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Moraga oversight committee hears Measure K paving progress, reviews proposal to fund storm drains
Summary
Town staff told the Local Sales Tax Oversight Committee that major residential reconstruction funded by Measure K is nearly complete, PCI has risen to the high 70s, and staff is proposing using $600,000 a year from Measure K to create a dedicated storm-drain program; the committee asked for more financial detail and a 10-year paving plan.
Town of Moraga staff updated the Local Sales Tax Oversight Committee on March 18 on Measure K-funded paving work, the town's pavement condition index and a proposed shift toward more routine maintenance and dedicated storm-drain funding.
The presentation outlined that the town�s large "worst streets first" reconstruction program that began in 2022 is nearly finished and that staff now expects to move into a 10-year maintenance-focused paving plan. "We are very near to completing the last part of that project; just some storm drain work is remaining," Nate Levine, senior engineer, said. He added that the next step is a formal 10-year paving plan the town will finalize for Town Council review.
Why it matters: staff told the committee that keeping the town in a higher preventive-maintenance band reduces long-term costs. Sean Knapp, public works director, said Measure K revenues plus other sources have outpaced early expectations and that the town can now consider addressing sub-surface storm-drain needs separate from direct paving projects. "It has been proposed that some money from Measure K be used to fund the storm drain program, an amount of $600,000 per year," Knapp said, adding that the allocation would require a Town Council budget action.
Major points and supporting details: - Program status and condition: Staff said the focused reconstruction reduced the number of local residential streets in "poor" or "very poor" condition to less than 5 percent of the network. Levine said the town's current overall PCI is in the high 70s ("I believe we were at 76 or 78"), placing Moraga in the upper quartile among Bay Area agencies that report to the same pavement-management software. - Funding sources: Knapp said the storm-drain repairs completed in recent years were funded with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds; he estimated less than $100,000 of ARPA remains for storm-drain work. He described the proposed path forward as using Measure K to support a storm-drain maintenance program but noted the Town Council must formally approve reallocating Measure K dollars for that ongoing programmatic use. - Prioritization and data: Knapp described a storm-drain master-list developed after videotaping about 10,000 linear feet of pipe and said the town prioritized the most deficient pipes for ARPA funding. The master list, he said, remains long and would be addressed as funding becomes available. - Arterials vs. residential strategy: Staff reiterated that arterial and collector streets are usually pursued through grants and outside funding, while Measure K has been focused on residential/local streets. Examples named included Rheem Boulevard, Saint Mary's Road and Moraga Road as arterials where grants are pursued. - Cost and inflation: Staff explained that preventive treatments such as slurry seals are cost-effective on higher-PCI streets but that lower-PCI streets require more expensive treatments (rubberized cape seals, mill-and-overlay, reconstruction). Staff said models account for inflation and construction-cost variability.
Committee requests and next steps: Committee members pressed staff for clearer financial tables tying expenditures to projects and asked that the subcommittee review detailed ledgers before the committee finalizes the annual report. Knapp said staff would provide an updated financial summary and tie expenditures to CIP project categories where possible. Staff also proposed an informational paving "state of the pavement" presentation to the Town Council in April that would include the 10-year plan projections.
What staff said is only a proposal: the $600,000-per-year Measure K allocation for a storm-drain program is a staff recommendation and remains subject to the Town Council's budget authority. No reallocation was approved at the committee meeting.
Ending note: Staff urged the committee to review the draft annual report and the financial summary before the subcommittee meets; committee members requested additional time for review to accommodate schedules and suggested staff circulate the ledger summaries while subcommittees work.
