A long neglected county island in Turlock is set to get sidewalks, streetlights, storm drains and better roads starting next spring.
The unincorporated Kenwood-Starr county island is slated to receive $4.7 million from American Rescue Plan Act funds, one of seven county pockets slated for upgrades in 2025.
“This is a win-win-win for all parties involved,” said District 2 Supervisor Vito Chiesa. “But it’s really the citizens of these pockets who are the biggest winners."
Of the $107 million Stanislaus County received in ARPA money following the COVID-19 pandemic, more than $55 million has been allocated to improve unincorporated islands throughout the county.
In addition to the Kenwood-Starr upgrades, the Bret Harte ($10 million), Parklawn ($6.9 million), and Colorado-Rouse ($10 million) projects in Modesto, the Riverdale Park project ($11.8 million) outside of Modesto, the Herndon project ($3.4 million) in Ceres, and the Topeka-Santa Fe project ($5.6 million) in Riverbank, are set to begin construction next year.
An additional $1.16 million was contributed to projects in two of the five county districts, and an additional $1.16 million from each of the three remaining districts could be added to the pot.
Annexation by the respective cities would be the next step following the upgrades.
“That’s up to the bodies politic,” said Dave Leamon, the county’s director of public works. “It would be up to the county and the cities, along with (the Local Agency Formation Commission), to figure out how annexation would work. But that’s the county’s intent. Everyone’s lives are better when neighborhoods are part of the city.”
In August 2011, the Board of Supervisors took several actions intended to guide infrastructure improvements and support the annexation of unincorporated pockets into incorporated cities, according to a county report.
In 2019, the county developed cost estimates for 41 county pockets. A year later, the county developed a supplemental analysis for 13 unincorporated communities (Cowan Tract, Crows Landing, Del Rio, East Oakdale, Grayson, Hickman, Keyes, Knights Ferry, Monterey Tract Park, Salida, Valley Home, and Westley).
“We’ve been working on this, county communities and pockets, since the day I walked in the door, Aug. 15, 2007,” said Leamon, the county’s director of public works. “This is a longtime effort and this was our third or fourth round of estimates done in ’19 and ’20, and this was prior to ARPA.”
Estimates in 2022 for fixing everything — in all 41 pockets and 13 communities — were about $700 million.
The Kenwood-Starr project is currently in the design and engineering phase. The county and city have been working to determine design standards. Already, 90 percent of improvement plans have been sent for review.
The project would include storm drain facilities (including curb, gutters), sidewalks (including ADA ramps and misc. driveway approaches), domestic water facilities, street light facilities, sanitary sewer facilities, roadside signs, and roadway reconstruction (including striping).
