Council deadlocks on downtown Main Street sidewalk bid amid tree and underground-utility concerns

The council considered a staff recommendation to publish a bid announcement for the Main Street (between Adams and Pine) pedestrian improvement project, a comprehensive project that would replace curb, gutter and sidewalk, install conduit for street lights and future signals, and restore trees and irrigation. Staff said Caltrans approvals had been received and the project was prepared to go out to bid.

Public commenters, including longtime local contractor Anthony Michele and neighborhood residents, urged caution. Michele said he was not against improvement but was concerned the project as presented would not replace water services under the sidewalks, would produce a patchwork look when repairs are made, and that the chosen street-tree palette (Chinese pistachio, Zelkova) risks future sidewalk upheaval. He referenced an estimated project cost of $3,578,277 with about $1.2 million in grant funding, noting the city would be responsible for the remaining amount and suggesting the estimate may be low.

Staff clarified that water-service replacements (from main to meter) are the city—s responsibility but were not funded by this project and that a separate sewer-lateral program is set to address some downtown laterals at the next meeting. Councilmember discussion focused on whether the public had sufficient engagement on tree selection and whether the project scope should be modified to include additional underground work before bidding.

A motion to publish the bid announcement failed on a 2-2 vote (Vice Mayor Deasy and Mayor Doreen voted yes; Council member Spatarotto and Summers voted no). The mayor stated a tie counts as a no, and staff will return with refined scope and additional tree information.

Ending: Council directed staff to refine the project, provide more detail on trees and utility coordination, and bring the item back for further consideration.