Paso Robles council unanimously approves consent calendar including construction contracts and $3.4M in payments

The Paso Robles City Council unanimously approved a 12-item consent calendar on April 15 that city staff said included roughly $3.4 million in payments and multiple construction contracts and agreements.

Interim City Manager Chris Huot outlined the consent items before the council vote, which covered routine minutes and advisory-body reports and several notable payments and contracts. City staff said the warrant register since the last meeting totaled about $3.4 million and listed four payments of $100,000 or more.

Notable consent items and amounts read into the record included a $104,418.32 payment to Lopez Jr. & Sons General Engineering for pedestrian improvements near the event center; a payment of $360,821.40 to JJ Fisher Construction for construction of a new pickleball complex; and a $116,478 payment to San Luis Obispo County for third-quarter animal-control services. A payment identified for Golden Hill Road repairs was read aloud in the meeting transcript but the transcription of the figure was unclear; the agenda item described a large construction contract for Golden Hill Road and additional contract work was included in the warrant summary.

The council also approved contracts tied to key capital projects: - Approval of an agreement with M&S Engineers to provide construction management services for the South Pine Bridge project (the city said consultants were interviewed and the selected firm demonstrated relevant experience; bids for the bridge were due the week of April 15 and an award was expected May 6). Staff said the bridge is approximately 50 feet long with defensive bike lanes and other design elements, and that coordination with Caltrans and resource agencies will be required. - Award of a construction contract for downtown parking-lot rehabilitation at Twelfth and Railroad Street and the lot adjacent to Mark's Pizza, which will include improved lighting, street furniture and electric vehicle charging. - Approval of a construction contract for pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements adjacent to Flamsen Middle School, funded in part by grants from the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments; staff said the project has approximately $750,000 in grant funding and includes RRFB pedestrian push-button enhancements, bulb-outs and upgraded markings.

Public-safety and maintenance spending on the Salinas Riverbed cleanup was also discussed. During public comment, resident Linda George asked how often contractors enter the riverbed and whether hazardous materials are addressed. Police Sergeant Steve Boyette, who manages the city's CAT team, said contractors work in the riverbed twice weekly for roughly four to seven hours per visit and that the contract is managed by the CAT team. Boyette said staff requested a contract increase from earlier budgeted amounts to $150,000 for the fiscal year and asked authorization to extend a similar amount into the next fiscal year to continue the work.

Pro Tem Gregory moved to approve items 1 through 12 on the consent calendar; Councilmember Strong seconded. The council voted unanimously to approve the consent calendar.

The council did not pull any items for separate consideration at the meeting; members and staff provided brief overviews of projects and funding sources when asked by council members.