The county board of supervisors this week approved a cooperative agreement between the County of San Bernardino and the City of Rialto, wherein the county will contribute $889,429 and the city $82,482 toward the $971,911 estimated cost for putting in handicap ramps and other related improvements at street corners and other appropriate locations on various streets north of Interstate 10 in the Bloomington area.
According to the county’s director of public works, Kevin Blakeslee, “The project updates or installs new Americans with Disabilities Act compliant curb ramps, the removal of trees and/or tree stumps, and the repair of damaged curbs, gutters, sidewalks, spandrels, and cross gutters in the Bloomington area. Because the project area is shared with the City of Rialto, the county and city have developed the cooperative agreement to identify their respective roles and responsibilities. The project meets the county and chief executive officer’s goals to provide for the safety, health and social service needs of county residents by improving access for all pedestrians, including those with disabilities. This project will also establish continuity of pedestrian walkways in the area which ensures the development of a well-planned, balanced, and sustainable county.”
The environmental staff of the public works department reviewed this project and a related chip seal project and determined that a categorical exemption in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act guidelines is appropriate and allows for minor alterations, repair, and maintenance of existing public facilities and structures that involve negligible or no expansion of an existing use, including highway and street improvements, and allows for replacement or reconstruction of existing utility systems and/or facilities involving negligible or no expansion of capacity.
The board also authorized the public works director to increase the county’s contribution amount under the cooperative agreement by up to 25 percent, from $889,429 to $1,111,786, should costs dictate such an increase.