Boaters expecting to launch from the new ramp on Anderson
Reservoir this spring may have to find another source of fun.
MORGAN HILL – Boaters expecting to launch from the new ramp on Anderson Reservoir this spring may have to find another source of fun. The ramp and dam area are closed until further notice and could be closed all summer.
A project to replace the concrete ramp started last October and was to be finished by April. Work stopped last December and has not restarted.
“The (concrete) contractor is behind schedule, but other work continues,” said Tamara Clark-Shear, spokeswoman for the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department.
Clark-Shear said she had no firm knowledge of the delays, but thought they might be weather-related. Heavy rains in December have been followed by a relatively light rainy season.
The contractor is McGuire and Hester of Oakland, which bid $2,709,000 for the job.
Mohamed Assaf, a senior facilities engineer for the county, said the delay was caused by a series of time glitches and was complicated by the weather.
“Our permit with (county) Fish and Game says the concrete (in the water) must be done by Dec. 15,” he said. “It is a wetland area and you can only work there for a limited time. They did the grading all right, but we didn’t have enough time for the (ramp) concrete.”
“The construction window is limited because, traditionally, the water levels are lowest in October and November,” Assaf said. “We must hit that period.”
Delays were many.
“When we went out to bid in 2000, we thought a permit would not be needed from the Corps (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers),” Assaf said. “We found out in June 2002 that it was.”
The Corps of Engineers, Assaf said, was “magnificent,” issuing a permit within 35 days. But it caused a project setback.
“We were going to open the bids in July and ended up awarding the contract on Dec. 10,” he said. Also, there was a difference of $500,000 between the two lowest bidders, and McGuire and Hester wanted to review its bid to see if anything had been left out. That took another week. Now, if we want to change, we have to file for a modification permit with Fish and Game.”
Concrete, Assaf said, contains a toxic acid that could leach into the water if not properly sealed before it is submerged.
Assaf said workers will try to construct as much of the boat ramp as possible to save the boating season. Parts of the ramp that are impossible to pour normally because they would be below water the surface could be completed with temporary precast concrete extensions, he said.
“Then we can come back in the fall and finish the job,” he said.
District 1 County Supervisor Don Gage said there was another reason the concrete work was stopped.
“During grading, the contractor allowed some contaminants (silt) to wash into the lake,” Gage said. This led to the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the state Regional Water Quality Control Board branch in San Luis Obispo to get further involved. “Construction was halted until the contractor installed barriers,” he said.
“We are working on contingency plans,” Clark-Shear said. She did not say whether the plans involve choosing a new contractor or what financial penalties might be imposed. She said the parks department expects to make an announcement over the issue late this week or early next week. In the meantime, Paul Gage of McGuire and Hester said work has not stopped.
“We are trying to salvage the season,” Assaf said. But he added that he was not yet sure if it could be done.
To check for the opening date, call Anderson Lake County Park at (408) 779-3489 or go to www.parkhere.org.
