Chowchilla council approves $1.19M generator contract, bridge engineering work and development agreement updates

The Chowchilla City Council voted to award multiple contracts and approve budget and development agreement updates during its meeting, including a $1,190,560 contract for backup generators and engineering design work for bridge maintenance.

Mister Rogers, identified in the meeting as city staff (first speaking SEG 141), told the council the generators would be installed at the Civic Center and Well 15 (Tank 2) to maintain IT infrastructure and water supply during outages. “Total bid award is $1,190,560 and is funded through ARPA and water funds for the well site and general fund for the Civic Center,” Rogers said during his presentation. Council members asked whether the units include automatic transfer switch gear; Rogers replied they should and that preventive maintenance would be handled under a separate contract.

Why it matters: the generators are intended to keep critical city services running during electrical failures, and the council approved using a mix of federal ARPA funds, water funds, and general-fund money to pay for the work.

Votes at a glance (as recorded in the meeting): - Award contract to VM Lyles Company for civic center and Well 15 generator improvements: $1,190,560 — Approved by roll call (unanimous yes recorded) (presentation and motion SEG 133–220; vote SEG 212–221). - Award contract to Cornerstone Structural Engineering Group, Inc., for bridge preventative maintenance design: $37,300 — Approved by roll call (SEG 222–261). - Award contract to Cornerstone Structural Engineering Group, Inc., for Road 16 over Brenda Slough scour countermeasure design: $252,200 — Approved by roll call (SEG 263–318). - Approve budget amendments to roll over purchase orders from FY 2023–24 to FY 2024–25 — Approved by roll call (SEG 320–356). - Approve first amendment to Rancho Calera development agreement to update developer impact fees (including Quimby Act park fee language) — Approved by roll call (SEG 923–971). - Approve a reimbursement agreement to begin formation work for a Community Facilities District (CFD) related to Rancho Calera; developer to reimburse city costs — Approved by roll call (SEG 973–1066).

Funding and context: Rogers said the generator purchase is funded through ARPA and water funds for the well site and the general fund for the Civic Center. Bridge design work is expected to be supported by the federal Highway Bridge Program with a 12% match from gas tax funds. The Rancho Calera amendment updates impact-fee language to reflect recent impact-fee study results and adds park-fee (Quimby Act) language.

What’s next: Staff will administer the contracts and execute related documents as authorized by the council; for the Rancho Calera items, the city administrator or designee was authorized to sign the amendment and related reimbursement agreements.

The meeting record shows the council conducted roll-call votes for each item and recorded affirmative responses; no votes against or abstentions were recorded in the transcript.