City approves contract with Plumas County Sheriffs’ Office, water line relocation
Mayor Pro Tem Tom Cooley followed up on the last report regarding the draft feasibility study for the potential formulation of a new fire district in Eastern Plumas County that had gone before the Plumas LAFCo commission in October.
“The significant business was public hearing on the municipal services review (MSR),” Cooley noted. “There were two written comments to Plumas LAFCo on that, both concerned with some of the specific details and those changes were incorporated into the approved MSR and the findings were approved by the commission without any public comment.”
Cooley noted that at the Cal LAFCo annual conference he had attended, there was a focus on major state-wide shared concerns, with fire district and water district reorganization a major topic for discussion.
Cooley also commented that the draft feasibility study had gone before the Local Emergency Services Study Group, or LESSG and the Beckwourth Fire District (BFD) with the report that each agency had unanimously approved the draft feasibility study.
Water line relocation
Caltrans will be starting the Cromberg Rehabilitation Project in May 2023 and as the date draws near, Caltrans and the City of Portola have begun looking at details such as the needed relocation of some water lines crossing Hwy. 70 in Portola during the project.
“We have some shallow sewer and water lines in this area, so when Caltrans does the work, they want to replace some existing lines with another contractor as they go. We’re on the hook to pay, but it’s good timing, and then they can coordinate with their contractor for the timing,” Kennedy commented. The city would be responsible for an estimated $120,000. “We need the council to approve that expenditure when it comes for the DOT so that they can move along.”
City Public Works Director Todd Roberts spoke briefly about what the current state of the water lines crossing Hwy. 70.
“There is a 12-inch line coming down off of Beckwourth Street, as well as a four-inch line, and they both cross 70,” Roberts explained. “Coming off of Gulling Street there is a big patch where there is 12-inch iron which was backfilled with the same dirt they dug out. When we dug it up, we found the rocks had been rubbing on it and that is one of the reasons it sprung a leak and failed. This is a good time to take advantage of the situation and fix the lines underneath Hwy. 70.”
Roberts went on to note that the lines are “too shallow and don’t meet requirements” in addition to being aged.
“Right now, we also have a four-inch line and a six-inch line running horizontally down Hwy. 70 that are also too shallow,” Roberts said. “The water lines need to be a specific depth.”
Roberts emphasized that the state contractor will be doing all the work for the project. “We’ve been potholing with Caltrans to determine the depths, and even the ones of adequate depth may need to be replaced if structural failure is present- we need to see what condition they are in.”
One Portola resident, Ashlee Sims, wanted to know what businesses would be affected by the project, and Roberts noted by the city that there should be very few if any businesses affected by the project, with a large web of water lines to work around sections being worked on during the project.
All councilmembers present approved the future expenditure, with more project details to come as they are released.
Sheriff’s contract 2022-2023
The 2022-23 contract for services provided by the Plumas County Sheriff Office (PCSO) for the City of Portola was noted to be identical to the last fiscal year with only dates and names having changed, according to Kennedy. The contract is in the amount of $130,000. Animal control services are included in the contract, which had not been there for several years, according to Cooley. The contract was approved unanimously by roll call vote.
Approval of Q&D Agreement regarding the North Loop Project
A $2,209,000 contract previously presented to the council on August 24, 2022 for the North Loop Project’s first phase was touched on once more, with the city engineer requesting official approval on the agreement between the contractor, Q&D Construction LLC and the city regarding the winning bid. The agreement was approved unanimously.
Modified Council Meeting Schedule for November and December
Historically, the second meetings in November and December are cancelled due to the holidays. After a unanimous vote, it was decided that two regularly scheduled meetings will be cancelled for the upcoming holiday season- Wednesday, November 23 and Wednesday, December 21. For more information on any item, visit cityofportola.com or call 832-4216.