Yuba City scales back water tower plaza project amidst budget shortfall, rising inflation
YUBA CITY – Yuba City is scaling back on its vision to revitalize Water Tower Plaza as prices have soared far beyond what was estimated just a few years ago.
The once $1 million plan to revamp the area beneath the iconic and historic water tower on Plumas Street has doubled in cost.
"This is a classic example of rising inflation. The bid was 3-4 years ago, things have gone up and therefore we're having to scale back the project," said Dave Shaw, mayor of Yuba City.
Yuba City has $1.1 million left from a state grant to create a community-oriented plaza beneath the water tower.
"That price tag is now coming in at about $2.2 million. So we've gotten creative and we've been working with the contractor we awarded the contract to," Shaw said.
"We gave ourselves options in case there was additional money or options to shave some things," said Josh Wolffe, a senior civil engineer with Yuba City.
Shaving some things is what took the city back to the drawing board. They said they want to keep the character of the original plans while reducing the dollar amount.
That will include things like replacing the amphitheatre grass with concrete, removing the play structure and removing the electronic signage.
Yuba City
"We're going to settle for something in the $1.7-$1.8 million range and we're still looking to add as many of those amenities as we possibly can, which includes the archway that will be right over Plumas Street welcoming people into our downtown," Shaw said.
The price is still coming in roughly $600,000 over budget, but the mayor said it'll come out of their capital improvement project fund.
"Which is allocated for street improvements and different things that this project qualifies for. But it helps us fill that gap without taking funds from the general fund," Shaw said.
Despite budget setbacks, the city said it's still on schedule.
"They've already started removing the trees, the contractor is here, everything is fenced off," Shaw said. "We're looking for this to be another gem of our downtown business area."
If construction stays on track, people could be enjoying the new plaza as early as this fall or winter.
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