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Council receives report on Upper Wildwood Creek Basin project, delays construction amid a $4M funding gap
Summary
The council received staff's report on the Upper Wildwood Creek Basin project May 12 and approved staff’s recommendation to delay construction while exploring funding alternatives; staff estimated a nearly $7 million project cost with roughly $2.7 million available and significant environmental mitigation and export costs driving the gap.
The Yucaipa City Council on May 12 received a staff report on the Upper Wildwood Creek Basin 4 project and voted to accept staff’s recommendation to delay construction while staff pursues funding alternatives and considers project rescoping.
Staff reminded council that the project is identified in the city's 2012 Master Plan of Drainage and summarized benefits including localized flood protection, groundwater recharge and erosion/sediment control near Wildwood Park and an upgraded access potential to adjacent mountain bike trails. Staff said environmental permitting recently completed requires significant mitigation and long‑term monitoring, and that the combination of construction costs and mitigation drove a total project estimate near $7 million.
Staff reported approximately $2.7 million in funding currently available, leaving a funding gap of roughly $4 million. Key drivers for the higher bids included high export costs for approximately 80,000 cubic yards of excavation (estimated by bidders at roughly $17 per cubic yard) and environmental mitigation/monitoring expenses. The contractor low bid received earlier was well above staff’s estimate and council had directed staff at the prior meeting to return with additional funding options.
Based on the city's 2025 council goals, balancing emergency preparedness and a long‑term financial plan, staff recommended receiving the report, delaying construction to permit strategic review and requesting reallocation of grant funds if eligible. Staff emphasized that delaying construction would not cause immediate safety risk but could affect the timing of other capital improvement projects.
Council then voted to approve the staff recommendation by voice vote. Staff said they would return with funding alternatives and potential project rescoping to reduce cost and preserve core flood‑control benefits.
