LAKEPORT — The Lakeport City Council directed its staff to act on behalf of the city relating to two proposed road improvement projects during Tuesday”s regular meeting.
The first project discussed was the Safe Routes to School project on Hartley Street in Lakeport.
City Engineer Scott Harter brought a request before the council that would allow his staff to apply for an extension of the Cooperative Work Agreement (CWA) the city currently holds with the state.
The CWA expires June 30, 2011 and the city would have to apply for an extension by Nov. 23, Harter said.
The CWA stipulates that the state would pay for 90 percent of the project costs and the city would provide 10 percent, Harter said.
Safe Routes to School is a state program that provides funding for local projects that help give children “a safe way to get to school,” Harter said.
The project aims to install sidewalks, gutters and curbs on 2,400 feet, as well as some drainage and retaining wall improvements, on the west side of Hartley Street between 20th Street and 130 feet north of Anastasia Drive, according to Harter.
There are no planned pavement improvements along the section of Hartley Street as part of the project, Harter said.
The state approved the city”s grant application in May 2008, and the city signed a contract with Santa Rosa design company Green Valley Consulting Engineers in March 2009, Harter said.
The project has remained in the design phase for two construction seasons, though Harter said he originally expected the entire project to have been completed by the end of 2010.
Harter told the council that Green Valley was “not being responsive,” “claiming staffing issues,” and proved “too green for the job,” leading to the delayed design phase.
Will Dawson, director of operations at Green Valley, said there have been no staffing problems within his company and that the complexity of the project has lead to many design changes over the past two years.
Harter said the design phase is nearing completion, with about 95 percent of the plans and 60 percent of the specs completed.
Harter said he expects to begin the bidding process with construction contractors prior to the start of the 2011 construction season, in the hopes that the project will be completed by October 2011.
Should the CWA extension request not be approved by the state, the city would be responsible for paying 100 percent of any project costs incurred after May 3, 2011.
Mayor James Irwin said during Tuesday”s meeting that the delay with the Hartley Street project is “a perfect example of what we don”t want to happen.”
In its second action, the council authorized staff to enter negotiations with the Santa Rosa design firm Coastland Civil Engineering, Inc. after staff ranked the company”s design proposal for the Main Street In Fill project as the highest.
The Main Street project seeks to “make up the gaps and improvements” on nearly 1.5 miles of Main Street between Campbell Lane and Clear Lake Avenue, Harter said.
The project plans to make improvements on nearly 0.4 miles of sidewalks and 0.75 miles of roadways.
Harter said the city hopes to correct retaining wall issues and bring corner ramps up to current standards with the construction project.
Coastland”s proposal estimated its design costs at $76,446 and the city expects to begin contract negotiations within the week, Harter said.
The design phase for such a project could take 120 to 150 days and can be completed during the winter months, Harter said.
“We”re very comfortable with our proposal,” Heidi Utterback of Coastland said. “We are confident we can get it done in a timely manner.”
Staff ranked Coastland”s proposal first among seven qualified applications, Harter said. Lakeport company Ruzicka Associates was ranked second.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him at 263-5636, ext. 37.
