By Theresa-Marie Wilson
The Grover Beach City Council recently discussed the status of a project that would give new life to the rough road on Oak Park Boulevard.
The project is designed to complete rehabilitation of the street from Grand Avenue up to the northern city limits. The budget amount is $1.6 million, the majority of which is federal funding. Additional contributions are expected to come in from the City of Arroyo Grande, that shares part of the interface between Grand and Oak Park, and Phillip’s 66 based on their proposed pipeline project.
The project is not funded by the city’s voter approved $48 million bond street rehabilitation project.
“The project status is that the pavement evaluation and preliminary design were completed during the current year,” said City Manager Bob Perrault. “Final design was delayed due to staffing and workload issues.”
The project is expected to go out for bid later this year and be awarded in early January 2016.
“There is a way to expedite this schedule,” said Perrault. “Essentially the city could reduce the overall design time by as much as about six and a half weeks. This reduction would result from the city’s requesting a cost proposal alternative from the consultants offering the shortest possible schedule to produce design and bidding requirements. Council could then consider both costs and proposed schedule and determine a contract award.”
That approach, could result in completing the bid and award process by November, however, it would likely increase design costs.
“I requested this because I think Oak Park is a street that, quite honestly, should be a priority,” said Mayor John Shoals. “I know it is not subject to the $48 million bond, but it is a highly used roadway. There have been a lot of folks who have expressed dissatisfaction with this road, and, I will tell you, I am one of them. I drive that road many times a day.”
Shoals further said he supported plans for a reduced timeline “because funds were available and this project should be underway this year.”
“People are certainly watching to see when we start fixing streets and with the whole issue with the bond, they are starting to get a little upset,” Shoals said adding that there is dissatisfied chatter from citizens about not seeing any work happening nearly 7 months into the year.
“They see Oak Park and it is deteriorating daily, so anything we can do to make this a priority, if that’s what we have to do, I think we should encourage that to move expeditiously on this street,” Shoals said.
Councilman Jeff Lee agreed with the shortened timeline, but noted that a bid award in mid-November could end up being delayed during the holidays to prevent traffic congestion during the busiest shopping time of the year.
“It isn’t necessarily just the businesses that are along there, it is the fact that it is the regional connector and there will be a lot of holiday traffic,” said Lee.
North Oak Park Boulevard is one of the most heavily traveled arterials in the City. Located generally along the City’s eastern boundary, it serves the communities of Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande, Oceano and county areas to the south. It currently carries just over 16,000 vehicle trips a day.
About two and a half weeks could be shaved off of the project by using Arroyo Grande’s request for qualifications list as opposed to soliciting for the bid, which is allowed on specific circumstances.
“We are doing the research now to be sure that it would not conflict with the grant funding requirements,” said Public Works Director Greg Ray. “They (Arroyo Grande) already have a short list of designers for particular kinds of projects that have been adopted by a group of people who have reviewed qualifications.”
Ray said that it is somewhat unusual to use another agency’s procurement process, but that it goes hand in hand with trying to shave time and or man hours where possible.
“With regard to this project in particular, the grant funding is specifically related to the construction phase,” Ray said. “From what I’m understanding, everything we do up to the construction phase can occur under our own procurement procedures. Beginning with the construction phase, the world is a different world.”
Ultimately, the council will make its decision based on the cost presented by the designers whether or not to expedite the project.
In the future, the City of Grover Beach plans to create its own pool of qualified contractors and vendors similar to that Arroyo Grande.
