The Fortuna City Council on Monday unanimously approved an emergency expenditure of just under $35,000 to replace and upgrade an antiquated computer network server system which put city data at risk when it failed last month.

”It was an eye-opener,” Mayor Douglas Strehl said Tuesday. “As you move into new systems and eras, you think something will last forever. As we learned, that isn't always the case.”

Since the Feb. 20 failure of two of the city's three drives -- which store important data such as software and files -- and the failure of the city's back-up tape drive, a new network server and email exchange server system have been installed. Both are expected to last for seven to 10 years.

Strehl said he thinks city staff did a remarkable job keeping to business as usual during the turmoil. He said it will be important for future city officials to remember this moment moving forward.

”We were reminded that we need to plan for the future,” he said. “We will have to figure out down the road what needs to be upgraded, and make sure we have the money budgeted.”

Strehl said the city council also unanimously approved a designated space within Newburg Park as a “bike use” space for children. The project is expected to be completed this summer, he said.