Council reallocates funds for street segment repairs, awards asphalt and vehicle contracts

The San Bernardino City Council voted to reallocate funding and advance a citywide asphalt maintenance program, and also approved a purchase order for two graffiti-abatement vehicles.

What the council approved: Staff recommended awards to Horizon Construction Company International and Hardy & Harper for grind‑and‑overlay street‑segment repairs under a program designed to expedite repairs on smaller streets and high‑CRM (customer request) locations. The council also approved an issuance of a purchase order to Trans West Truck Center LLC for two graffiti‑abatement trucks.

Funding decision: Staff had presented an initial plan to use a portion of ARPA funds for the maintenance contracts. Council members debated whether to use ARPA surplus or capital reserves for a roughly $290,000 portion that staff had slated as ARPA. Councilmember Calvin and others urged using the capital‑project reserve so the city would not lock property or program uses into ARPA’s long restrictive timelines. The council voted to replace a $290,000 ARPA allocation with capital reserve funding and approved the Horizon contract award at the recommended amount (vote recorded as yes by all councilmembers present). Council also approved the graffiti‑truck purchase order unanimously.

Expected impact: Public‑works staff said the street segment maintenance program — which performs grind‑and‑overlay repairs on segments not scheduled for longer CIP rehabilitation — can reduce pothole service requests by an estimated 30–40% and extend pavement life by several years. Staff said the program prioritizes immediate hazards, high CRM areas, high‑traffic corridors and school crosswalks and will pursue ward equity in distributing repairs.

Implementation details: The program will focus on segments at least 10×10 feet and intersections that would otherwise wait for years on a CIP list. Staff said the prequalified bidders and the awarded contractor will begin work within the fiscal year; the city will share a street-by-street list of planned repairs and a pavement‑management update once contracts are executed.

Public comment and council direction: Several residents and community members commended the decision and said repairing streets improves residents’ daily lives and the city’s image. Council members asked that staff publicly post the list of streets to be repaired and provide timing for work in each ward.

Ending: Council’s action directs staff to proceed with contract execution and to return with the contractor schedule and community notifications about which streets will be repaired and when.