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Carmel council approves storm‑drain change order, agrees to county cost‑share for Ocean Avenue repair
Summary
At a June 2 special meeting the Carmel-by-the-Sea City Council adopted the consent agenda including a $95,190.57 amendment to the Coastal Paving storm‑drain contract and a cost‑sharing agreement with Monterey County for Ocean Avenue work. Council and neighbors discussed unforeseen underground utilities, pavement condition and short‑term patching.
The Carmel‑by‑the‑Sea City Council voted unanimously Monday to adopt a consent agenda that included an amendment to a storm‑drain construction contract and a cost‑sharing agreement with Monterey County for pavement rehabilitation on Ocean Avenue.
The items approved included amendment No. 1 to the construction contract with Coastal Paving & Excavation, Inc., adding $95,190.57 for extra work on the storm‑drain repairs, and a cost‑sharing agreement tied to a county paving project on Ocean Avenue that city staff said will be reimbursable to Carmel. The council adopted the consent package on a roll‑call vote with all five members voting yes.
The change order prompted questions from council members about several unplanned costs that appeared after bidding and during construction. City Public Works staff person Javier told the council that once crews began setting grades for drainage tie‑ins they discovered pavement and subsurface conditions that required expanding reconstruction limits to obtain the necessary slope into existing catch basins. “We had to expand on the limits to make sure that we acquired at least half a percent slope into that catch basin,” Javier said in response to council questions about why additional pavement work was included in the change order.
Neighbors who had been affected by the work urged the city to complete patches more durably. Stephen McClellan, an Eleventh Avenue resident near the work, praised Coastal Paving and said the crew was cooperative, but asked whether fire protection was affected because “the fire hydrant on the corner of Eleventh and Carmelo is inoperable” and marked as such. Council members and staff said the hydrant has been bagged temporarily and will be returned to service once connections are verified.
Other speakers, including Shirley Moon, showed photographs and said patching left by the drainage repairs was deteriorating and asked the city to consider full repaving where practical. Public Works staff said potholing and exposure of abandoned utilities—common in Carmel’s older streets—have driven many of the unforeseen costs; the city noted it has built contingency funds into its capital program to cover similar occurrences.
On the county cost‑share for Ocean Avenue, city staff said the county will pay construction costs and the city will front a $400,000 additive that will be reimbursed, and that coordination with Caltrans (which oversees the state highway) is required for standards and schedule. The council approved both items together by motion; the roll call showed Council member Barron, Council member Bueter, Mayor Pro Tem Delves, Council member Jermall and Mayor Byrne each voting “yes.”
What happens next: staff will finalize the contract amendment for Coastal Paving and continue coordination with Monterey County and Caltrans on the Ocean Avenue bid package and reimbursement terms. Public Works indicated it will follow up with residents about hydrant restoration and schedule for full‑depth repaving where warranted.
