Agenda Item Wording:
title
Reimbursement Agreement - Authorize the City Manager to execute a reimbursement agreement with San Joaquin Valley Railroad for an estimated amount of $166,038 for engineering services associated with the design of the Goshen Visalia Corridor Connection project.
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Agenda Date: 06/15/2026
Prepared by:
Rebecca Keenan, Senior Civil Engineer, Rebecca.Keenan@visalia.gov, 713-4541
Jim Koontz, City Attorney, jkoontz@prlawcorp.com, 372-2400
Chris Crawford, City Engineer, chris.crawford@visalia.gov, 713-4331
Jason Huckleberry, Eng & Bldg. Dept. Director, Jason.Huckleberry@visalia.gov, 713-4495
Department Recommendation: Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to execute a reimbursement agreement with San Joaquin Valley Railroad for an estimated amount of $166,038 for engineering services associated with the design of the Goshen Visalia Corridor Connection (GVCC) project.
Summary:
The City of Visalia applied for and received a $34,608,000 grant from the Cycle 7 - Active Transportation (ATP) Fund for improvements to the existing 5.6 mile, Class 1 multi-use Goshen Avenue Trail, between Camp Drive - Mooney Boulevard. This project will reconstruct the existing paved trail to address localized flooding, and it will provide improvements to the trail crossings to increase safety features. Further details of the improvements are provided in the background discussion of this report. Since this trail is located parallel to the existing San Joaquin Valley Railroad (SJVR) tracks, and it crosses several city street intersections, the project will require coordination with the SJVR to design improvements related to the railroad facilities and to secure any needed right of way. Approval of this agenda item will allow staff to move forward with the required design, coordination, and right of way work.
Background Discussion:
City staff previously requested authorization to work with the SJVR at the December 4, 2023 City Council meeting. At that meeting, Council adopted Resolution 2023-58 authorizing the City Manager to execute a reimbursement agreement with the San Joaquin Valley Railroad (SJVR) for engineering services necessary for the design of the Goshen Trail Reconstruction Project in the amount of $80,740; authorized an appropriation of $75,000 from the Measure R Trailways (132) fund; and authorized the City Manager to execute an amendment to the Measure R supplemental agreement with TCAG to increase the Measure R Trail funds allocated to the preliminary engineering phase. Through this Council action, staff facilitated a City\SJVR reimbursement agreement for the Goshen Visalia Corridor (GVC) project, which covers the Goshen Trail segment located between Mooney Boulevard and Gidding Street. This request pertains to the Goshen Visalia Corridor Connection project, which is separately funded with the Cycle 7 ATP grant, and extends from Camp Avenue to Mooney Boulevard.
This project will reconstruct the paving of the existing Goshen trail, install sidewalk at some locations, improve Railroad crossings, address poor drainage, install ADA curb ramps, install new striping, and install new curb, gutter, and landscaping to clearly distinguish the trail from the adjacent vehicle travel lanes. Additional railroad crossing improvements may include signal time upgrades, warning devices, and additional signage to notify users when the train is coming.
The Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) owns the underlying railroad land & track infrastructure, while the San Joaquin Valley Railroad (SJVR) operate the track and oversee the day-to-day use of this segment. For that reason, both entities will have design and safety requirements that will apply to the project. The City previously established a reimbursement agreement with the UPRR for the trail crossings located at Camp Drive, Road 76 (American Street), Plaza Drive, Kelsey Street, Shirk Street, Akers Street, Demaree Street, Mooney Blvd, Leslie Street, Divisadero Street, and Giddings Avenue. That agreement is still place, although there is a need to amend it to include a crossing located to the west of Camp Drive, within the Goshen community. The UPRR is currently working on preparing that amendment, and it will be processed directly through the City Manager’s office. The existing SJVR agreement includes the crossings at Mooney Blvd, Leslie Street, Divisadero Street, and Giddings Avenue. It does not include the crossings west of Mooney. Through discussions with the SJVR, they indicated that they would prefer to secure a new reimbursement agreement for the GVCC, for ease of project tracking. The new SJVR agreement will include the trail crossings located at Camp Drive, Road 76 (American Street), Plaza Drive, Kelsey Street, Shirk Street, Akers Street, and Demaree Street.
