Avenal engineer outlines road‑rehab plan, pocket park completion and water grant bids

City Engineer Alberto Andrade told the Avenal City Council on Jan. 9 that the city is nearing completion on a neighborhood pocket park and is preparing a 2025 citywide road rehabilitation program guided by public input from recent town halls.

Andrade said the playground work is about 90% complete and that contractors have installed drainage and started forming playground footings; the design includes rubber surfacing and limited gated access to improve ADA accessibility and safety for special‑needs children. He added roofing repairs at the Bets Hall and Ken Brown Safety Center are progressing and water‑plant upgrade bids are scheduled to open in late January.

On roads, Andrade described a prioritization process that will weigh pavement condition, walkability and safety improvements such as curb bulbouts near schools. The cityheld a town hall where residents allocated community votes among roadway safety, walkability and maintenance; results were nearly evenly split across those priorities.

Andrade also summarized grant activity: a WaterSMART drought‑response application for two tanks on the hill; an application for a technical urbanism grant (roughly $300,000); pending state awards for climate adaptation and a $175,000 citywide water master plan award. He said the city is planning a conservative approach to the next ATP application following an unsuccessful previous round.

Councilmembers asked staff to provide capacity numbers and safety details for the park and to bring cost estimates for additional gating or ramp work that could improve access for children with disabilities.