Officials at Odds over Street Repairs

By HEATHER CATHLEEN COX
Staff Writer
Reporter@sbnewspaper.com

Issues of street disrepair were tabled at Tuesday’s meeting of the San Benito City Commission, this after commissioners had specifically requested three new streets be added to a long-standing Street Improvement List that dates back to 2012.

Schneider Road, Roberts Drive and Railroad Road were considered for rehabilitation at the Tuesday, Jan. 20 meeting of the city commission. According to Mayor Celeste Sanchez, “Commissioners Joe D. Gonzalez and Rene Villafranco are the ones who requested that item be put on the agenda.”

Place 3 Commissioner James D. Penny said, “If we want to put those streets on the list, I suggest that they be put on the end of the list … Streets have already been numbered. Some streets have problems with sewer and water. Those were supposed to have been done first, because there are underlying problems underneath.”

Penny said the commissioners “asked Mr. Lara, ‘When are we going to attack these (previously listed) streets?’ We still haven’t addressed that, either.”

City Manager Manuel Lara distinctly said matters of street repair are “up to the commission … It’s really up to them.”

“I would like for them to allow us to do a study,” Lara said of the elected officials. “A professional study of the streets will give us priorities of which are the worst streets. It gives you different conditions … prioritizes streets. Many cities are doing that. It’s a good software program … We do not have that.” In San Benito, the order in which streets get addressed “is more of their preference,” he added.

Regarding the aforementioned software program, Penny said he had not heard of it prior to this reporter’s inquiry. He added, “I would say the best assessment to which streets (are in disrepair) is us. We can look at them (and see for) ourselves.”

“I haven’t heard about this software,” said Sanchez, “but am open to looking at it, studying it, and if it gives us information we don’t have, I am not opposed to using something that will help us do a better job. I’m not opposed to using technology to do things better.”

“From an administrative standpoint,” said Lara, “I wish they (commissioners) would allow us to do a professional study … and allow us to go after streets in the most need … But one month, they can call a meeting and give us new streets that are not on the list. The elected officials have the authority and power to do that.”

Referencing the three new streets proposed to receive repair, Penny said, “These new streets should be put at the end of the list … Another thing to ask is, ‘Do we have the money to do those streets?’ We need to find how much money is left over in the street project. We have some (funds) from the 2012 (Certificates of Obligation) CO’s, but we need to find out how much is left, and if we can do those streets.”

“Right now, we’re trying to do the best we can,” said Lara of his administrative team. “We are taking directive from the elected officials. We can spend more money and use better materials or spend less money.”

To that end, Penny said that the commission “thought the longer-lasting (option) was best. I would rather do that. But then, of course, we get into facts that are presented (to us). For me,” he added, “I don’t like the quick fix. What I would like to see is a good job done. Just do it once.”

Lara said, “The biggest problem we’re facing is potholes. But until the weather heats up … any material we use … is going to wash off because there’s too much moisture in the ground. It will not bond.”

“We have many other roads in need of repair,” said Penny. “There is a list that exists … on another agenda … I saw we are going to add to the list … Shafer (Road) and East Stenger (Street). If the other part of the commission agrees with it, I wanted to do those first, especially Ratliff (Road). Bravo (Street) is the same way. I think it needs 1,200 feet of sewer… I’m gonna ask, ‘Are we going to do these first?’”

The previously-compiled list of streets reportedly consists of only those streets deemed in most pressing need of repair. “We picked the ones that looked the worst,” said Penny. “A lot of the streets haven’t been paved since the 70s.”

Some members of the community have raised concern, making reference to the fact that at least two streets that have received repair are home to commissioners and/or their family members. Lara said, “You know, sometimes you need to listen to the community. From my administration standpoint, I wish that they (commissioners) would allow us to do a study … and then just go after it … in a sequence that meets the priority of the most need that we have.”

“I am going to address that we should stick with the plan we have, and if we have funds to add those (three proposed streets) that they be added to the end of the list,” said Penny.

Lara said of the city’s street disrepair, “There’s not much we can do … We’re here to follow the instructions and directives of the elected officials.”

A special workshop to prioritize street repairs will be held at the Municipal Building on Feb. 2, at 6 p.m. Sanchez said elected officials will “look at the existing list of streets and add to or delete streets.”

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