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Belvedere officials outline Beach Road retaining-wall work and possible $3M seawall project; staff recommends using excess reserves
Summary
City Manager Robert Zednick told council a damaged retaining wall on Lower Beach Road will be replaced before Christmas and staff estimated a full seawall/seismic repair could cost upwards of $3 million; council was advised to direct excess reserves to a critical infrastructure fund and noted a potential FEMA grant would require a roughly 30% local match.
City Manager Robert Zednick told the Belvedere City Council on Dec. 9 that a deteriorated retaining wall on Lower Beach Road, opposite the yacht club, will be removed and replaced with a soldier-pile wall immediately, with work starting the following day and an aim to complete before Christmas.
Zednick described construction details: the replacement will use steel I‑beams to lengthen the structure’s lifespan and the contractor has been asked, where feasible, to slightly widen the roadway. He said Beach Road will remain open for most of the project but limited closures will be necessary and that road-closure notices will be posted on-site and on the city website.
During discussion of the consent calendar, a council member asked about the Beach Road project account balance. Zednick said that prior to the reserve transfer the Beach Road project fund held roughly $1.7 million and staff estimated the full seawall and seismic repair could cost upwards of $3,000,000. He emphasized that if the city receives a larger FEMA grant for the project, Belvedere would likely need to provide a local match (Zednick described a possible ~30% match requirement) and recommended directing excess reserves into a critical infrastructure fund to ensure local readiness.
Council approved the consent calendar (which included the finance committee recommendation regarding reserve allocation) as a single motion. The council did not take a separate vote to adopt a full seawall project at the meeting; Zednick said staff will continue to pursue grant opportunities and will return with more detailed cost, match, and funding plans as they become available.
The council’s discussion made clear the seawall is a high priority and staff estimated the project should be fully funded within the next 1.5–2 years if the scope remains as currently described.
Note on figures: the $1.7 million and the $3 million estimates were presented orally by staff as approximations and were not attached to a finalized construction contract in the meeting record.
