The city of San Marino has been steadily working towards completing 25 capital improvement projects in the 2015-16 fiscal year. Ten projects, or 40 percent of the list, are already finished – the majority of which are street improvements. The city’s fiscal year ends on June 30, 2016.
“The community places high value on the streets,” said Park and Public Works Manager Dean Werner.
According to the city’s Pavement Management System, streets are graded after a city-wide survey. Pavement projects vary from reconstruction, rehabilitation, corrective maintenance and preventive maintenance. The majority end up getting an overlay, which resurfaces the street, or a slurry seal, which patches up deteriorated areas and seals the existing asphalt surface, said San Marino Assistant City Manager Lucy Garcia.
Overlays have been applied on Huntington Drive from San Gabriel Boulevard to Winston Avenue; Winston Avenue from Robles Avenue to the north city limits; Allen Avenue; and Windsor and Warwick Roads. A slurry seal on the northeast side of the the city has been completed as well.
Garcia noted that these street projects often make up more than just a repavement. Projects tend to include improving curbs and gutters as well as making intersections ADA compliant, if it applies. Werner said wheelchair ramps are added as part of that improvement, too.
“The new pavement plan is a huge priority,” Garcia added.
The city has already been surveyed and results will be brought before city council for adoption.
“We have to continue to make investments, even on streets that are already done,” said Werner.
If recommended streets are unable to be funded during the fiscal year, it’s possible the type of project would change from a rehabilitation to a full reconstruction, Garcia said. However, the only time funds were not available was when the library was being built.
Resources from the state such as Proposition C, Measure R, the gas tax and STPL fund most of these projects. Some money comes from general funds and competitive grants, she said.
Also complete is the street light conversion project. High voltage lights were replaced with low voltage lights, which creates a safer environment and helps to reduce power use, Garcia said. Hazardous sidewalks throughout the city have been replaced, and more repairs are coming.
The irrigation along the center medians of Huntington Drive has been changed to a drip system to help keep the trees alive in the drought, Werner said. As part of Governor Jerry Brown’s state mandate, the turf on medians cannot be watered.
One of the more complicated projects the city completed this fiscal year was the inner loop of Lacy Park. Undocumented utilities caused the contractor to need additional asphalt to fully repave the loop, and the final cost was 30 percent over budget at approximately $278,400. In addition to the repaved path, new curbs and gutters – along with five drinking fountains, four infiltration basins, 20 picnic benches and updated irrigation – have been installed. New trees have been planted as well.
Ninety percent of the improvements for the playground at Lacy Park are now complete. Patrick’s Tree, named in honor of San Marino resident Patrick Martin, who passed away after a battle with cancer, has been planted. Fencing around the area and an arbor entrance was added. Though the entire project is not complete, the playground re-opened last week, Garcia said. The city will close the playground for just one more day in order to place the benches and picnic tables once they arrive.
Progress for the Lacy Park restrooms is ongoing, she added. Bids are out for the project right now. Initially, the plan was to build a whole new restroom, but it was outside the city’s budget. They revised the scope of work to keep the structure of the current restroom, but change the inside to make room for additional restroom stalls. The smaller restroom structure will be transformed into storage, Garcia said.
Bids are also underway for office improvements in Lacy Park and roof repairs at the staff yard, she said. The Rose Arbor is out to bid as well. The plan is to repair and replace various posts throughout the arbor.
Improvements for a parkway on Roanoke Road has already begun, thanks to the help of local Eagle Scout candidate Brent Barker of Troop 359. The landscape at the back of San Marino City Hall will be removed and replaced with a drought tolerant garden.
Intersection improvements at Huntington Drive and San Marino Avenue and Huntington Drive and San Gabriel Boulevard are in the preliminary engineering and design phase. This project will include northbound left turn lanes. No progress has been made on the St. Albans parking lot repavement project or new bus benches along Huntington Drive. Some of these projects may roll over to the next fiscal year, Garcia said.
