City officials were overjoyed this summer when they received a
sidewalk project bid that was $280,000 less than what they expected
from a federal stimulus grant.
City officials were overjoyed this summer when they received a sidewalk project bid that was $280,000 less than what they expected from a federal stimulus grant.
However, that joy turned to frustration when California Department of Transportation representatives announced that they wanted the excess stimulus money back.
Thus began a nearly 2.5-month saga for Don Dey, the City of Gilroy’s transportation engineer, as he sought to convince state and federal leaders that the city should keep the funding. Dey’s efforts ultimately paid off last week, when he got word that the city would retain the entire $663,000 pot that was allocated for the project.
“It was a long painful process,” Dey said Tuesday.
The city had originally slimmed down the scope of its project after it appeared that it would cost far more than the $663,000 it was receiving, Dey said. The engineer’s estimate initially came in at $559,506, but San Mateo-based JJR Construction only bid $387,209 on the project.
When the bid came in much lower than anticipated, the city decided to expand the project back to its original proportions.
The project will include the repair of sidewalks on 11 collector and arterial streets that lead toward schools. Construction will be in older parts of Gilroy, Dey said. Construction for the project will include repairing sidewalks, putting in curb ramps where none exist and repairing curbs and gutters. Funds for the project come from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
City administrator Tom Haglund said he was happy to see that Dey’s efforts paid off.
“(Dey) did a great service for the city,” he said.
Construction will likely begin in January. However, Dey said he does not know how long it will take because the size of the project has expanded and because of challenging weather conditions. In addition, JJR Construction will be busy at that time working on other Gilroy sidewalk projects west of downtown and near Eliot Elementary School.
“I’m hopeful that it can be done in three to four months,” Dey said. “That seems like a reasonable target.”
In the meantime, Dey is happy to have money secured for the project.
Gilroy’s transportation engineer said he has faced other extreme circumstances in the past, adding that “it’s all part of the business,” but this was the first time he has faced a challenge of this nature.
“It’s something I never hope I have to do again,” he said.
