Modesto City Council Watch (1/9/13)

The Modesto City Council on Tuesday:

Approved lending about $2.2 million in federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds to the Housing Authority for the purchase and rehabilitation of 14 properties

• Approved spending more than $2.5 million for work on the upgrade of the sewer pipeline from the city's primary water quality control plant on Sutter Avenue to the Jennings Road secondary plant

• Awarded a $1 million contract to Atlanta-based Empire & Associates for the purchase and installation of synthetic turf on three soccer fields at Mary Grogan Park. The park will have seven soccer fields, three with synthetic turf and four with grass. But a representative with FieldTurf, which came in second in the bidding process, said the city's process to pick a company had faults. Council members listened to the representative's concerns, but in the end went with staff's recommendation to pick Empire & Associates.

• Appointed Councilman Dave Geer as vice mayor for 2013