Klamath Falls council approves street, park and traffic projects totaling several hundred thousand dollars

Klamath Falls — The City Council on July 21 approved several street and parks contracts and budget adjustments intended to repair and maintain streets and neighborhood parks.

Council authorized a construction services contract with Rocky Mountain Construction LLC for the Avalon and Austin pavement project in an amount not to exceed $612,530 plus a contingency allowance of $91,880. Street staff said the work uses a grinder and overlay approach to preserve pavement and to put the nearby streets on a common maintenance schedule.

The council also authorized a construction services contract with Diversified Contractors Inc. for Veterans Park Plaza improvements in an amount not to exceed $225,199, plus a contingency allowance of $22,520. Park staff said the bid came in higher than anticipated and that they plan to reallocate funds originally earmarked for a pole barn at the city shop to finish the plaza.

For Moore Park, council approved an additional budget allocation of $29,955 to complete a parking‑lot rehabilitation project. Parks staff said wet winter conditions and soft spots required additional stabilization, rip‑rap rock and change orders.

On the consent agenda, the council authorized an East Side traffic signals upgrade in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Transportation for $156,440. The city manager noted Kelly Brennan was available for questions about the ODOT partnership.

The nut graf: City staff described the work as part of an active pavement management program that combines targeted grinding, overlays and spot stabilizations to extend roadway life and avoid more costly full reconstructions.

Councilors and staff discussed pavement treatment choices and noted the city recently acquired a grinder that reduces the depth of removals and can lower overall costs. Public works staff said each dollar spent on maintenance saves roughly $8 in future reconstruction costs.

All motions for the projects passed by voice vote. Staff said funding for the Avalon/Austin project is in the adopted fiscal‑year 2025–27 streets capital outlay fund; Veterans Park will be funded by reallocating internal capital projects, and Moore Park will use existing parks capital funds.

Ending: City staff said they will proceed with contract execution and project scheduling and will return to council if any funding changes or implementation details require further council action.