Council advances plans to move sand, pioneer trails for Baby Creek and bridge repairs amid grant spending deadline

City council members reviewed next steps for Baby Creek Road, trail pioneering and sand procurement at a special meeting, noting grant timelines and contractor bids.

Why it matters: Members said grant administrators want to see money spent within the grant cycle, prompting staff to identify work that can begin immediately — moving sand and preparatory trail work — to meet spending deadlines.

What council heard

“We have two things that we can spend money on immediately. One is moving sand. The second is there's $53,000 in labor and benefits,” Speaker 1 said while outlining tasks staff could start under grant rules. Staff described bids for sand hauling and placement: one contractor quoted $26 per yard plus $4 per yard if the contractor must supply a loader (about $30/yd); another said using double trailers could reduce costs to the mid-$15/yd range, single-trailer access nearer $20/yd; staff also mentioned a bid of about $11.30 including loader to move sand in some configurations.

Members discussed stockpiling options: staff proposed creating a locked stockpile area on city property to avoid moving sand twice and to allow staged placement on trails. One staff estimate given for preparing a sand hole and securing material was about $52,000 to hold 4,000 yards of sand earmarked for Baby Creek and a second bridge; council noted a sand budget line of about $125,000–$150,000 for the work.

Timing, staffing and county help

Council discussed using public works crews for early work (bench moving and trail bed preparation) and seeking county assistance for hauling if county equipment becomes available in October–November. Staff said some grant-eligible work could proceed this fall and that $53,000 previously budgeted for labor could cover part of the crew costs for trail pioneering and sand placement.

Contractor availability and next steps

Members said contractor schedules and access constraints will shape final costs; one councilmember volunteered to run models showing outcomes if land values or costs change. Staff said they will present a cost model and recommendations to council at the next meeting, seeking authorization to move sand and pioneer trails as early, grant-eligible tasks.

No formal vote was taken on contract awards at the meeting; council instructed staff to return with bid comparisons and a plan to stockpile sand and pioneer needed trail segments.