Carmel-by-the-Sea officials update public-works projects, hiring and parking enforcement

Marissa Bermudez, Carmel-by-the-Sea’s human resources manager, and Ken, the city’s new public works director, gave a city-update vlog on Friday, June 13 covering ongoing public-works work, upcoming hires, and parking-enforcement staffing.

The most immediate item: crews working on the Devendorf Park rail-and-fence replacement are expected to finish the project “by Tuesday,” Bermudez said. She said Sixth Avenue work is complete “just in time for the farmers market,” and that crews will add a decorative cap and finish remaining pieces before reopening pedestrian access. "We're looking to have that project completed up by Tuesday. We're just about done," Ken said.

Why it matters: the work affects pedestrian safety and weekend access in a high-foot-traffic area of the city and follows capital projects funded by the city council’s capital improvement program. Bermudez said the council approved the city’s CIP and budget, which she described as “roughly about $8,000,000” in planned work.

Details of planned and active work - Tenth Avenue stairs: Ken and Bermudez said the Forest Beach Commission and public-works staff have discussed rebuilding the Tenth Avenue stairs. Ken said staff hope to start an in-kind replacement in July and that paperwork is under way and a contractor is ready to begin. The city did not provide a final contract date or construction timeline beyond the planned July start. - Second and Lincoln: Coastal Paving and Excavating is scheduled to start work "around Second and Lincoln" on Monday, Bermudez said; she asked residents to expect crews at that intersection. - Curb repainting and routine maintenance: Bermudez acknowledged ongoing curb repainting and other visible maintenance work around the city.

Staffing and operations - Hiring: Public works is recruiting for a maintenance worker and plans to advertise a project-manager position. Bermudez credited the council’s budget and CIP approval for enabling those hires. - Weekend coverage: City staff noted that two public-works employees staff weekend shifts and can be reached through police dispatch for urgent on-site issues. Bermudez said they are "on duty" over the weekend and available when needed. - Parking enforcement: Bermudez said the city’s community-services officer position, a parking-enforcement role, will begin July 1; after that date the city will have two parking-enforcement officers.

Related civic coordination and events - Monterey Mayor’s Association: Bermudez said Mayor Bernd hosted the monthly Monterey Mayor’s Association meeting; county Supervisor Kate Daniels was the guest speaker and discussed parking challenges in Monterey. Bermudez said Mayor Bernd and Director Brandon are working on parking solutions and plan to bring ideas to the city council for consideration at the July 1 meeting. - Community groups and contractors: Bermudez thanked Carmel Cares for partnering with public works on the Devendorf Park effort and gave a shout-out to "Kirk, with Grazings" for hosting the mayoral meeting.

Public programming - Community events: Bermudez noted the Sunset Center terrace series at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays and mentioned local theatre programming; she encouraged residents to support local arts but did not provide dates or ticketing information.

What was not specified - Exact dollar-by-dollar CIP breakdown: Bermudez described the CIP allocation as "roughly about $8,000,000" but did not provide a detailed funding breakdown or line-item amounts. - Contract dates and detailed timelines: For the Tenth Avenue stairs and the Second and Lincoln work, the city said a contractor is ready and crews are scheduled to start but did not provide final signed contract dates or expected completion dates beyond the statements above.

The city’s update wrapped with a reminder that public-works staffing is limited but active and that residents should report urgent issues via police dispatch during busy weekends.