Three wells approved for Salida parks

Three Salida parks will get new irrigation-only wells, even though the price has nearly doubled since Stanislaus County officials first got the idea.

Similar capital projects aren't expected to pay for themselves, but this one eventually will even though the cost estimate has risen from $195,500 to $375,000, Matt Machado, the county's public works director, told county supervisors Tuesday.

His department expects to save $33,000 a year by not having to treat and transport potable water for lawn watering, even after deducting $4,500 a year to run the wells.

The wells will be drilled at Wincanton, Segesta and Murphy parks, thanks to the board's unanimous OK.

Supervisor Terry Withrow, a certified public accountant in his full-time job, noted that the wells' cost-recovery period will go from six years to more than 11 with the price bump, which is blamed on rising costs of copper and concrete.

A report says fees collected in Salida from developers before the housing bust, plus Mello-Roos fees paid by many residents, have built a fund for parks worth $510,900.

Responding to a question from Withrow, whose district includes Salida, Machado said annexation to Modesto would not affect the project. Modesto leaders have included Salida in their general plan, or the area eyed for eventual expansion, but Salida residents have resisted joining the city in the past and haven't been asked in recent years.

The wells could be installed by July 13.

In other action Tuesday, supervisors unanimously:

• Approved plans to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety on 644 feet of Howard Road in Westley, from Highway 33 to Grayson School, by widening the street from 24 to 34 feet. If all goes well, the work could be done by July 2.

• Hired two consulting firms for capital projects. Sierra West Group of Sacramento and 4-Leaf Inc. of Pleasanton will provide on-call estimates and code review, respectively, in three-year contracts worth up to $150 per hour.

• Extended County Counsel John Doering's contract another four years, after a review behind closed doors. He has managed 16 employees in the county's legal department since succeeding Mick Krausnick nearly four years ago.