Council approves three planned projects

At their January 16 meeting, the Tehachapi City Council approved a new fence to be located on the north side of the bike path that runs along Tehachapi Blvd. between Hayes St. and Steuber Rd. Development Services Director Jay Schlosser said that workers sometimes run their equipment across the path creating a hazard for pedestrians and bike riders.

The fencing will be post and rail and placed one foot north of the concrete path. Openings will be supplied allowing for maintenance vehicles to pass through. These openings may be blocked with removable bollards when not in use. Schlosser added that the nearly $275,000 for the project had been included in the city’s 2023/2024 budget.

Also budgeted for 2023/2024 was necessary maintenance of the Dennison Well that is located near Anita and Dennison. Deputy Public Work Director Tyler Napier told the council that when Bakersfield Well and Pump inspected the well with a camera, they found additional work was needed as most of the equipment was 25 to 30 years old and the 400 foot pipe was damaged. Bakersfield Well and Pump said they could repair the five foot section of the 8 inch pipe that was located at the depth of 365 feet. This could be accomplished without replacing the entire 400 feet of pipe and using a swedge patch. A swedge patch has the ability to create a secure, long-lasting seal, effectively preventing any potential leaks or structural weaknesses. The City Council had approved $100,000 for the project in June 2023. The Council voted to increase the amount to $109,135 to cover the addition work.

Public Works Director Don March also presented a list of paving projects the city plans to undertake in the 2024/2025 fiscal year. Traditionally the city has used a combination of RSTP Grant and SB1/Gas Tax funds to augment the amount budgeted by the city annually to maintain the 163 lane-miles of paved road within the city limits. With the passage of the Measure S Sales Tax, the city prepared a two-year plan to combine the RSTP grant funds, gas tax funds and Measure S funds to accelerate their paving plan without using the city funds. Marsh said that when the streets are ground down prior to paving the city will use the grindings to resurface alleys in the area.

The City Council authorized the city to proceed with the planned $2,728,860 in paving projects for the 2024/2025 year.

The Tehachapi City Council meets on the first and third Monday of the month at 6 p.m. They are currently meeting at the Police Department Community Room, 220 W. C St.