
GOVERNMENT BUILDING
Staff clean the Vosti Center restrooms daily. Staff cleans the Council Chambers weekly. Staff orders all supplies for City buildings and disburses them appropriately.
STREETS
With the winter rains over, staff is gearing up for to paint STOP bars/legends and crosswalks.
A contractor building an ADU on Third Street tapped into the City water main. They didn’t have the appropriate state license to do this work, so staff spent time educating the contractor and making sure that the repairs were done correctly.
West Valley performing repair at New ADU on Third Street.
A driver took out the traffic signal on the northeast corner at Alta Street/Gonzales River Road. Cal West (traffic signal contractor) was able to repair the light by the next morning.
Traffic signal after wreck.
Precision Concrete Cutting was onsite for two days to shave raised sidewalks to reduce trip hazards. They completed Phase 4 of the long-term project.
EVENTS
MBASIA now offers select training from DKN for free. Other training is offered at a price. Staff are utilizing any free training offered and some that is cost effective.
PW staff participated in Ladder safety and ergonomics in King City in March. Staff are scheduling Backhoe Training so PW staff can be re-certified.
Attachments:
1. GCCC - March 2025 Monthly Progress Report
2. Monterey County Health Dept Lab Report