The new agreement between the City and Portlock was approved on a 4-1 vote with Council Member Jim Ulm dissenting although he did not explain why he voted against approving the agreement. The Council also received an update on the their Waste Water Capacity from Interim City Administrator George Lambert, and the news was more encouraging than this time last year when the City did not have enough disposal capacity to serve their needs and were short 318 edu’s. Lambert explained that this year the City has gained about 1,000 edu’s.  He added however, that there are currently 1,200 units of development approved and there is only enough existing capacity for 700 single family homes. The City will be working with the AWA to find a solution to the backwash issue which utilizes 300 edu’s of the City’s capacity.

Two options that had been discussed was sending the backwash water to Unimin for them to utilize or using it to irrigate Howard Park. After testing the water the Unimin proposal was shot down as the water contained high mineral levels. Using the backwash water to irrigate Howard Park sounds simple enough, but Lambert explains that it is much more complicated. “It is not a simple answer it takes coordination with the Regional Water Quality Control Board,” which he explained could take a lot of time since permits would be required. Also he said irrigating Howard Park will cost the City as well. So the option the City is most actively pursuing is working with the AWA for a solution.  Lambert explained, “The Amador Water Agency has a goal to eliminate the Ione treatment plant… and that is where all the backwash water comes from. So once they eliminate the treatment plant, which they expect to do in 3 years, the back wash will be gone.” He went on to say at this point it wouldn’t be prudent for the City to spend a considerable amount of money to remove the backwash earlier than the agency’s expected 3 year timeline.

Also discussed was Cal Trans recent construction on Hwy. 104 or Main Street.Cal Trans has been working on reconstructing Main St. by solving drainage issues, repaving and making it ADA accessible. They were originally going to begin work on the project last summer, but the project kept getting delayed. Recently Cal Trans announced, with very little notice to the City, that they were ready to begin construction. Lambert said that while they are trying to make the roadway ADA accessible, “incidentally there are some of the handicap ramp issues that affect access to City Hall.” Cal Trans was proposing to eliminate one of the four cross walks to the City Hall and change the access by putting an ADA ramp that would partially obstruct the sidewalk. The Council and a Cal Trans representative discussed the matter further and came to a mutual agreement that Cal Trans will still construct a ramp, however they will not eliminate one of the cross walks leading the City Hall, so all four legs of the intersection will continue to be connected.  During the meeting Cal Trans also brought up construction hours.

The contractor on the project, Teichert Construction, made a proposal that would accelerate construction. Although the project is currently proposed to be done in a 5 phased approach so as to reduce impacts on local merchants, Teichert is proposing closing Main St. for a period of 36 hours allowing the contractors time to work without any interruptions. Lambert commented later that, “It’s an aggressive approach but it would get this project completed quicker.” The proposal has yet to be approved by Cal Trans, but if they were to decide to move forward with it, they would most likely close the Street on a Sunday evening and reopen it on Tuesday. And lastly the City Council approved the contract for the new City Manager Kimberly Kerr. She will initially be employed under a five year contract with a two year renewal option. Kim Kerr has been employed by the County of Humboldt since 1997 in various capacities and is currently the Risk Management Director and Deputy County Administrative Officer.  Kerr’s first day as City Manger will be July 16th.