COLUSA, CA (MPG) – The massive changes on Wescott Road and Highway 20 that are set to begin over the next few months began last week with the light of a torch.
The Colusa Fire Department on July 31 conducted a controlled burn and training exercise to remove an old structure at the junction of the two roadways, which was the necessary first step to realign Wescott Road and make road improvement along the residential route and for construction to begin along the highway for the long-planned Colusa Town Center, new multi-directional traffic light, and a planned Taco Bell where the burnt structure was located.
The Colusa City Council in July approved a $3.94 million contract with Lamb Unlimited General Engineering Construction for the reconstruction of Wescott Road, which has been in line for state funding for more than a decade.
“This is a long time coming,” said City Manager Jesse Cain, at the city’s July 15 meeting of the City Council.
Lamb Unlimited, based in Willows, submitted the lowest of six bids (with additive alternates) and was closest to the city engineer’s estimate of $3.7 million. The highest bid came in at $4.7 million.
Wescott Road was originally designated as a “collector street” under the city’s 2007 circulation element. The road, which serves as the primary access route off Highway 20 to single-family homes and multifamily housing complexes, has deteriorated significantly over the years due to increased traffic volumes, population growth, and agricultural operations, which greatly compromised the road’s structural integrity, officials said.
City Engineer David Swartz essentially rated the road’s Level of Service function as an F, a traffic performance measure that results in excessive congestion, significant delays, and poor driving conditions, which have negatively affected safety and mobility.
A 2013 California State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) grant funded the project’s early phases, including engineering plans, the environmental review, specifications, and bid documents. Construction costs will also be covered using STIP, with no impact on the city’s General Fund, Cain said.
The rehabilitation includes grinding Wescott Road 12 inches down to rebuild with concrete and then pave. The city will also extend water and sewer services to vacant parcels, and fill in all sidewalk gaps from Highway 20 to the north side of Walnut Ranch, Swartz said.
“I think there will be a lot of happy people who walk along that street,” Mayor Ryan Codorniz said.
The Wescott Road reconstruction project is a key component of a broader infrastructure redesign at the intersection of Highway 20 and Wescott Road. The project supports future commercial development, including the planned Town Center Arco fuel station, Starbucks, and space for a small eatery or fast-food establishment on the west side of the highway at Wescott.
Ahead of the highway realignment and the Arco project, which will get underway this fall, the
City Council, at the same July 15 meeting, agreed to loan $1.8 million from its General Fund reserves to Town Center developer Amar Cheema, with no public opposition.
According to Cain, the funds will be disbursed incrementally as developer-required infrastructure elements – street, curbs, gutters, and storm drains – related to the project area are constructed.
“Just to be clear, all the money can only be used on city-owned infrastructure,” Cain said. “There will be nothing on the private side.”
To guarantee repayment, the city will hold a first title claim on the property, deeded to the City of Colusa. Cheema is expected to repay the loan within four years at 10% interest. The structure will be interest only payments due quarterly, beginning Dec. 31, with a balloon payment on the principal at the end of the term, Cain said.
Municipal financing of required infrastructure improvements by developers is not common practice in California, as repayment relies on the project’s success, but it does have precedent, city officials.
City officials did not discuss how lending money to a developer can ripple through future policy decisions, but Cain said the risk on this project is minimal as the deed value for four lots with infrastructure will exceed the amount loaned.
The traffic signal that will be constructed to control Highway 20 at Wescott, also part of the total redesign of the area, will also be funded by Colusa taxpayers, existing developer impact fees, and the California Department of Transportation.
Cain said the Town Center project should create temporary construction jobs, long-term employment opportunities, enhanced property values, and increased sales tax revenue, which he said justifies the risk.
Councilmember Daniel Vacca noted that as small businesses leave, it will be incumbent on the council to help spur new development that will give people reasons to shop locally.
“We have to figure out a way to bring people here and keep people here…,” Vaca said. “We have to make things nicer for ourselves. I see no risk.”
Colusa resident Don Bransford did not criticize loaning the developer money, but said he felt the City Council should scrutinize the details of the promissory note before signing.
The Council voted 4-0, with Denise Conrado absent, to allow the city manager to execute the final documents, which will come back to the city council for approval before construction begins.