The Oxnard City Council approved a contract with Onyx Paving Company for $6,006,007 to perform Phase 1 of the Citywide Neighborhood Street Resurfacing Project and authorized associated contingency and engineering allocations.

Why it matters: The project will mill-and-overlay or otherwise resurface streets in multiple Oxnard neighborhoods this construction season. The award sets the construction schedule and funding, and staff said addressing remaining right-of-way disagreements will determine the sequence for the next phase (Colonia).

What the council approved

The contract and budget approvals include:
- Construction contract with Onyx Paving Company, Inc. in the amount of $6,006,007.
- Project contingency of approximately $600,000, bringing the not-to-exceed construction total to $6,606,608.5.
- An engineering, inspection, survey and project-management allocation of about $600,601.
- Additional budgetary adjustments from Water and Wastewater operating fund balances and Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation funding as described in the staff report.

Neighborhoods and work scope

The staff report lists neighborhoods included in Phase 1: Cabrillo, Sierra, El Rio West, Rose Park, Pleasant Valley and South Winds. Most streets in the contract will receive mill-and-overlay (corrective pavement work); a smaller share receives preventative treatments such as slurry or cape seals. The staff report notes use of rubberized asphalt for the wearing course on many segments; staff said the material reduces tire noise and incorporates recycled tires.

Colonia update and right-of-way issues

Design work for the Colonia neighborhood's next paving phase is complete, Public Works Director Michael Wolf told council. The department identified property-line discrepancies that require resolution: staff reported about five property owners remain in dispute over the exact right-of-way or fence placement. Wolf said staff will obtain title reports and continue door-to-door outreach; the city's intended approach is to relocate/repair private fences where necessary and construct sidewalks to ADA standards as part of the project. The city will ask property owners to remove movable private objects (planters, etc.) and will reestablish fences along correct property lines as part of construction. Councilmembers called for continued outreach and transparency to reduce contentiousness.

Quality control and warranty

Council members asked about inspection and warranty practices. Staff said in-house inspection and QA/QC lab tests will be used, and contractors provide a one-year warranty on work; long-tail construction-defect litigation is rare and pursued only in persistent or systemic failures. Council discussed tradeoffs if the city requested multi-year contractor warranties (which can reduce bidder participation and raise prices).

Cost, bidders and schedule

The project drew four bidders; councilmembers noted that competitive bidding supported value for taxpayers. Staff said the project will move forward this spring and property-notice protocols will be followed (initial notice, then 4 business days and 2 business days prior to construction; electronic changeable message signs for nearby traffic advisories).

Provenance: The Onyx contract and related discussion appear in the staff report and the council discussion starting at the agenda item on Phase 1 resurfacing (transcript segments ~s:11490.20's:13298.97).

Speakers quoted

- Michael Wolf, Director of Public Works: "We are down to about five property owners now where there's some disagreement where that property line is."
- Taylor Gambino, Public Works project manager: "Those stations [about alerting] were done previously, so these are the last two that need to be done." (on related capital sequencing)
- Councilmember (Starr): asked about warranty, inspection and whether mill-and-overlay increases the pavement condition index.

Next steps

Construction contract execution, right-of-way title steps for Colonia, and contractor scheduling. Staff will return with project-level notifications and start dates as construction is scheduled.

Ending: The approved contract and budget appropriations allow crews to begin resurfacing work in the listed neighborhoods as soon as permitting and contractor mobilization are complete.