The county of San Diego has a backlog of unfunded or partially funded major capital improvement projects of nearly half a billion dollars, according to a report scheduled to be presented to the Board of Supervisors today.
The Capital Improvement Needs Assessment through fiscal year 2017 ranks a new $100 million regional communications system as the top priority. Upgrades are scheduled to take place over the next two years.
The report also calls for a $37 million, 400-bed expansion of the East Mesa Detention Facility to house non-violent inmates as a result of Gov. Jerry Brown's realignment of prisons and jails; $10 million annually to acquire about 12,000 acres of open space land; $10.3 million for a new library in Alpine; $23.8 million to develop a recreation center in the Otay Valley; $25 million to create sports fields in the Tijuana River Valley; and $16.5 million for to build a 350-seat supervisors' chambers at the County Administration Center.
The document also lists a number of smaller projects expected to cost less than $10 million.
About $572.8 million of projects are currently funded and approved, and another $22.3 million of work recently has been completed, according to the report.
The supervisors will be asked to refer the report to staff to schedule and fund the individual projects listed in the report. The city of San Diego estimates its capital works backlog to be around $800 million.
The supervisors voted to approve the report without comments, refer it to staff to schedule and fund the individual projects listed in the report.
The supervisors also voted to authorize advertisement and award a design-build contract for a fire station in Boulevard.
"This is a community that's been long in need of a new fire station,'' said Supervisor Dianne Jacob. She said the station would "provide the long-term fire protection needs of the Boulevard community and continue to demonstrate this county's continual commitment to increased fire protection and emergency medical services throughout the unincorporated area of this region.''
