Public Works Divisions
Administration
The Administration Division provides the Engineering and Operations & Maintenance Divisions with management, administrative and clerical support that assists each in meeting the responsibilities of residents, businesses and City staff. The Administration Division provides contract administration and budget management services. In addition the Administration Division manages the implementation and coordination of the Service Request Program.
Engineering
The Engineering Division implements the City’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) including master planning and advanced planning, design and consultant supervision and construction contract administration of projects that install, maintain, improve or repair the City’s infrastructure, including water, sewer and storm drain facilities, roadways, bridges, street lights, traffic signals, pedestrian improvements and City public facilities (Buildings and Grounds). The Division maintains a schedule and budgets for the CIP program and individual departments in Public Works, and seeks to expand revenue sources through grant fund applications. In addition, the Engineering Division provides development services to the public, in the form of grading, encroachment and traffic permits and review and inspection of development plans and construction for conformance with established City standards.
The Division also manages a map based GIS system for water and sewer, a pavement management database, the Sierra Point Lighting and Landscaping Assessment District, and the Traffic Signal Maintenance and Operations Program.
Operations & Maintenance
I. The City’s Operations & Maintenance Division Water Team is a three person group primarily responsible for ensuring the reliable delivery of high quality potable water. This team maintains twenty-five (25) miles of pressurized water mains (and all of the associated customer service lines, fire hydrants, air release valves, pressure control valves, etc.), four water reservoirs, and four water pump stations. Their daily duties include inspection and maintenance on each of the pump stations and reservoirs. This team is also responsible for the regular reading of customer water meters, and for the ongoing water meter and meter box replacement program. You will also see this team performing water system flushing (to remove sediments from the water mains). During the summer months the team is busy monitoring the disinfectant level in the City reservoirs and adding disinfectant as necessary to ensure the water you receive at home is suitable for drinking.
The members of this team are required to possess a grade D2 Water Distribution Operator Certificate issued by the State of California Department of Health Services.
The Water Team is also responsible for Water Quality, Water Flushing, Water Distribution System, and Chloramine Conversion.
II. The City’s Operations & Maintenance Division Sewer Team is a three person group primarily responsible for ensuring the reliable operation of the City’s sewer and storm drain facilities. This team maintains nineteen (19) miles of gravity flow and pressurized sewer mains, and four sewer lift stations. This team also maintains the City’s storm drainage systems consisting of open concrete vee ditches, underground gravity flow pipes, storm drain detention basins, and the major outfalls that discharge into the lagoon (Guadalupe Valley Drain) and San Francisco Bay (Eastern Bayshore Outfall). Their daily duties include inspection and maintenance on each of the lift stations. This team, with as-required assistance from the other teams, also maintains the City’s twenty-three (23) miles of roads and associated sidewalks. These are the people you see cleaning all of the City’s storm drain inlets every fall in preparation for the winter rains.
The members of this team are required to possess a Collection System Maintenance certificate issued by the California Water Environment Association.
The Sewer Team is responsible for Sewage Backups and Illegal Storm Drain Discharges.
III. The City’s Operations & Maintenance Division Buildings & Grounds Team actually consists of three groups – Buildings & Grounds, Park Maintenance, and Turf and Landscape. The B&G team maintains the City’s nineteen (19) public facilities, over 350 trees, and provides services to the Sierra Point Lighting & Landscape District. Their daily duties include manual street cleaning, emptying of street cans, and inspection of the grates surrounding street trees. The team also performs weed abatement in the City right-of-way, and is responsible for street light and street sign maintenance. The Park Maintenance team was added to the O&M Division in 2003. This team performs general recreation-related maintenance on the City’s public facilities and also maintains the athletic fields, parks, and the community swimming pool. Their daily duties include opening and clean-up of the City’s parks, and maintenance checks of the recreational facilities. This team also performs seasonal work to keep the athletic fields in “playing” condition for the scheduled team sports. The Turf & Landscape Maintenance team was added to the O&M Division in 2004, and is responsible for the maintenance of forty-four (44) public landscaped areas in the City that were previously maintained by an outside contractor.
The Team Leader for B&G is required to possess certification from the California Landscape Contractor’s Association. Other team members receive training and certification in playground safety & inspection, in pool operations, and belong to the California Parks and Recreation Society.
Approximately 20% of each team’s time is allocated to nonscheduled work orders (i.e., customer service requests) and to responding to emergencies (i.e., water main leaks, etc.). There is always a member of the team “on-call” in case of an after-hours emergency. With over half of the employees living in the City, additional help is just a radio call away.