Reclamation District 900 approves Black Canal slope rehabilitation contract and temporary staging easement

Reclamation District No. 900’s board voted to award a construction contract for the Black Canal Slope Rehabilitation Project to the lowest responsive bidder, Odin, whose low bid was $3.857 million, and approved a temporary construction easement for a nearby parcel to use as contractor staging.

General Manager Blake told the board the project was reissued for bid after a July 2024 procurement was canceled amid uncertainty with FEMA and Cal OES. Blake said staff redesigned the work and re-ran the benefit-cost analysis; bids opened on April 3 and ranged from about $3.8 million to $4.9 million, with Odin again the low bidder at $3.857 million.

Blake said the district’s grant award covered just over $1 million, that the remaining scope (including construction management and environmental inspection) brings the total district-funded commitment to roughly $4.5 million, and that Cal OES has granted the district an extension on the project so long as construction is completed this year. "The main thing is we need to have construction done this year," Blake said, noting construction cannot start before May 1 for environmental reasons and the district plans a May 1–Nov. 1 window.

A trustee asked whether Cal OES had placed contingencies on the extension; Blake said the primary condition is completing construction within the approved window and that failing to finish this year could risk losing the full grant, though the district could cover the work with its own funds if necessary.

The board then approved the award. Trustee Sopio Hall moved to approve the contract award and President Guerrero seconded; roll-call votes were recorded as affirmative.

The board also approved a temporary construction easement with MAO GE Baskam LLC for a parcel adjacent to the canal — nearly two acres at the southern entrance of Lynen Road off Jefferson Boulevard — to be used as a staging area for equipment, trailers and short-term storage. Staff said the lease rate is $5,834 per month and would run through Nov. 1 if needed; trustees asked how that rate was determined and staff said they used comparable prior leases as a market reference.

A motion to approve the easement was moved and seconded and passed on recorded voice/roll call. The board’s approvals allow the district to begin contractor mobilization with the expectation of starting on May 1 and completing by Nov. 1, per the environmental timing constraints.

Next steps include finalizing the contract paperwork, executing the temporary easement, and beginning pre-construction logistics so the contractor can mobilize as soon as the work window opens.