City hears report on Sulfur Fire roadway repairs; contractor work, federal funds and future phases outlined

City staff briefed the Clear Lake City Council on the Sulfur Fire roadway disaster repair project, describing the scope of work completed and the funding that paid for it.

The presentation said the city received $8,784,288 in Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG‑DR) funds to repair damage tied to the October 2017 major‑disaster declarations. The work included about 7.78 miles of pavement rehabilitation, full‑depth reclamation of roughly 86,380 square yards, drainage and erosion control improvements, guardrail installation and other slope stabilization measures.

Staff reported that Argonaut Construction held the construction contract. Design costs not funded by CDBG were listed at $447,000; construction costs were presented as $6,846,649, and inspection and project management costs as $397,000. The presentation noted the bid award was approximately $6,490,000 and that net change orders were about 2 percent (~$136,000); an additional roughly 3 percent of the increase was attributed to overages, for a total net increase of about 5 percent over the original bid.

City staff said the project reused grindings and underlying base material with cement to create a more stable base, adjusted water and sewer structures, hydro‑flushed storm drains, and installed asphalt concrete dikes and slope protection in multiple locations from Olympic Drive out toward Oakmont, including work on Lakeshore Drive, San Joaquin and Kern streets.

A staff member told the council that remaining CDBG‑DR dollars (about $13.7 million, as cited in council comments) will fund additional phases such as rehabilitation of Arrowhead and Burns Valley Road and coordination with planned Lakeshore Drive streetscape improvements. Council members praised the project team and construction manager for keeping resident impacts low while delivering a complex scope.

The presentation was informational; no separate formal adoption of a discrete ordinance or contract amendment was recorded in the meeting minutes.

Next steps: staff said design work for follow‑on phases is underway and that the city will coordinate future construction with other downtown and corridor projects.