Building Upland's Future

Building Upland’s Future: A Special Infrastructure & CIP Series

Upland is a community with a proud history and a bright future — but like every city, we face challenges that cannot be ignored. For decades, our roads, sidewalks, water systems, parks, and public facilities have quietly aged beneath our feet. Deferred maintenance has turned into mounting backlogs. And the question before us is clear: do we continue to patch problems in the short term, or do we finally commit to building a long-term future we can be proud of?

This special blog series, Building Upland’s Future, is dedicated to answering that question. Over the coming weeks, we’ll take a deep dive into the City’s Infrastructure Assessments, Capital Improvement Program (CIP), and Organizational Reforms that will define the next generation of investment in Upland.

Here’s a preview of what we’ll cover:

• Infrastructure Assessments – A sobering look at the condition of Upland’s streets, sidewalks, water, and sewer systems, with detailed facts and figures.

• CIP Summary – An overview of the City’s $76.5 million multi-year plan to fund 134 projects across transportation, utilities, parks, and public facilities.

• CIP Project Highlights – Tangible, high-impact projects like the Foothill Boulevard Rehabilitation and citywide sidewalk gap closures.

• Staffing & Organizational Challenges – Why our limited workforce struggles to keep up with maintenance and projects.

• Organizational Assessment Summary – More than 200 identified deficiencies in how the City is structured to deliver services.

• Peer Agency Analysis – How Upland compares to cities like Rancho Cucamonga and Chino in staffing, per-capita spending, and service delivery.

• Proposed Organizational Structure – A plan to add leadership and field staff while streamlining divisions.

• Fiscal Impact – How the reorganization saves money in the long run, producing a net $19,000 savings to the General Fund.

• Recommendation – The final step: adopting the CIP and staffing reforms to set Upland on a sustainable course.

The facts are clear: Upland’s Pavement Condition Index sits at 57 out of 100, sidewalks need more than $54 million in repairs, and over 40% of our water mains are more than 50 years old. These aren’t just statistics — they’re the challenges our residents face every day, from potholes and tripping hazards to water line breaks.

But this series is not just about problems. It’s about solutions. It’s about how Upland can — and must — act now to invest in a stronger, safer, and more sustainable city.

I invite you to follow along as we walk through the details, highlight the projects, and explain how these changes will impact our community for decades to come. Together, let’s build Upland’s future.

Next week read Part 1.