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Santa Paula council approves Park/Orchard water‑sewer‑paving project; awards contract to Toro Enterprises
Summary
The council approved staff recommendations to award the Park/Orchard water, sewer and paving contract to Toro Enterprises with Phoenix Engineering as construction manager, authorizing the base bid plus ad alternates and a 15% contingency; staff said work is expected to begin late spring with a goal to finish by the end of summer.
The Santa Paula City Council voted to award the Park/Orchard water, sewer and paving project to Toro Enterprises and to hire Phoenix Engineering for construction management, authorizing the base contract, listed ad alternates and a 15% contingency to cover unforeseen work.
Bob Woodward, presenting the item on behalf of city staff, told the council the project drew four bids and the lowest responsible and responsive bidder came in under the engineer's estimate. "We received 4 bids on the project," Woodward said, adding that the recommended contractor and construction manager have worked together on similar neighborhood water and paving projects.
Staff described the funding plan as a combination of sewer and water enterprise transfers and a Measure R paving allocation. Woodward said Measure R will supply about $440,000 of the paving portion and that the approach reduces the overall paving cost by coordinating underground utility work with resurfacing.
Council members pressed staff on schedule and resident communications. Woodward said staff will develop a contractor communications plan before issuing a notice to proceed and will maintain a project website and direct public‑works contact for day‑to‑day questions. "We'll put together a communications plan with the contractor so ... they lay out their schedule," Woodward said.
Vice Mayor Crosswhite moved the item and Councilmember Chavez seconded; the council approved the measure by voice vote. Staff said they expect to issue notice to proceed in late May or by June 1 and aim to complete major work over the summer.
The contract authorizes a 15% allowance for contingencies to cover unexpected conditions in this older neighborhood. Woodward said past local projects have typically stayed within budget and the contingency is intended to reduce later change orders. Councilmembers urged a named city liaison and clear, timely resident outreach once construction phasing is finalized.
Next steps: staff will complete contract documents for Toro Enterprises and return administrative paperwork to execute the agreement; construction‑phase communication materials will be posted to the city project page once available.
