A longstanding drainage issue near the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds will hopefully be resolved later this year, city staff reported to the Ukiah City Council during its Wednesday meeting.
“(Public Works Director Tim) Eriksen and I are in communications with the fairgrounds (regarding) a failed storm drain system that crosses through the fairgrounds,” City Manager Sage Sangiacomo said during the council’s April 2 meeting, explaining that staff from the city, the fairgrounds and the California Department of Food and Agriculture “are all working to try and move forward with a solution for that area.”
“This has been batted back and forth for at least a decade,” Mayor Doug Crane remarked, after which Sangiacomo added that “we are working very hard between the two agencies to come up with (a plan) and how to pay for it, and think all parties want to get to a solution that works for everybody, so more to come on that.”
Last month after the winter rains, Jenness Hartley, whose daughter attends the New Morning Montessori school adjacent to the fairgrounds, expressed concerns about water that was backing up onto the school’s playground and the fairgrounds’ parking lot due to what she understood were issues with a culvert on North State Street.
When asked about the issue, Eriksen confirmed there was a failed drainage pipe in the area that was “originally installed in 1962 through an agreement between the city of Ukiah and the fairgrounds,” describing the pipe as draining “the North State Street area and, more importantly, a significant residential area to the west.”
Eriksen said that staff from the city and the fairgrounds have been discussing the status of the pipe since 2011 without reaching agreement on how to move forward on repairs. When asked to comment on the city’s assessment of the situation, Redwood Empire Fair CEO Jennifer Seward initially declined to give a statement.
However, soon after Seward was contacted for comment, Eriksen reported that “the city has been contacted by both the fairgrounds staff and the California Department of Food and Agriculture regarding the next steps for the project. Staff from both agencies are coordinating a meeting in the coming weeks to finalize negotiations on agreements and outline the schedule of tasks leading up to construction, which is planned for late spring or early summer. The goal is to complete the project before the summer fair.”
On Thursday, Seward provided this statement on behalf of the board of directors for the Redwood Empire Fair:
“The Redwood Empire Fair Board and CDFA staff have been in ongoing discussions with the city of Ukiah for the last few years regarding the long-term status of their storm drain, which runs through the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds property, and responded to the city’s proposal in November of 2024. The board requested a copy of their final plan and project costs that the city is asking the fair to contribute. Since that time, numerous conversations have taken place between city staff, the fair board and CDFA.
“It is our understanding the project will be put out to bid in the near future,” the statement continues, noting that: “The safety of the schools and organizations which use the fairground’s property affected by the drainage issue is the Redwood Empire Fair Board’s primary concern. We will continue to communicate with the city of Ukiah and look forward to an equitable conclusion to this matter.”
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