Peloza questions $18,000 beautification expenditure on Lakeland Hills Reservoir 5

Published 11:54 am Wednesday, April 8, 2015

For the sake of moving things along at its regular meetings, the Auburn City Council typically adopts its consent agenda, a package of often routine legislation, as a single block.

Not so last Monday night.

Before the City Council voted to award a $1 million contract to Paso Robles Tank, Inc., to effect a series of improvements to Lakeland Hills Reservoir 5, off of 57th Drive Southeast, Councilman Bill Peloza asked that the item be separated from its place in the consent agenda.

Turns out Peloza had a beef with one part of the contract that called for the City spend $18,000 to have a forest scene painted on the reservoir, mingling aesthetics with necessary sealing and preservation measures.

Peloza said that the City had a similar reservoir painted in the same way more than a year ago, and he acknowledged that he had voted yes at that time. But times, he said, have changed.

“I’m going to vote against this. I mean, $18,000 for aesthetics in this day and age, when we could use that $18,000 for the homeless, maybe. So I think it’s extravagant that we’re doing it now at this time. Homelessness, as an example is horrific in this community and around the region,” Peloza said.

Peloza’s peers listened but voted 6-1 to proceed.

“Eighteen thousand dollars out of $1,042,000 is less than 1 percent of the cost of this project,” said Councilman Richard Wagner. “When you think about the investments we make in the art and in the aesthetics of our city, less than 1 percent of a project to me is a good investment.”

“I’m really in support of the cosmetic approach to these tanks after we seal them, to preserve them,” said Largo Wales. “Some of these water tanks are very, very close to homes, and the grounds are well tended. And it’s very nice — at least when they look out their windows — that they see this nice forest, so I think $18,000 is really well worth it.”

Wayne Osborne said neighbors of the project had agreed they wanted it done, and that if it were to be voted down he suggested that one councilman in particular should be obliged to visit them in Lakeland Hills and explain why.

Claude DaCorsi said that $18,000 was “not a bad price for doing such a large mural” offering enhancement and a little more beautification in the process. Then he asked City Engineer Ingrid Gaub to explain the announced overall project increase of $229,775.

“Because of the location where some of the trees are in proximity to the reservoir, we will be removing some trees, so that will open up some of the visibility of the tank, which is also another reason we chose to go with the mural. It’s also weather sensitive, and the City requires full containment of the reservoir during the painting process because of the close proximity to homes, which increases the cost. Another thing is timing because we are trying to get it done before the end of summer.”

According to the City, the overall purpose of the project is to rehabilitate and improve the operations, water quality and overall safety of the existing reservoir by removing and replacing the interior and exterior coating system. This includes the decorative mural, improvements to the current mixing system, installation of seismic equipment such as flexible couplings, sensors and isolation valve actuators, a new spiral staircase, a roof perimeter handrail, a security gate and an access hatch. The project should be finished by December of 2015.