Matt Machado, now on the job about five months as the new Director of Public Works for Santa Cruz County, gave a status report on road repair projects in the San Lorenzo Valley at a “meet and greet” event at Highlands Park on Nov. 19. Early in his remarks, Machado said, “Thank goodness Proposition 6 failed in the election- proposing to repeal the gas tax- because that gas tax funding is our match for every one of our storm damage projects.”
Machado outlined the roadwork completed in 2018 and what can be expected next year. With a total of 180 repair projects required by 2017 storm damage, 36 projects were completed in 2018, and nine projects “are in the que to go to construction in 2019,” according to Machado. Machado reported there are 13 additional, major projects scheduled in the San Lorenzo Valley and it may take as long as five years to “get caught up, and it’s almost certain we’ll have another major event before we do get caught up,” Machado said.
Machado explained that securing federal funding, primarily federal highway and FEMA funds, slows down the projects on major collector roads and arterials. There has been progress, according to Machado, repairing and re-surfacing many smaller residential roads with local Measure D funding. Machado reported five culvert replacements and 20 miles of road re-striping in the San Lorenzo Valley in the last year, and said repair efforts on smaller streets in Boulder Creek last year, and in Felton next year, are all scheduled to be done with Measure D funding.
Machado pointed out that the approved list and schedule of the roadway improvement projects in the San Lorenzo Valley is available online on the Department of Public Works website, in the “Proposed 2018/19 Capital Improvement Plan.”
Machado highlighted that San Lorenzo Valley residents should be aware of the “Highway 9- San Lorenzo Valley Corridor Transportation Plan” developed by Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission that is currently available for review and comment- a plan promising comprehensive improvements for pedestrian and bicycle safety along the Hwy 9 corridor. Measure D, the half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2016 for transportation improvements, includes $10 million earmarked for high priority projects along Highway 9.
“The list will be huge, but I look forward to working with the community in prioritizing those plans for the Hwy 9 corridor projects,” Machado said. “Working with CalTrans, and using SB 1 funding (gas tax) that thankfully we will continue to access, as well as Measure D, we look forward to finalizing the project list for major improvements along Hwy 9,” Machado said. More information about the “Draft- Phase 1 Report” of this plan is available at https://sccrtc.org/projects/streets-highways/hwy-9-plan/#draftreport .
Despite the Measure D and gas tax funding, Machado mentioned the actual staff of road maintenance crews across the county has been reduced by more than one-third since the mid-2000s – from 83 to 53 full-time road workers, which he said “is just the way things are,” but he hoped to deploy road crews as efficiently as possible.
“I really believe in open communication. You as local residents often know more about road problems before we do- and we want to hear from you,” Machado said. Machado emphasized two-way communication between the Public Works Department and the community- primarily via an email button on the department’s website- to inform the department about pot holes, damaged signs, or even illegal dumping along a roadway. Machado also mentioned a “mobile app”- Citizen’s Connect- that he thought is an important innovation that connects a user with the Public Works Department via a dispatcher 24 hours a day, which will be particularly useful for emergency road problems needing immediate attention.
Machado, 47, a licensed engineer and land surveyor, served for 11 years as the Director of Public Works for Stanislaus County. He said he currently in the process of moving his family from Modesto. Machado is “a communicator who understands the value of working with residents and county partners to build the trust and relationships necessary to move forward on key initiatives,” wrote County Administration Officer Carlos Palacios in a press release announcing Machado’s appointment.
Machado explained he was hired in a “dual role” as Director of Public Works and Deputy County Administrative Officer, in which he will be “working with other departments to bring them together, to be more efficient- particularly with the building permit process,” Machado said.
In response to skeptical questions about streamlining the notoriously difficult building permit approval process in Santa Cruz County, Machado mentioned his experience in Stanislaus County initiating a “one-stop shop” for permit review. Machado explained that particularly with expensive drainage and flood control requirements for a permit that often stall or prevent permit approvals from a single applicant, these required improvements can be “batched” via better master planning of deficiencies, that several permit applicants can pay for via permit fees over time.
