Downtown merchants who
”
weathered the long storm
”
of a major construction project last year are brushing aside
news that Monterey Street will close again for some final
touch-ups.
Gilroy – Downtown merchants who “weathered the long storm” of a major construction project last year are brushing aside news that Monterey Street will close again for some final touch-ups.
For three days next week, officials will close Monterey between Sixth and Third streets to lay a final sheet of asphalt and perform a host of other improvements in anticipation of a May 19 celebration of a remodeled “Streetscape.” The final roadwork, tentatively scheduled to last from the morning of May 9 through the evening of May 11, is one of numerous improvements that has helped eat up nearly all of the $620,000 in contingency funds set aside for the $4.1 million project.
Wes Camarena, owner of Wes’ Shoe Repair at 7485 Monterey St., said he hadn’t heard about the impending closure, though he has noticed workers getting a head start airblasting and jackhammering sidewalks.
“I’m not worried about business,” Camarena said. “It’s already kind of climbed back up and I’m basically recovered. Three days isn’t bad. Three months? Now that’s a different story.”
A handful of downtown businesses did not survive the closure of Monterey Street for most of last year. And those who survived endured months of delay as bad weather and technical problems pushed the project three months beyond its July deadline.
A freshly paved road with towering street lamps was worth the growing pains for Linda Graham, owner of Collective Past antique store, just south of the corner of Monterey and Fifth streets.
“I think if we weathered the long storm, we can handle three days,” she said.
As for the cost of the project, Graham said the city could have saved some money by scaling back on the 15-foot-wide sidewalks.
The feature, intended to create a vibrant outdoor atmosphere by attracting sidewalk cafes and restaurants, was a core component of the $4.1 million project.
Numerous other improvements never contemplated in the blueprints have forced the city to also eat through more than three quarters of $620,000 in so-called contingency funds, according to City Transportation Engineer Don Dey. The money represents the standard 15 percent of total project costs the city sets aside for unexpected glitches in the course of construction.
“We hope that we don’t spend the 15 percent, but that’s kind of our account for unidentified things that might occur,” Dey said. “With all the best planning in the world, there are going to be items that you just can’t anticipate.”
And the project had plenty of “unanticipated items:” Filling a century-old cistern once used by the Gilroy Fire Department cost $11,000; paying overtime to speed up construction following rain delays cost $35,000; and replacing damp soil discovered under the road cost $29,000, to name a few.
Now, the city is shelling out $37,000 for a final few inches of asphalt on the road. The cost was not contained in the original contract, which called for a thinner – and cheaper – coat of “fog seal.” Dey said that he, Project Manager Charlie Krueger, and City Engineering Director Rick Smelser chose the more expensive alternative to smooth the road surface and extend its life.
The city is not footing the bill for all the last minute improvements. Golden Bay Construction, of Hayward, has a “punch list” of items it must finish before the city signs off on the project as complete. Workers have been out for several days replacing concrete slabs in sidewalks, installing flower boxes and performing other improvements.
The downtown Streetscape project lasted from April to October 2006. Officials have hailed the project as a centerpiece of efforts to breathe new life into the area.
“The (final road) seal and all that are additional items being done to protect the road and make it look nice,” Mayor Al Pinheiro said. “We can try and cut corners … but the bottom line is that we want to deliver a project that we can be proud of.”
