10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MAY 25-31, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com NEWS Over the past couple of years, Monterey County has become the home of Monterey Bay F.C., a USL pro soccer team, and Monterey Bay F.C.2, a developmental team. Within the next couple of years, it might have a second pro team out of Moss Landing. Breakers F.C., an amateur soccer club based in Watsonville, was the highest bidder for Moss Landing Middle School, one of the three surplus properties from North Monterey County Unified School District. (It is valued at $485,806, according to Redfin; the parties say the deal is now in escrow.) The club plans to build a soccer academy at the former middle school. “We’ve been excluding a huge pool of talent that we believe exists here,” says Leppa Galeb-Roskopp, Breakers F.C.’s board president. Galeb-Roskopp says they have a big dream: to turn pro by 2025. The Moss Landing academy would include soccer fields and dormitories, and would help build a college pathway for student-athletes as well as partnerships with first-division Mexican soccer teams. Galeb-Roskopp says they hope to complete the project to build the academy within 18 months or less: “We don’t have three or four years. We want a professional team by 2025.” In 2026, North America will host the men’s soccer World Cup and nearby Santa Clara is one of the hosting cities. Galeb-Roskopp doesn’t worry about the pre-existence of pro soccer teams in the county, noting they hope to join MLS, not USL, which Monterey Bay F.C. plays in. “You’re looking at a heavily Hispanic community who loves soccer and are very family-oriented and very loyal,” she adds. “I think it’s going to be a huge, huge following.” Game On A Santa Cruz soccer club plans to expand to Monterey County and bring a pro soccer team. By Celia Jiménez Monterey County is taking a new approach to fixing roads that are in disrepair: private funding. The county is moving forward with a public-private partnership that will finance repairs to a 2.7-mile stretch of East Carmel Valley Road, near Cachagua Road, after the Board of Supervisors approved the plan on May 16. The partnership will see the Silicon Valley Community Foundation provide a grant covering 100 percent of the construction costs, or $2.9 million, through a donor-advised fund acting on behalf of Fox Creek Ranch—a 276-acre property featuring vineyards and equestrian facilities that is located just off the section of East Carmel Valley Road in question. The county will fund the remaining design and project management costs, estimated at $725,000. The arrangement is the result of recent efforts by the county to find alternative sources of funding in lieu of an estimated $1.5 billion in “longterm deferred maintenance for roads and bridges,” according to Randell Ishii, Monterey County’s director of public works, facilities and parks. Ishii cites a 2020 county report that determined the county would need to invest $600 million over 10 years to improve its 1,200 miles of roads countywide to a pavement condition index (PCI) score of 70, or “fair” on the PCI scale. That $60 million annual expenditure would roughly double the county’s current budget for roads and bridges. “There’s a big gap between our means versus what we need in order to get to that maintainable level,” Ishii says. To that end, the Public Works Department has increasingly entertained public-private partnerships, after being contacted by private property owners indicating interest in funding portions of road repairs in order to expedite the work. The partnership with Fox Creek Ranch is the first time the county has pursued such an arrangement, according to Ishii, after the property’s owner reached out last fall about improving the portion of East Carmel Valley Road providing access to the ranch. While Public Works had outlined a program prioritizing projects where a private backer funded 50 percent of the total cost, Fox Creek Ranch agreed to cover all construction costs to speed up the process. The work will involve a standard repaving of the 2.7-mile stretch of road in question and is expected to commence by early September, “if not sooner,” Ishii says. The road is expected to remain open during construction via one-lane traffic control. Ishii adds that Public Works has received “some interest” from other private entities about pursuing a similar arrangement elsewhere. County Supervisor Mary Adams, whose district includes Carmel Valley, says that despite initial skepticism, she’s now “very comfortable” with using public-private partnerships to shore up local infrastructure. “So many roads and bridges are in terrible condition here,” Adams says. “In a district where we have so many county roads, and so many competing interests for funding throughout the county, it’s been a challenge.” Representatives for Fox Creek Ranch could not be reached for comment. A Silicon Valley Community Foundation spokesperson says the organization does not comment on its donors’ identities nor their philanthropy without their permission. Monterey County’s roads have an average pavement condition grade of “poor,” prompting the county to team up with landowners to accelerate needed repairs. Money Trail Monterey County is now letting private landowners fund road repairs near their properties. By Rey Mashayekhi Breakers F.C. launched in 1992, and is a founding member of MLS NEXT, an elite youth development platform for soccer players in North America. “So many roads and bridges are in terrible condition.” DANIEL DREIFUSS
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