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Commission reviews list of city’s capital improvement projects
• Biggest project is an $11 million water reservoir
Ceres city seal

The Ceres Planning Commission last week reviewed a list of city capital improvement projects being planned and funded.

City Engineer Daniel Padilla gave a brief overview of $20 million worth projects. They include:

• $300,000 in improvements to the Service Road fire station, which has been converted into use as a Regional Fire Training facility. 

• Installation of $235,000 worth of sidewalks in the Morrow Village area of Ceres, paid for through Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. The area is generally between Whitmore Avenue and Garrison Avenue, Moffet Road to the west and Mitchell Road on the east.

• Bike path along the TID Main Canal between Eastgate Boulevard and Faith Home Road. The project comes to $373,450.

• Reconstruction of Whitmore Avenue between Morgan Road and Crows Landing Road. The $930,102 project will be a joint project between Ceres, the city of Modesto and Stanislaus County.

• $1.2 million in street pavement preservation projects using mostly Measure L funds. Various streets in Ceres will be resurfaced.

• Flashing beacons and safety improvements at Mae Hensley Jr. High, Carroll Fowler and Walter White elementary schools costing $100,000.

• Reconstructing some pavement on Morgan Road south of Service Road in preparation to make that intersection signalized in the six to eight months. Some storm drain improvements will also be made in the area. The project is pegged to cost $150,00.

• Rehabilitate facilities at the Ceres wastewater treatment plant to cost $100,000.

• Improvements on water pipelines and lift stations costing $1.2 million.

• Add wellhead treatment to Well #16 north of Hatch Road to treat for trichloropropane (TCP) so the water meets state clean water standards at a cost of $700,000.

• Add wellhead treatment to Well #22 near the Whitmore /Rockefeller area. The cost will be $1.5 million.

• Add wellhead treatment to Well #35 to filter out a different contaminant at a cost of $1 million. 

• Painting and maintenance on the Blaker Reservoir Pump Station, $250,000.

• Replacing water system mains or services where they are leaking or have failed. Cost $1 million.

• Construction of a three million gallon water tank at Ceres River Bluff Regional Park to store water from the surface water treatment plant. The project is priced at $11 million.

Commission Chairwoman Laurie Smith asked if the funding for the projects is secure. City Manager Tom Westbrook said that in most circumstances the funds are in place.