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Public Works seeks to terminate Dana Drive contract so Caltrans can assume construction
Summary
Public Works asked the board to adopt a resolution terminating the county's contract with Cal Valley Construction for the Dana Drive extension because a construction RFA was not submitted; staff proposed a cooperative agreement to pass CMAQ funds to Caltrans, which could add the work to an existing contract to avoid county exposure to upfront costs.
Mitchell Cabrera, chief engineer with Kings County Public Works, asked the Board of Supervisors on July 7 to adopt a resolution terminating the county's agreement with Cal Valley Construction for the Dana Drive extension.
Cabrera said a request for authorization for construction (RFA) was not submitted on behalf of the county; "Without the request for authorization for construction, the county cannot seek federal reimbursement," he said, and added that if the county did not terminate the contract it could be "liable for upfronting the whole cost for construction." Cabrera described a recommended alternative: Caltrans has an existing contract with Cal Valley for a nearby roundabout in Kettleman City and could add the Dana Drive work through a change order while the county enters a cooperative agreement to transfer the CMAQ funds to Caltrans.
A supervisor described heavy traffic delays in and around Kettleman City (noting 45 minutes to an hour of delay over the July 4 holiday) and urged the county to expedite the project. Mitchell Cabrera said Caltrans still faces right-of-way delays and Department of Water Resources permits but planned to start construction in mid to late August if those matters are resolved.
When asked whether the matter would come back to the board or was final, Cabrera said the cooperative agreement path was similar to the county's prior right-of-way transfer and that the public works director-level resolution could handle the transfer of funds; he indicated the item would not necessarily return to the board. The public transcript does not record a formal board vote on terminating the Cal Valley Construction agreement.
Why it matters: Dana Drive and the Kettleman City roundabout are tied operationally; moving construction under Caltrans' contract could avoid duplicate procurement, ease coordination with the roundabout work, and prevent the county from advancing construction costs without federal reimbursement.
What happens next: Staff expects Caltrans to amend its contract and to begin construction as permitted; the county would enter a cooperative agreement to pass federal CMAQ funds to Caltrans. The record in the public session shows discussion and a staff recommendation but no recorded formal approval vote in the transcript.
