City details $350 million multi‑year capital plan, highlights paving, tidal valves and phased fire‑station work

Kevin Volrich, director of engineering services, and Vladimir Jano, the city’s capital improvement plan manager, presented the Capital Improvement Program to the City Commission on April 20, outlining projects, funding and prioritization through fiscal 2031.

Jano said the multi-year portfolio totals about $350 million and that staff are “undertaking about 109 projects this fiscal year and next fiscal year worth about $152 million,” and that the city expects to complete roughly $57.2 million of work in FY26 and about $95 million in FY27. He described a CIP committee—engineering, public utilities, parks and recreation, public works, parking and mobility, a grants strategist and budget staff—that applies weighted criteria, now including mobility, to rank projects.

The presentation listed completed FY26 work — including roof repairs at Fire Stations 2 and 7, sidewalk replacements, a fleet fuel site upgrade, lighting in the Northshore neighborhood and several milling and resurfacing segments — and in‑progress projects such as Northmore sidewalk, the city center and Clatic Street garages, and Gens Park community center renovations. Staff highlighted larger future and phased projects: the fire training facility (a multi‑phased project with roughly $29.5 million currently identified toward an overall ~$60 million cost), Broadway improvements, seawall work, a Howard Park community center replacement and Fern Street improvements.

On funding, staff said the CIP uses multiple sources and that roughly $29.5 million of grant funding is being administered through the grants team. Jano noted a mobility program allocation within the CIP of about $2.2 million. He also told commissioners that general fund dollars were used to backfill paving in FY24–FY25 but that “FY26 and FY27 there are no general fund dollars being used within the capital improvement program for paving,” with the Community Redevelopment Agency as a potential alternative backfill subject to FY27 budget decisions.

Commissioners pressed staff on how paving candidates are ranked. Jano cited a 2024 condition study that scores roads 0–100 (86–100 in good condition; 71–85 satisfactory; 0–10 poor) and said the study is one input among many. Coordination with utilities and other departments, anticipated life, safety considerations and committee scoring influence the final list; the study is repeated every five years. Staff said FY26 had a 6‑mile paving goal (about 1.5 miles completed to date) and FY27 targets nine miles, with FY28–FY29 projected at nine miles per year.

On drainage and flood mitigation, staff described the tidal valve (outfall) program: the largest diameter outfalls are being prioritized and eight were expected to be completed by June, with additional LSID area outfalls following and a long‑term program covering 30+ locations to reduce tidal (sunny‑day) flooding. Staff distinguished those tidal valves from stormwater fixes for heavy rainfall and said a stormwater plan update is expected in 60–90 days to guide design work funded by public utilities.

Commissioners also asked about procurement and the low‑bid process. Staff said federal or grant‑funded projects generally require competitive bidding and acceptance of a qualified low bid; for non‑federal funds, price is one of several criteria and the department considers budget, qualifications and long‑term value.

What’s next: staff will continue design and procurement for FY27 projects, post paving lists and project updates on the engineering website, and pursue grant or earmark opportunities to close funding gaps on larger phased projects such as Fern Street and the training facility.