City upkeep gets attention

CITY HALL — The City Council is taking initial steps into a new maintenance and improvement plan to confront one of the most common resident concerns — the city's infrastructure needs. Officials estimate that funding to solve infrastructure problems could run more than $200 million.

The efforts of an infrastructure subcommittee, which were delivered in a status report to the full council on Tuesday, focused on taking inventory of all city infrastructure — including streets, sidewalks, alleys and municipal buildings — and working on a funding plan for needed improvements, Public Works Director Bonnie Teaford said.

"The challenge that we face is the whole time element on this," she said. "We're trying to come up with a figure for what our needs are for the next 20 years."

At the council's request during 2006-07 budget proceedings, the Public Works Department updated the city's infrastructure deficit report, finding the city in need of approximately $200 million in infrastructure and park improvements.

But that figure was preliminary — based on the specific needs at that time — and does not take into account future needs and some additional, ongoing maintenance, Teaford said.

The most recent needs assessment revealed that municipal buildings will require an estimated $62 million in maintenance — everything from roofing and flooring to plumbing and electrical work, she said.

"In order to keep our buildings looking good 60 years from now, we have to invest in maintenance," she said. "Are we going to get $62 million? Maybe, maybe not, but we're going to do what we can to keep our buildings in great shape for future generations."

If the council wants to proceed with any sort of improvement plan, increased expenditures are a natural consequence, said Bob Torrez, who is serving on the infrastructure subcommittee.

"That's really the tough part," he said. "We've spent most of the last six months trying to identify and prioritize our infrastructure needs and put a price tag on those."

A state infrastructure bond that voters passed in November 2006 will bring the city $3.5 million that must be used for street improvements, Torrez said. In addition, funds from the Redevelopment Agency might be available for infrastructure, as long as the project is located in an area designated for redevelopment, he said.