Title
Receive a status report on impacts to County Facilities (e.g.; roads, parks) resulting from damages associated with recent Atmospheric River Enhanced Storms.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors receive a status report on impacts to County Facilities (e.g.; roads, parks) resulting from damages associated with recent Atmospheric River Enhanced Storms.
SUMMARY:
Recent atmospheric river enhanced storms (January 3, 2017 through January 10, 2017) generated heavy rains and winds that caused significant damages to numerous county maintained roads and parks. Immediate response to the storms resulted in unplanned expenses. In addition, work required to restore function/repair associated damages will not only result in substantial unplanned expenses, but will also further exacerbate the County’s declining financial condition of funds (e.g. Road Fund) on top of expenses incurred from the 2016 Sobranes and Chimney Rock Fires. Staff is presenting the status as of January 10, 2017, recognizing that winter storms continue and further damage/cost is expected.
DISCUSSION:
RMA’s first priority for work performed during and after a storm is to make County facilities safe and functional. The storms have required staff to work nights and weekends to address road related hazards and damages. Recent storms affected numerous roads including arterial routes (such as Tarpey Road, Elkhorn Road, and Blackie Road) along with key routes providing access to the National Forest and other visitor destinations in Monterey County (such as Palo Colorado Road and Tassajara Road). In addition, significant tree damage resulted in temporary closure of some County Parks.
Attachment A provides a summary of the county roads and parks affected, along with preliminary estimates of the damages sustained and associated costs for needed repairs/restoration work. Maintenance crews dealt with numerous downed trees, localized flooding, roadway slope erosion, major culvert and roadway failure, embankment slip outs, removal of sediment and debris deposited onto county roads and parks, sinkholes, and pavement/road surface deterioration. In several instances, Job Order Contracting (JOC) firms have been deployed to assist with necessary restoration and reconstruction work. The total for the repairs needed is presently estimated at approximately $16-20 million, not including costs for restoration of facilities damaged by the fires last summer. This estimate will likely increase with more storms anticipated this winter season - which has only just begun.
A substantial amount of repairs related to the Soberanes Fire - such as fixing culverts, installing retaining walls, repaving damaged road surfaces, and other work are still pending. Those repairs actually needed to be addressed prior to this winter season; however, they were deferred as a result of financial constraints. Many of those prior damages resulted from fire equipment using the roads to access the burn areas. Some of the storm damage is a result of post fire impacts from accelerated runoff and erosion (including debris) within the burn areas. Future costs of recovery related to Soberanes Fire damages are estimated to total approximately $7.5 million ($5.5 million for repairs pending on the west side of the fire - primarily on Palo Colorado and Coast Rd- and $2 million on the east side - principally Carmel Valley Road and Tassajara Road).
An application to fund the Soberanes Fire related repairs was submitted to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for grant funding pursuant to the California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA) regulations; however, the County’s request for funding assistance on the Soberanes Fire related repairs was denied.
Staff submitted a claim for road damages from the Soberanes Fire to the United States Forest Service (USFS) and is in the process of submitting a claim to CAL FIRE. Based on preliminary discussions with the USFS, staff is concerned that they have limited resources available to address the damages to the roads within or accessing the National Forest. In fact, USFS staff appears to be trying to minimize their role in the response effort.
For the recent storm events, the County will again pursue/request assistance from the CDAA, USFS, and FEMA for the associated storm damages; however, it is uncertain what the outcome will be. Staff is also concerned, based on previous decisions by the Governor’s Office, that the County may not receive any State assistance for this work as well.
FINANCING:
The initial expenses associated with both response and recovery relative to roads are currently charged against the Road Fund. Staff is concerned that these costs (as well as the longer term permanent repair costs) will ultimately have to be absorbed by the Road Fund - which is already in a deficit. If this becomes the case, it will result in a draconian situation with several undesirable outcomes:
(1) Much needed maintenance (to already dilapidated roads) will have to be further deferred/delayed;
(2) The necessity for austere cutback measures heading into FY18; and
(3) Permanent repairs/reconstruction would be postponed indefinitely (and, in at least 3 cases, key and important County routes left closed).
These costs are above and over the capacity in the adopted budget for the Road Fund. Unless these costs are reimbursed to the Road Fund or an alternative funding source is identified, austere measures will be required. Staff believes that the results will be completely unacceptable to Monterey County citizens and the travelling public.
Similarly, initial expenses encumbered for repairs to the county parks are accumulating in the Parks budget; however, the Parks budget does not have the capacity to cover these costs. Unless these costs are reimbursed to the Parks budget or an alternative funding source is identified, it may be necessary to limit citizen access to some of the parks facilities in the interest of public safety.
The projects for immediate attention and mid-term restoration need a total of approximately $9.5 million to address winter storms to date, plus another $7.5 million to address the deferred repairs following the fires ($17 million total).
Prepared by: Ogarita Carranza, Management Analyst II (831) 755-5174
Approved by: Benny J. Young, Interim RMA Deputy Director of Public Works and Facilities
Approved by: Carl P. Holm, AICP, RMA Director
Attachment:
Attachment A - Damage Assessment for Winter Storm of 2017
(Attachment is on file with the Clerk of the Board)