The city now has an estimated $1.18 million unfunded portion of the project, to be covered through the General Fund or future grants. Photo by Seti Long

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – After repeated setbacks and mounting costs, Gridley is pressing ahead with another attempt to get seven light poles installed at its sports complex.

The City Council approved another $77,468 at a special meeting on Aug. 17 for permanent steel casings after groundwater and unstable quicksand-like soil defeated the latest foundation design. The additional expense pushes the construction contract to more than $3.14 million and the total estimated cost of the first phase of the sports complex to nearly $4.18 million.

The vote came after council members questioned how the city reached this point, whether earlier engineering work should have identified the problem and whether the newest approach will finally work.

“I understand things have to be done, but I have an issue with all these change orders and us spending money,” Vice Mayor Bruce Johnson said. “When is enough enough?”

The sports complex received a $3 million Proposition 68 grant in 2022. The City Council awarded Franklin Construction Inc. a $2.47 million construction contract in January 2025, with completion initially anticipated in October 2025.

The city now has an estimated $1.18 million unfunded portion of the project, to be covered through the General Fund or future grants.

Lighting has proved particularly troublesome. In June, the council approved a $363,040 change order for redesigned light foundations, site remediation and delay costs after unsuitable soil and groundwater were discovered at all seven pole locations.

City Engineer Dave Harden told the council the original light foundation was expected to extend about 16 feet into the ground. Because of the wet, sandy conditions, the redesigned foundations extend approximately 30 to 35 feet.

“I just couldn’t even have imagined that we would have basically this underground beach or river of sand that we’re in right now,” Harden said.

Even the redesigned foundations ran into trouble. When two excavations were redrilled, water and loose sand entered at about 13 feet below grade and the sidewalls collapsed. Engineers subsequently approved leaving permanent steel casings in the ground rather than removing temporary casings as work progressed.

Council members repeatedly pressed Harden on whether the newest design developed by engineers would finally work.

“This is the best solution that they’ve come up with,” Harden said.

Johnson questioned whether the city should have gotten more certainty from the geotechnical work before spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on the redesigned foundations.

“I was skeptical at that point,” Johnson said.

Harden said the geotechnical investigation was necessary before engineers could develop a foundation design capable of meeting stability and seismic requirements. Without it, the city could not move forward with installing the lights.

The council’s decision on the newest change order carried an immediate financial consequence either way. Franklin Construction told the city that without authorization by Aug. 18, the drilling equipment would have to leave the site and later return, adding an estimated $75,000 to $100,000. The city called the special meeting immediately before its regular Aug. 17 meeting to avoid that expense.

That left council members weighing another $77,468 against potentially spending as much or more simply to stop and restart the work.

“We’ve got to do it,” Johnson said. “We can’t spend $120,000, move in and move out. We’re already into it.”

The change order was approved, allowing the permanent casings to move forward. But the construction schedule remains unsettled. An Oct. 1 completion date listed on the change order is only a working placeholder and has not been confirmed with the contractor, officials said.