DINUBA – With the award of a construction contract and authorization to purchase new facilities, residents are one step closer to seeing revamped park amenities in central Dinuba.
The Dinuba City Council voted 4-0 on Oct. 28 to award a $3 million contract for grant-funded Entertainment Plaza renovations, which will bring updated features to the downtown park. The council also recorded the same vote to purchase a restroom and pavilion for Rose Ann Vuich Park. Vice Mayor Benjamin Prado was absent from the meeting.
“I’ve received comments from many people from many different areas, and they say Dinuba has awesome parks, they really do,” Councilmember Linda Launer said. “(They say) ‘how do you do it?’ and I say, ‘we have awesome staff.’”
For Entertainment Plaza, City Engineer Jason Watts explained that the initial lowest bid the city received for its full project plan was more than $4.3 million, which is well over the remaining grant funds the city has available. This prompted the city to review its design plans for the project, take out some of the most expensive elements and identify tasks city staff can complete themselves.
The council then approved the contract award at the bid amount of $4.3 million and also approved what is called a “deductive change order” to adjust the contract and decrease the amount by $1.3 million. The final contract will total just over $3 million, which the city will pay for using the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Clean California grant it received.
Watts said the main element removed from the project plan was a multi-purpose zone named “vendor square” that would be set up on the north side of Entertainment Plaza and allow for events like farmers markets by including electricity hookups for vendors.
Dinuba received four bids for the project and ultimately awarded the contract to SW Construction, Inc., which is based out of Bakersfield. Although the city has never worked with the contractor before, Watts said his team checked three of their references and felt confident in the selection.
“I think they’re more than willing to work with us on the contract, understanding that we only have so much money that we got through the grant,” Watts said.
For Rose Ann Vuich Park, the council approved purchases totaling nearly $357,000 for both a restroom and a 58-foot pavilion.
The new restroom comes from LB Foster and is prefabricated, meaning all the city has to do is buy and install it. It will replace the existing, run-down restroom facility at the park, a need previously identified by city staff and community members.
The new pavilion comes from Superior Shades and will be identical to the structure installed at Viscaya Park. Staff said the city has received a lot of positive feedback on the Viscaya Park pavilion and believe this will also be well-used.
Watts said the funding for the Rose Ann Vuich Park facilities comes from program income generated from past Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs the city has been awarded. Other activities funded by CDBG programs have generated income through loan repayments, earned interest and fees collected from these programs.
According to a city staff report, these generated funds must be tracked separately and be reinvested in other eligible CDBG activities before the city can use additional grant funds.
Youth soccer stars
The council also took the time to recognize the Dinuba Youth Soccer League (DYSL) girls team, which has gone undefeated so far this season. Mayor Rachel Nerio-Guerrero said the league invites her to their opening ceremonies every year and learned that the team had gone undefeated.
“I thought it would be nice for them to come to a council meeting so that way we could congratulate them and recognize them for their hard work,” Nerio-Guerrero said.
Council members congratulated the players for their hard work and particularly thanked their parents and family members for supporting their athletic pursuits. DYSL President David Vasquez likewise thanked the council for recognizing the girls, who he said put in a lot of hard work.
Vasquez said this is probably the second all-girls team that has been able to form and compete since he has been in Dinuba, and it’s important to them to have a chance to compete among other girls in their area.
“Girls, you are our pride — I hope one day you guys will represent the U.S. in the Olympics,” Councilmember Kuldip Thusu said.
Unless a special meeting is needed before then, the Dinuba City Council will not meet again until 6:30 p.m. Dec. 9.