In addition to the two railroad entities, the improvements plans will be reviewed by the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) for compliance with state regulations. Then, after the design is complete and construction begins, there will be a need for additional agreements related to construction oversight by the railroad entities. Staff will return to Council at that time for continued coordination.
Fiscal Impact:
Design phase costs will be covered by the $4,621,000 from Measure R Trailway budgeted. See tables below for the budget breakdown.
Table 1: Current Budget
|
Phase |
MR |
ATP |
Total |
|
PS&E, ROW & CON |
$ 4,621,000.00 |
$ 34,308,000.00 |
$ 38,929,000.00 |
|
NI (Non-Infrastructure) |
$ 291,000.00 |
$ 300,000.00 |
$ 591,000.00 |
|
|
$ 4,912,000.00 |
$ 34,608,000.00 |
$ 39,520,000.00 |
Table 2: Current MR Tasks
Budget: $4,621,000
|
TASK |
Cost |
|
Design Consultant - 4Creeks (Base) |
$ 956,906.00 |
|
Optional or Fix-fee Tasks |
$ 312,400.00 |
|
Amendment #1Renderings for Cycle 7 ATP |
$ 15,000.00 |
|
Amendment #2, 1.0 Fee Schedule increase |
$ 76,170.19 |
|
Amendment #2, 2.0 Additional Civil Scope (City of Visalia and RR requirements) |
$ 191,350.00 |
|
Amendment #3, 1.0 Additional Civil Scope (City of Visalia and RR requirements) |
$ 359,419.00 |
|
Staff Time Estimate & Misc. (Project Management & Survey Drawing) |
$ 380,000.00 |
|
Union Pacific Railroad Company Reimbursement Agreement |
$ 100,000.00 |
|
San Joaquin Valley Railroad Reimbursement Agreement (Mooney Blvd. - Giddings St.) |
$ 80,740.00 |
|
San Joaquin Valley Railroad Reimbursement Agreement (Camp Dr. - Mooney Blvd.) |
$ 166,038.00 |
|
Total |
$ 2,638,023.19 |
|
MR Balance |
$1,982,976.81 |
Prior Council Action:
October 6, 2025 - Approval of design amendments #2 & #3 in the amount of $267,520.19 and $1,303,444.00 respectively to 4Creeks for the Goshen-Visalia Corridor Project Phase 1 and the Goshen-Visalia Corridor Connection Project, appropriate $750,000 from the Measure R Trailways Fund and amend the Measure R Supplement Agreement.
October 6, 2025 - Authorize the City Manager to execute a Memorandum of Understanding with the County of Tulare for the Active Transportation Program funded Goshen-Visalia Corridor Connection Project, adopt Resolution 2025-71, and appropriate $1,100,000 from Fund (281) Transportation to be reimbursed by the County of Tulare for the design phase.
December 4, 2023 - Adoption of Resolution 2023-58 authorizing reimbursement agreement with San Joaquin Valley Railroad for the engineering services associated with the design of the Goshen Trail Reconstruction Project, appropriate $75,000 from the Measure R Trailways (132) fund and authorize the City Manager to execute the amendment to the Measure R Supplemental.
August 15, 2022 - Adoption of Resolution 2022-48 authorizing City Manager to execute reimbursement agreement with Union Pacific Railroad Company for the engineering services associated with the design of the Goshen Trail Reconstruction Project. (Project Number 3010-72000/CP8130-999)
May 2, 2022 - Authorize the City Manager to enter a contract with 4Creeks for RFP 21-22-27 to prepare professional consulting services for the design of the Goshen Trail Reconstruction project in the amount not to exceed $1,269,306, authorize an additional appropriation of $650,000 from Measure R Trails (132) Fund, and authorize an amendment to the Measure R Supplement Agreement (Project Number 3010-72000/CP8130-999)
Alternatives:
None recommended.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to authorize the City Manager to execute a reimbursement agreement with San Joaquin Valley Railroad for an estimated amount of $166,038 for engineering services associated with the design of the Goshen Visalia Corridor Connection project.
Environmental Assessment Status: NEPA will prepared as required by the ATP funding.
CEQA Review:
Notice of Exemption No. 2026-19 was prepared for the project.
Deadline for Action: 06/15/2026
Attachments:
1. Location Map
2. Draft SJVR Reimbursement Agreement
Strategic Goal: Indicates which City Strategic Goal(s) this item supports. Check all that apply.
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