Posted on October 2, 2017
By Ian Thompson, Daily Republic
A bid to dredge Suisun City’s waterways that was much higher than expected has the city’s Public Works Department trying to find ways to cut costs.
The single bid, which came in at $5 million earlier this month, was well in excess of the $2.9 million that the city estimated it would cost. The city has budgeted $2.1 million at present.
That amount was expected to cover rehabilitating levees on Pierce Island and preparing it later this fall to give it the capacity to take dredging spoils from dredging of the waters by the Suisun City marina and Whispering Bay next year.
The cost is considerably higher than when the channels were dredged last in 2008 because Suisun City did not have to do any work to prepare Pierce Island.
Public Works Director Tim McSorley is presently working with the prospective dredging company to cut costs to bring the bid amount as close as possible to the budgeted amount.
“The contractor has revised his plan and is looking at ways to bring it closer to within budget,” McSorley said.
This includes looking at only building up the levees on the east side of Pierce Island with the plan that that work will give the city just enough capacity to take the dredge spoils from the dredging. Only building up those levees could cut about $1 million off the bid cost.
“Do we have enough capacity on the east side?” McSorley said. “Almost.”
If not for a state requirement that the city put aside 25 percent of the island for habitat for protected species such as the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse, the island’s east side would have enough capacity.
McSorley had hoped to get the City Council to sign off on the bid last week, but the higher-than-expected bid put an end to that.
That leaves the city with getting a bid proposal more in line with the budgeted amount and getting it approved before a narrowing weather window closes on preparing Pierce Island.
“We are still going to try to get the levee work done this year with the dredging work done next year,” McSorley said.
The dredging had been moved back once before and Suisun City Council members said they did not want to see another delay, partly because local boat owners would be up in arms.
“Our effigies would be burned on the front porch (of City Hall),” Councilman Mike Hudson said.
Source: Daily Republic
