HUNTINGTON BEACH : Works Chief Warns of Needed Repairs

Aging water pumps, streets and equipment are expensive problems for this city of 185,000, the City Council was warned this week.

City Public Works Director Louis Sandoval presented a slide show that illustrated the worsening condition of the city’s infrastructure, such as its water and sewage outlets. He said Huntington Beach, like many other cities, has had to delay repairs for years since Proposition 13 passed in 1978, putting a ceiling on property taxes--formerly the biggest source of city income.

But Huntington Beach will face huge replacement costs if it does not do some basic repairs soon, Sandoval warned. He said the deteriorating systems will worsen until they are beyond repair, and new systems and equipment will cost millions of dollars.

“Too often infrastructure maintenance has been deferred,” Sandoval said. “And like a family automobile, if you don’t keep up its maintenance, it’ll get in such bad shape that eventually you’ll have to replace it.”

The council viewed slides of leaking water pumps, roads full of potholes and city trees that are cracking sidewalks and street gutters.

Councilman Jack Kelly noted that the council is already in a budget crunch simply trying to keep up with the day-to-day costs of city government.

“I’m in favor of not having deferred maintenance,” he said. But he wondered aloud where the millions of dollars would come from to pay for the repairs.

Councilman Don MacAllister said: “We can’t solve it in one fell swoop.” But he said the council must be mindful of maintenance needs as it begins to work on its budget for the new fiscal year.

The City Council is scheduled to work on its new budget next month.