---

---

Crescent City should see the next phase of its Front Street reconstruction project “paved out” in early to mid-November, its public works director told the City Council on Monday.

The city is also set to receive the grant dollars it needs to extend the project from I Street to Play Street, Public Works Director David Yeager said.

Yeager delivered this news to City Councilors before they approved a change order for Tidewater Contractors to repair a failed sewer pipe between a manhole at H and Front streets and the Surf Apartments. The change order will add $9,398 to the Tidewater Contract with that money coming from the city’s sewer fund.

According to Yeager’s staff report Monday, that project will increase the Tidewater contract for the Front Street Replacement Project to $2,009,916.

“We used to brag when this project was getting started about having nine funding sources, so I’m before you this evening to ask for a 10th,” Yeager told councilors. “Basically of all the funds we have to make this Front Street project happen, we did not tap into the sewer fund.”

Crescent City broke ground on Front Street improvements from G to I streets on Aug. 7. Improvements include storm drain upgrades, new water lines, streetlights, sidewalks, ADA ramps and driveways. The street’s width will be reduced from four lanes to two lanes with two turning lanes at H Street and Stamps Way, which will be the main entrance to Beachfront Park.

According to Yeager, after contracting with National Plant Services to conduct a video inspection of the sewer lines and manholes, city staff found that a 6-inch clay sewer pipe that ran from the Surf Apartments to a manhole at H and Front streets had failed due to a joint offset.

A sewer main from that manhole to 2nd Street also failed due to collapse of the pipe about 20 feet from the manhole. Since the failures are underneath the construction project and, not wanting to come back after it’s finished to fix the line and ruin “beautiful new asphalt and concrete,” Yeager said the time to complete the repairs is now.

The change order includes replacing 43 feet of sewer lateral and 50 feet of sewer main, according to the staff report.

Meanwhile, Crescent City will receive $515,000 in Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act dollars. According to Yeager, he received a draft copy of letters from Caltrans assuring him that those federal dollars have been allocated to Crescent City.

Crescent City is also expected to receive a contract from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, allocating it $750,000.

“There’s a contract with our name on it being reviewed for $750,000,” Yeager said. “That will (also) give us very minor contingency needed to complete all or a portion of Play Street to I Street.”

Those federal Community Project Funding dollars are courtesy of Congressman Jared Huffman, according to City Manager Eric Wier.

According to Yeager, Tidewater Contractors has been assisting with emergency crews responding to the Smith River Complex. He said the city lost about six days on the Front Street project due to the fire “just because they called for all hands on deck.”

Crescent City cobbled roughly $1.87 million for the G-I street portion of the Front Street project from nine different funding sources. This includes Measure S tax revenue, American Rescue Plan Act dollars, general fund dollars and a $400,000 contribution from the Del Norte Local Transportation Commission.

Yeager said the closure at Front Street has had minimal impact on local businesses. The closure has been more of a hassle for the public trying to visit Beachfront Park, he said.

---

SHARE →