TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Greg Bown, Interim Chief Technology Officer
REPORT BY: Julia Bordona, Staff Services Manager
SUBJECT: Budget Amendment and authorization to pay invoice for the Mount Saint Helena Road Repair
RECOMMENDATION
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Approve a Budget Amendment and authorize the payment of work completed to repair road on Mount Saint Helena. (Fiscal Impact: $18,570 Expense; Accumulated Capital Outlay; Not Budgeted; Discretionary)
[4/5 vote required]
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BACKGROUND
The access road on Mount Saint Helena provides critical access to several essential public and private entities - including CAL FIRE, the City of Napa, American Tower, KBBF Radio, and Napa County Communications. The County relies on this road to access its telecommunications tower, located atop the South Peak of Mount Saint Helena, which supports the operation of public safety communication serving both local government, law enforcement, and fire agencies.
Over the past several years, the road has suffered significant degradation and requires substantial repairs to remain safe and operational. The road provides access to multiple peaks and is used regularly by personnel from six primary organizations.
- Napa County
-CAL FIRE
-City of Napa
-Montesol (partial property owner)
-American Tower
-KBBF Radio
Historically maintained by CAL FIRE, the road became a shared concern in 2015 when CAL FIRE initiated discussions about establishing a cost-sharing approach among regular users to support ongoing maintenance. While informal collaboration has occurred over the years, the need for a more structured and sustainable funding model has become increasingly clear-particularly following the 2017 wildfire complex, which significantly accelerated road degradation due to heavy emergency response traffic and utility stabilization efforts. During that time, the American Tower site was destroyed and had to be completely rebuilt, requiring transport of heavy equipment and materials to the summit. This construction activity further contributed to the deterioration of the roadway. The 2020 Napa Fire Complex placed additional strain on the road, compounding the existing damage through another round of emergency response activity and utility access needs.
In 2022, Montesol independently funded $35,000 in road repairs to address critical failures. In 2023, PG&E power pole failures led to a 19-day power outage, requiring CAL FIRE to transport fuel to the peak, using heavy trucks to maintain generator operations, again causing further deterioration. The additional heavy traffic caused severe damage to the road, and the road’s condition has steadily declined. Multiple sections are now at risk of failure, and access is increasingly compromised. More recently the County’s Public Works- Roads Division completed temporary repairs and maintenance work to ensure the road remains passable. However, this is not a sustainable or long-term solution, given the extent of degradation and recurring nature of damage. To prevent further deterioration and maintain essential access, Montesol retained a contractor to complete critical repairs, including grading, ditching, compaction, and material importation. The work was completed over a two-week period in late June of this year.
While immediate repairs have been completed, discussions among stakeholders are ongoing to establish a formal long-term shared maintenance agreement among the six primary entities. All parties, including the County, are being asked to participate. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a partial property owner, has indicated that although they do not have the resources to contribute directly to road repairs, they are supportive of a cooperative road maintenance agreement between the six primary users. PG&E’s interest is uncertain.
The total cost of the current repairs is $133,765, of which $22,340 pertains solely to a Montesol-owned spur. The remaining $111,425 is equally divided among the entities listed above. The County has received an invoice in the amount of $18,570, representing its one-sixth share of the work.
Requested Actions:
1. Approval of Budget Amendment for the following (4/5 vote required):
a. Increase Transfers Out appropriations by $18,570 in the Accumulated Capital Outlay fund (Fund 3000, Sub-division 3000000, Account 56100) offset by use of its available fund balance;
b. Increase Other Professional Services appropriations by $18,570 in ITS-Communications (Fund 4200, Subdivision 4200013, Account 52490) offset by a transfer-in from Accumulated Capital Outlay; and
2. Authorize payment of invoice totaling $18,570 for work completed to repair road on Mount Saint Helena.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
No |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Approval of budget amendment is necessary to pay for the County’s share of the project to repair an access road, directly related to public safety |
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Is the general fund affected? |
Yes |
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Future fiscal impact: |
The future fiscal impact will be dependent on agreed routine maintenance costs and will be budgeted for in ITS - Communications. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
If not approved, the County would jeopardize future joint efforts between County and other users, to the detriment of public safety and efficiency. |
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Additional Information |
None |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.