Recently, the AWA initiated a meeting with Amador County Public Works staff to discuss the repair of local roads that have been impacted by the AWA’s construction process. This meeting was initiated after the county expressed concerns over the post construction condition of several roadways involved.

Under an agreement between the County and the AWA the Agency is required to repair any damage to local roads that may have been caused from construction. AWA Manager of Engineering and Planning Gene Mancebo said, “Sometimes we have to widen a little bit and fix roads, and even in some cases pave the full width of one lane.” Mancebo explained that during a pre construction meeting held in March of 2006 “somewhat of an agreement” with the County was developed. The agreement offered the County the option of piggybacking on the water agency’s required after construction repairs, this as a way for the county to incrementally pay for additional costs to pave the entire roadway. Because the AWA would have all of the equipment for such work available when their repairs for construction damages were performed- this would save the county money. This included any of the roads involved in construction such as Bosse, Previtali, Tabeaud or Clinton Roads. “The whole idea of the County sharing in the costs during our repair period was it would save them thousands of dollars...” said Mancebo.

The agency brought up such a cost sharing idea at the meeting held recently with County staff. Mancebo states that “On the 17th of this month we requested a meeting with the County because we were starting to look at what would happen with the paving of Tabeaud Road.  During that meeting we actually had Larry Peterson, (Amador County Director of Public Works), come out to the site to take a look.”

The water agency asked the county if there was still an interest in a cost sharing approach as a way for the county to provide additional road maintenance and repairs. Repairs above those required to be performed by the agency, in accordance with the agreement that had been developed back in March when the preconstruction meeting was held. According to Mancebo the water agency was told that this is not the direction that the County wants to take at this time.

Mancebo said “Originally the permit only required that we repave one foot on either side of the construction trench, however as things went forward, there was some discussion about this, and ultimately we agreed that we (the water agency) would pave the entire lane instead of just the trench areas. Any other damage would be repaired based on a detailed repair procedure.”

Currently, Tabeaud Rd is considered a substandard road, as is common here in the county, some roads were paved without base rock many years ago. Mancebo states that the water agency and the county are in communication, and in general concept, are trying to work together. During the negotiations for repairs back in March there was a request from the county for the agency to repave the entire road; however the outcome of the negotiation was that the agency would repave the entire lane on the side of the road where construction occurred.

According to Water Agency General Manager Jim Abercrombie the water agency will fix what they have damaged. the county and the water agency met on Nov. 17th“Except for the pipeline project these roads would have lasted a long time in the service they were subject to, but not now.” Peterson left the meeting on Nov. 17th with the understanding that -because Ranger and AWA did not want to repave the whole roadway due to construction damages, the water agency and Ranger were going to submit a detail plan of how they were going sawcut, grind, repave, repair, etc. the road to the County's satisfaction. According to Amador County Public Works Director Larry Peterson after the county became concerned over the “mashing” of both lanes of Tabeaud Rd. by construction equipment. Peterson states that

Peterson states that according to Peterson’s current knowledge of the situation that proposal is still under preparation by Ranger and the AWA. Peterson states that the construction permit for the pipeline does, as Mancebo said, require the Agency to repair any damage to local roads that may have been caused from construction. The permit also, according to Peterson, requires the repair of any damage caused by their construction contractor (whether on the pipe trench portion of the road or not), and the permit specifically says the county does not warranty that the road is built for the weight or size of the equipment being used thereon. Peterson says that “We are working together on this to sort it out, but it will take awhile.”