Council approves FEMA‑backed road repairs; lowest bid $606,000 from Shamrock

The council approved Resolution 25‑7‑65 to move forward with FEMA‑eligible repairs to roads damaged by firefighting and recovery operations after recent wildfires and heavy equipment staging. Staff explained damages occurred in South Lake Terrace and the area above Waterfront Park where debris staging and heavy machinery caused pavement and shoulder failures. The city solicited bids for the combined scope and received three responsive bids; Shamrock submitted the lowest responsive bid at approximately $606,000, about $25,000 above staff estimates. Under the FEMA public‑assistance cost‑share described by staff, FEMA pays 75% of approved costs and the state typically receives 12.5% of the FEMA share for reimbursement channels; the city is ordinarily responsible for the remaining 12.5%. City staff said they are working with state legislators and the Department of Commerce to pursue coverage or reimbursement for that local share as they did previously for other disaster reimbursements. Staff emphasized the importance of thorough documentation and procurement processes in FEMA projects and credited the city engineer and staff for the work compiling the bid packages and supporting FEMA approvals. Council approved the resolution and instructed staff to pursue state funding for the remaining local share if possible. Staff said they hope to complete the work before plants close in November and anticipated bringing the investment forward to proceed with repairs in October. The council did not record a roll‑call tally in the meeting transcript beyond unanimous "Aye" votes noted during the resolution motion; no formal schedule beyond the expected fall completion window was recorded in the Aug. 19 minutes.