Thanks to a contractor’s low bid, the city has leftover federal
grant money to fix sidewalks. In addition, the city council will
also consider tapping reserves to reimburse homeowners waiting to
fix their cracked walkways.
Thanks to a contractor’s low bid, the city has leftover federal grant money to fix sidewalks. In addition, the city council will also consider tapping reserves to reimburse homeowners waiting to fix their cracked walkways.
The council voted 7-0 Monday night to accept a $387,000 bid from San Mateo-based JJR Construction to improve sidewalks in 11 street sections that will include new routes to schools, ramps, curbs and gutters, and repairs to existing sidewalks. Earlier this year, the city won $663,0000 from President Obama’s stimulus bill, and city staff are now identifying other properties along the 11 street sections where they can spend the rest of the money, Transportation Engineer Don Dey said. The highest of the five bids received was nearly $900,000, from San Jose-based Silicon Valley Paving.
The council also voted 5-2, with Mayor Al Pinheiro and Councilman Peter Arellano against, to consider Councilman Craig Gartman’s idea of taking $500,000 from the city’s reserve fund to fast-track additional sidewalk repairs. The federal money cannot fund repairs for sidewalks damaged by trees – which is why most residents’ sidewalks have cracked and buckled – because removing trees would trigger environmental studies that would delay projects, and the federal money can only fund “shovel-ready” projects, Dey said.
This is bad news for the hundreds of residents in line to take part in the city’s 80-20 program, whereby residents evenly split the cost of sidewalk repair with the city and then pay nothing for new curb and gutters, asphalt, and tree removal. This works out so that residents end up footing about 20 percent of the total cost. The average repair costs about $5,100.
The $374,000 budgeted – and exhausted – for the 80-20 program this fiscal year, which began July 1, has funded 51 repairs totaling $425,000. That means the city paid about 88 percent of the bill. Another 141 residents are in line through 2012, with the city’s contribution expected to total about $458,000.
“Is there a way we could pull money out of reserves so people won’t have to wait two years to get reimbursement, and we can keep this level of enthusiasm going?” Gartman asked.
The council declined to dip into its reserve fund – which holds about $16.4 million compared to about $21.9 million a year ago – in January when it approved 48 full-time layoffs. It declined to tap reserves again six months later when the body approved contract concessions with unions totaling $3.1 million. Those reductions brought this year’s deficit down to $1.6 million. The city has a budget of about $34 million.
Without the $500,000, residents will have to wait until July 1, for the next $350,000 to come down the pipe. The annual sidewalk repair money mostly comes form the general fund, but also comes from the city’s gas tax fund.
Councilman Perry Woodward said he was “very concerned” about withdrawing money during such hard economic times, but said he would consider the proposal. The council agreed last year to eventually fund 100 percent of residents’ sidewalk repairs, but Arellano agreed with Woodward’s hesitation.
“I know the sidewalk issue is one of the things that keeps hanging over our heads, but at this point I’m not willing to dip into the reserves,” Arellano said.
Streets funded
The 11 street sections funded so far by the federal money include:
-Welburn Avenue: Santa Teresa Boulevard to Wayland Lane
-Murray Avenue: Lincoln Court to Lewis Street
-Sixth Street: Wren Avenue to Eigleberry Street
-Princevalle Street: Sixth Street to Luchessa Avenue
-Westwood Drive: First Street to Third Street
-Eighth Street: Uvas Park Drive to Monterey Street
-Forest Street: IOOF Avenue to Sixth Street
-Wren Avenue: First Street to Mantelli Drive
-Miller/Wayland Avenue: Arnold Drive to Eighth Street
-Mantelli Drive: Santa Teresa Boulevard to Lions Creek Drive
-Church Street: First Street to Las Animas Avenue
