Council picks Robertson Boulevard for PG&E Rule 20A undergrounding funds

The Chowchilla City Council on Feb. 25 voted to use the city’s accrued PG&E Rule 20A funds to underground utilities along Robertson Boulevard and South Montgomery Lakeway.

City staff told the council the PG&E program can pay to relocate overhead electrical distribution lines underground but that eligibility rules recently changed. "We have an amount of funds that are available to us," City staff member Rogers said, and staff presented three eligible corridors. Rogers estimated the city has roughly $1.6–$1.7 million available and said that amount would fund about 2,000 feet of undergrounding with the current program.

The council chose the Robertson Boulevard option after staff and members discussed traffic, construction impacts and coordination with other utilities. Councilmembers noted Robertson carries the highest average daily traffic among the three candidate corridors (about 7,500 trips daily, staff said) and already has one side undergrounded, which could make the work more contiguous. Staff said PG&E will lead design and construction; the city’s role is to select eligible corridors and provide project approvals and coordination.

Rogers described the selection and sequencing: the city identified three eligible locations during meetings with PG&E after changes to the Rule 20A (and related Rule 28) program made alleys and certain patterns ineligible. Staff said Robertson was chosen because of its traffic volumes and because portions are already buried on one side. Other sites considered were a section near the water well/tank with about 1,186 average daily trips and a Washington Road/Alvarado Avenue area near new development with about 670 daily trips.

Public comment from Glenn Pace, who has worked on Rancho Calera development, urged burying lines along East Robertson in phases as development continues and noted some poles near the city’s water facilities create maintenance challenges. Council and staff discussed how PG&E schedules work: after the council resolution is transmitted, PG&E will hold a field meeting, perform design (potentially taking about a year), issue an RFP and construct the project, all under PG&E’s program administration. Staff also said the Rule 20A allocation is typically accrued by formula and can take years to grow to fund larger projects.

The council’s motion to select option B (Robertson Boulevard and South Montgomery Lakeway) passed by roll call vote 5–0 (Chavez yes; Trost yes; Ahmed yes; Berrigan yes; Smith yes). Staff said the city may request reallocation of funds from other agencies if those agencies do not use their eligibility and the city seeks to expand the scope later.

Implementation details — that design, exact limits of work, and potential coordination with other utilities such as gas lines — will be finalized during PG&E’s design phase and subsequent coordination with the city.