Contractor Ordered to Clean Up Debris After Resident Complaints

An apparent mix up with a contractor in San Carlos led to the dumping of a large pile of construction debris on Samtrans property and numerous complaints from residents bothered by the resulting dust, according to city and Samtrans officials.

A contractor hired by the city of San Carlos to complete a sewer line replacement on Industrial Road has been dumping debris on a property owned by Samtrans at Holly Street and El Camino Real over a period of several
weeks without permission, Samtrans spokeswoman Tasha Bartholomew said Wednesday.

Samtrans initially approached the contractor directly in an attempt to make the dumping stop with no result before contacting the city for help, Bartholomew said.

San Carlos City Manager Jeff Maltbie said the large piles of dirt and broken-up concrete reinforced sewer pipe drew numerous complaints from residents this weekend when high winds stirred up heavy dust in the area.

The city covered the piles with tarps over the weekend to keep down the dust and ordered the contractor to clean up the area on Monday.

Maltbie said he understood the contractor had attempted to contract for the use of the location from Samtrans but had begun dumping before securing an agreement, possibly due to a miscommunication.

However Bartholomew said the property is not available for any lease because it is slated for a major development project, the San Carlos Transit Village, which is expected to break ground later this year or early next year.

“So even if we were in talks with the contractor to provide them with some sort of space, that particular space at Holly and El Camino Real was not an option,” Bartholomew said. “I’m not sure what happened there.”

Community members have raised concern that the dust raised by the debris pile might contain toxic elements. Maltbie said the debris was being tested as it was removed from the site, but that he had no particular reason
to think it was toxic at this point.

Bartholomew said Samtrans has also heard complaints from residents about the debris pile

“We just hope that this whole situation gets resolved as quickly as possible,” Bartholomew said.

The city will require the contractor to pay for the debris removal and any costs associated with the debris pile under the terms of its contract, Maltbie said.

The sewer project on Industrial Road is expected to continue into next year, Maltbie said.

--Bay City News Service