Marin County: storm repair projects exceed $8 million

Marin Independent Journal (CA)

March 15--Marin County public works, parks and flood control officials Tuesday presented Marin supervisors with a list of 24 sites damaged by severe rain storms in January and February that will cost an estimated $8.76 million to repair.

The officials said that six of the sites need to be fixed soon to avoid the "potential" for further damage to infrastructure or private property. The estimated price tag for these six projects alone totals more than $2.9 million.

Ernest Klock, a principal civil engineer in the county's Public Works Department, said President Donald Trump has approved a major disaster declaration for California in connection with the storms in January but not yet for the storms in February.

Marin's Department of Public Works, Parks and Open Space, and the Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District are all pursuing assistance from the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The impact on the county's general fund is unknown at this time; generally local agencies have to finance storm damage projects before being reimbursed fully or partially by federal or state sources.

"It's not that we will get every dollar back because that's not how it works; but we will get a significant amount back," said Raul Rojas, director of the county's Department of Public Works.

Klock said, "It takes months to get a promise for funding and years to secure that funding."

County Administrator Matthew Hymel said the county will establish a reserve fund for projects that are eventually disallowed, since FEMA is "famous" for renegging on promised funding.

Rojas said, "We had to move forward with some roads that we won't get reimbursed for. That is a risk we had to take. It's imperative that we get all the roads that are in a critical state right now done as fast as we can."

Rojas cited the landslide at the intersection of Lucas Valley Road and Nicasio Valley Road as one of the damaged sites that needs urgent attention.

Klock said, "This one was caused by high creek flows far down the hill."

Klock said public works decided to begin repairs because the road was continuing to deteriorate and "because it is such a vital link to West Marin and one of the only escape routes."

This project alone is estimated to cost $980,000.

Other damaged sites that the county believes need urgent attention include: slides at 354 Richardson Way in Mill Valley, Bay Road in Mill Valley, 193 Forest Drive in San Rafael, 460 Corte Sur in Novato and 550 Scenic Ave. in San Anselmo.

Other projects with large price tags include: Los Ranchitos Road at Red Rock Way, $890,000; Sir Francis Drake Boulevard at Baywood, $800,000; and 550 Scenic Ave., $750,000.

Six of the damaged sites, estimated to cost a total of $980,000, are located in the county's flood control districts. The most expensive project of these, estimated to cost $425,000, is needed to repair a pump station in Novato's flood control district zone one. It is one of the pump stations that prevents flooding of Highway 37. Another $330,000 is needed to address levee erosion in flood control district zone one.

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