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The City Council approved a contract last week for the repair and replacement of several storm drains, pipes, pathways and other areas in Pleasanton that were damaged during the early 2023 winter storms.
According to the April 16 staff report, the design professional services agreement, which was approved by the council as part of the April 16 consent calendar, will pay ENGEO Inc. a total of $782,407 with a 5% contingency of $39,593 for a total of $822,000.
Items under the consent calendar are considered routine in nature and are typically approved by a single vote. ENGEO is an engineering consultant based in San Jose with offices also in San Ramon.
“The contract will include the design of three projects partially funded by (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and two city-funded storm infrastructure improvement projects that will permanently repair sites damaged during the severe winter storms from December 2022 through March 2023,” according to an April 17 press release from the city.
Over the last year, the city has completed temporary repairs to restore the storm drain systems that were damaged in 2023 in order to prepare for the upcoming rainy season. During that time, city staff have been working with FEMA, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and the city’s on-call consultants to complete damage assessments and identify the scope of work for the various sites that require permanent repairs.
While FEMA has agreed to partially fund several of the necessary repair and replacement projects, that reimbursement will only cover 75% of the total project cost for all of the other necessary repairs. That’s why the city will be using money from its budget to fund the others, according to the press release.
“Two additional critical projects are necessary to ensure the safety of our streets and trails but do not qualify for federal funding and must be funded by the city,” officials said.
The press release also noted that FEMA does not have a concrete plan on when it will reimburse the city and, according to the staff report, the city is still collecting reimbursements from the 2017 storms.
The city funds will come from a recent adjustment the City Council made during its March 19 meeting to the four-year capital improvement program, which defers funding from the Ken Mercer Sports Park skatepark upgrade project and the Century House renovation project.
The council had to defer about $18.9 million in other projects as well from its CIP during that March 19 meeting because the city’s budget could not have paid for those additional costs to make those improvements and repairs to the damaged storm drain system.
According to the press release, the estimated cost for all of the necessary stormwater system improvements, “including the city’s portion of the FEMA projects, range between $9.5 million and $16 million.”