Arcata City Council on May 6 approved emergency procurement to repair failed culverts at 4700 West End Road after city engineer Nature Catchery told the council the site had developed sinkholes above a culvert crossing North Fork of James Creek.
Catchery said the work had already been treated as an emergency under city procedures because water was still flowing through the creek and the sinkholes could worsen. He said staff met with permitting agencies and contractors, then received five bids. The low bid came in at $121,000, well below the earlier estimate of $300,000 to $500,000, and staff said the city expects the project to cost no more than $200,000.
The council voted to find that the emergency procurement was necessary, direct staff to proceed, use reserve funds, determine the project is exempt from CEQA, and authorize the city manager to execute the needed documents. Catchery said the city plans to replace the existing 30-inch culvert with a 48-inch culvert and later abandon the old section by filling it with concrete slurry.
Public commenter Joanna McGarry urged the city to ensure that any hazardous materials tied to the former mill site are cleaned up appropriately as the work moves ahead.
The culvert repair was one of several actions the council took that night. In the same meeting, Arcata also adopted the Humboldt County Regional Climate Action Plan as the city’s own climate plan and heard a staff update on Measure G revenue and a possible renewal measure.
