Muristek
The Santa Barbara City Council today will receive a status report by the Department of Public Works regarding recently completed capital improvements, as well as projects currently in design or construction.
The council will meet in its chambers, 735 Anacapa St., starting at 2 p.m.
The city’s Capital Improvement Program identifies current and future projects to maintain or improve the city’s capital infrastructure, staff wrote in its report to council. The CIP provides a preliminary prioritization of projects for funding in the next five years and identifies project needs for future years.
The most recent CIP was presented and approved by council on March 16, 2021, and covered fiscal years 2022 to 2026.
There were 14 CIP projects in the construction phase. The total cost for these projects is approximately $44.3 million.
These include the Central Library Renovation Project, the Desal Conveyance Main Project and The Thousand Steps Beach Public Access Stairs Improvement Project. Two projects involve Santa Barbara Airport.
The first, the Southfield Redevelopment Project, will reconfigure the rental car ready-return lot at the airline passenger terminal, adding roughly 60 car spaces and three overnight aircraft parking spaces. The project scope includes stormwater improvements and airport security improvements. Construction is anticipated to start in early 2023.
The second involves SBA Terminal Expansion and Parking Structure, which is currently in the conceptual design phase. Concepts will include expanding the existing airline passenger terminal by roughly 16,000 square feet and adding a multilevel parking structure. The conceptual design phase is scheduled for completion in January 2023, with environmental review and design development to follow.
The Central Library Renovation Project will include new lighting, new planters, new drought tolerant landscaping, and a new accessible ramp connecting the upper plaza to the lower plaza with new hardscape throughout. Other features include the ADA-compliant elevator project and renovation of the lower level staff area.
The Desal Conveyance Main Project, also known as the Desal Link Project, will install 2.25 miles of 24-inch pipe to connect the Charles E. Meyer Desalination Plant to the Cater Water Treatment Plan. When this project and other supporting projects are complete, the city will be able to distribute desalinated water to the city’s entire water service area.
And the Thousand Steps Beach Public Access Stairs Improvement Project includes safety repairs and improvements to the historic beach access stairway on the Mesa.
Improvements include a new continuous handrail, a new concrete guardrail at the main landing mid-stairway, and the reconstruction of the lower 24 steps and installation of seven new additional steps.
The project is substantially complete, but a brief closure for additional work is expected this fall or winter, when conditions allow access.
Other projects currently in design or construction include:
— The Downtown De La Vina Street Safe Crosswalks and Buffered Bike Lanes project, which will install a buffered bike lane, replacing one vehicular travel lane on De La Vina Street. In addition, curb extensions, high visibility signs and pavement markings constructed along six intersections are designed to improve sightlines and decrease pedestrian exposure to traffic.
— The Eastside Community Paseos Project, which will provide bike and pedestrian connections within and from the Eastside to the Downtown area.
— Wastewater Main Rehabilitation 2022 Project, which is part of the city’s annual program to maintain approximately 257 miles of sanitary sewer infrastructure by utilizing cured-in-place trenchless lining technologies.
— Water Main Replacement FY 21A Project, which will consist of replacing approximately 3.5 miles of aged and/or problematic water main pipes with PVC and ductile iron material, as well as reconnecting residential water services and fire hydrants in coordination with the installation of the new water main.
Other CIP projects currently in the design phase include pedestrian and bicycle improvements on Cabrillo Boulevard and the replacement of the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge; replacing the Carpinteria Street Bridge; constructing a new 2.5 million gallon finished water reservoir, or chlorine contact basin and supporting facilities at the William B. Cater Water Treatment Plant; and replacing and updating mechanical and electrical equipment at the Braemar Pump Station.
In Fiscal Year 2022, the city completed 12 projects with a total cost of approximately $20.5 million, of which nearly $1.8 million was grant-funded. The remaining $18.7 was city-funded.
email: nhartstein@newspress.com
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