City Engineering, Soledad
The Project
MTCo provided City Engineering services and acted as interim public works director as needed for the City fo Soledad. During our tenure, Soledad was constantly ranked in the top Ten California Cities for growth rate, being ranked number one twice.
The Challenges
The City's infrastructure maintenance and expansion had not kept up with development demands. Four different public works directors and five different city managers were on board during our tenure making planning for future development difficult. In addition, attracting and retaining public works staff was difficult during this time period. Upgrading the existing city infrastructure to meet current demands and redevelopment of the downtown core became more challenging with the absence of consistent City staff.
The Results
MTCo worked diligently to upgrade the infrastructure. Two municipal water wells were brought on line along with 3-1 million water storage reservoirs to supplement a single 1 million gallon reservoir and 3 existing wells. A 33" sanitary sewer trunkline between the City and the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) was completed along with an upgrade of the WWTP to add another 1 MGD disposal capacity and modifications to comply with upgraded Waste Discharge Requirements. The orderly review, inspection and development of new subdivisions and appurtenant infrastructure was established and expedited to meet with the City Council's aggressive growth policies. A commercial center with highway ramp improvements was developed at the southerly limits which added to the tax base. The Front Street Downtown core was redeveloped. The first City maintenance assessment districts were established for new development to pay for the cost of landscaping, park, lighting and street maintenance.
MTCo was able to work as an extension of City staff during a challenging time when Soledad had difficulty attracting and retaining qualified public works personnel. When City staffing stabilized, MTCo worked to transition these tasks back to City employees.