ORANGE COVE – The city of Orange Cove is expecting to complete more than $20 million in infrastructure improvements and projects over the next 12 to 15 months.
In a presentation to the Orange Cove City Council on Jan. 8, Assistant City Manager Dario Dominguez provided an update on the top 10 capital improvement projects residents should see come to fruition in 2025. Dominguez said the majority of the projects are being funded by grants, with the city only expected to provide 10-20% of matching funds for some specific grants.
“I’m trying to find other sources — like Measure C if it’s related to transportation — so that we don’t have to mess with the general fund,” Dominguez said.
Projects on the list include a water well, park construction, alley paving and intersection improvements. Although the city actually has closer to 30 capital improvement projects outlined in a three- to five-year plan, Dominguez said the 10 projects presented to the council take priority because of either need or because they are on tight completion deadlines tied to grants.
Some projects, for example, utilize grant funds the city was at risk of losing because the city’s prior administration did not act on them in a timely manner. This is why certain things like alley paving will occur before more pressing needs like street repaving.
“Most of these grants were probably gone by now, but we went in and we actually did a lot of work to rescue a lot of these, so that’s why they’re a little bit old,” Dominguez said. “They were honestly on the way to DWR (Department of Water Resources), Caltrans, … (but) we were able to ask for amendments and extensions and to make these projects work.”
One of the city’s most important projects in the works is a one million gallon water storage tank and booster pump station. Dominguez said the plans and specifications for the project are almost complete, and the city plans to go out to bid for test wells in February and for the actual tank in mid-March.
City Manager Daniel Parra explained that the well is particularly important because the city cannot continue residential development without additional water access.
“It’s not so much that you don’t have the water now, it’s just every three years you’ve got to dredge the canal, so we have to bank our water, and there’s only enough water to bank for the houses that we have,” Parra said. “So if we are successful, we can almost double up on the houses that we have.”
Park projects swinging into Orange Cove in the next year include the second phase of Sheridan Park, where a playground opened in September 2024 as part of the first phase, and the new Sequoia View Community Park. Dominguez said the park is still in the design phase but is moving along, and the city anticipates going out to bid for the project some time in the spring.
Sheridan Park’s second phase will include updating the park’s bandstand, adding lighting and improving the landscaping to the park. Sequoia View Community Park will feature baseball and soccer fields and playground equipment.
Other infrastructure projects focus mainly on transportation-related issues. First up are improvements to Park Boulevard, the plans for which are waiting on approval from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) before the project goes out to bid. Dominguez said the city is hoping to have construction begin in May.
Residents of the Amaya Village Apartments will see transportation amenity upgrades in their area, including bikeways, street lights, bus shelters and curb and gutter improvements, Dominguez said. The project is part of active transportation goals to connect housing with schools throughout the city.
Additionally, the city will be resurfacing Sixth Street between Adams Avenue and C Street, upgrading crosswalks and signage at seven different intersections, completing a chip seal along Park Boulevard between Anchor Avenue and Fifth Street and paving or repaving four alleys north of Park Boulevard.
Finally, Orange Cove also received funding for active transportation projects that will add bike lanes, sidewalks and ADA compliant ramps to various areas of the city.
As the city works on completing these projects, staff are also continuing to look for other grant opportunities and working with the Fresno Council of Governments (COG) to find funding for more improvements. Dominguez said the city has 40 to 50 streets that need to be repaved and will be as soon as funding becomes available.
