The Golden State Water Company announced this week that they will be undertaking projects in two Cypress neighborhoods in the coming months to replace old water lines.
Golden State General Manager Ken Vecchiarelli told the City Council Monday that the company will begin replacing older water pipes with larger ones in two sections of the city next month.
He said the company will begin construction in February or March replacing 1,800 feet of older 6-inch water mains with 8-inch pipe on Gay Street, replacing 50 home connections and 5 fire hydrants as well.
In addition, Vecchiarelli said an additional 1,400 feet of 6-inch water mains will be replaced with 8-inch lines near Belmont and Sumner, replacing approximately 30 home connections as well.
The total cost of the project is $215,000, he said, adding that Golden State would be performing adequate outreach to affected citizens to keep them informed during construction.
Also during its first meeting of 2021, the city council voted unanimously on a plan to replace a new section of median on Katella Ave.
According to Doug Dancs, Public Works Director, the city has been doing median work over the last 10 years, and the Katella Ave. median work is in the 3rd stage of a three-stage project. According to the staff report, the budget for the project is $810,000 and the city has reserved $1.1 million in the current budget to cover the overall costs of the project.
At its July 29 meeting in 2020, the City Council awarded a design contract to David Volz Design, Inc., for the Katella Avenue Median Restoration. The 1.5-mile-long project will restore the Katella Avenue median from Walker Street to Knott Avenue with landscape materials incorporating drought-tolerant and native plants, a cohesive landscape aesthetic, and drip irrigation systems.
Like the previous two median projects, Volz told the council that the Katella Ave. median replacement would meet new state mandates such as removing all turf grasses and new plantings to save water. Both palettes he presented were of the “Mediterranean climate” models, saying plantings living in a median must also endure wind and excessive heat.
Of the two options, he presented two themes, one based on silver and bluish plantings, the other with more reddish trees and shrubs. He said most trees would be saved and perhaps some new crape myrtle trees could be added.
Mayor Pro-tem Stacy Berry moved that the city select option A, which was the lower cost alternative, and the council unanimously approved the motion.
Meanwhile, several city residents spoke during the online meeting to express appreciation to city staff for the efficient handling of the Small Business Resiliency Program which provides $5000 grants, a program that is underway.
After Matt Burton, Director of Finance and Administrative Services, declared a $4 million surplus, the city council voted in 2020 to put $2.1 back in reserves and asked city manager Peter Grant and staff to develop a grant plan to distribute $1.9 to local businesses and nonprofits.
Grant and city staff designed a plan that included $750,000 to be distributed to local businesses via its Small Business Resilicency Plan, hoping to award 150 grants of $5000 small businesses in the city.
According to the city’s website, applications are still being taken.
An additional $500,000 was set aside to assist the smaller enterprises that “survive the pandemic” with restarting activities and the Council asked questions about this option but did not suggest any changes.
Another $350,000 is being dedicated to food security in a program now entitled the “Community Plates” program wherein the City of Cypress has partnered with local restaurants to prepare and serve hot meals to vulnerable Cypress households.
Participants will be given a list of restaurants in which they can order a meal for each person in their household with a maximum of $15 per meal, including tax. The City will reimburse the restaurant for the cost of the meal and participants will not be charged. Participants will be able to obtain meals from each restaurant only once.
Grant said Monday that six restaurants are also participating. The restaurants are each eligible to have no more than 1,000 meals reimbursed by the city under the program guidelines. The city manager said earlier that the program will reimburse local restaurants for serving 25,000 meals.