Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE SUPPORT AGREEMENT WITH THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT NO. 2, TO SUPPORT THE CITY IN REQUIRED MANAGEMENT AND INITIAL STARTUP FOR PROJECT 1515-CARSON STORMWATER CAPTURE FACILITY AT CARRIAGE CREST PARK AND CONSIDER RESOLUTION NO. 21-160 AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2021-2022 BUDGET IN THE AMOUNT OF $250,000 (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
On July 19, 2016, the City of Carson (City) Council approved Item No. 19 - the Stormwater Project Services Agreement with the County Sanitation District No. 2 of Los Angeles County (District) authorizing the Design and Construction Management of Project No. 1515 - Carson Stormwater Capture Facility at Carriage Crest Park.
The construction of the project is nearing completion. The District is willing to provide its expertise for the first five months to start up the facility, provide an O&M manual, be responsible for the water quality monitoring requirements and operate the facility. These tasks are not part of the construction contract and the City does not have internal expertise to operate this facility. A contractor will need to be hired to begin once the District completes the start-up period after 6 months.
On November 1, 2021, staff received a proposal from the District and recommends that City Council approve the Operation and Maintenance Support Agreement (Agreement) with the District. Per the Agreement, the District will:
a) provide short-term bridge Operation & Maintenance (O&M) support through April 30, 2022,
b) prepare an Operation & Maintenance Manual approved by the City, the District, and any required agency,
c) prepare the maintenance plan so that the City can hire a contractor to take on the lead of the O&M, and
d) accommodate the construction management timeline.
The above scope of work will be provided for a negotiated fee of not-to-exceed $250,000.00 for Project No. 1515 - Carson Stormwater Capture Facility at Carriage Crest Park. Staff requests that the City Council approve the Agreement with the District to allow staff to proceed with the initial startup for the project.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following actions:
1. APPROVE the Operations and Maintenance Support Agreement with the County Sanitation District No. 2 of Los Angeles County, to support the City in the required management and initial startup for Project No. 1515 - Carson Stormwater Capture Facility at Carriage Crest Park for a negotiated fee of not-to-exceed $250,000.00.
2. APPROVE Resolution No. 21-160, “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARSON AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2021-2022 BUDGET IN THE AMOUNT OF $250,000.”
3. AUTHORIZE the Mayor to execute the Agreement and the Resolution, following approval as to form by the City Attorney.
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III. ALTERNATIVES
1. DO NOT APPROVE the Agreement.
2. TAKE another action the City Council deems appropriate, consistent with the requirements of the law.
IV. BACKGROUND
The City of Carson is a member of the South Santa Monica Bay Watershed and the Dominguez Channel Watershed Management Group. Under State law and as a member of these groups, the City must demonstrate to the Regional Water Quality Control Board its ability and commitment to fund and construct specific stormwater capture projects. The City had an opportunity to construct a stormwater capture and diversion facility underneath the Carriage Crest Park ball field to improve the water quality in the Machado Lake Watershed.
The City did not have to pay for the design and construction costs for this project and was able to secure a $13M grant through a Cooperative Implementation Grant Program with Caltrans to fund the Project (the Caltrans Agreement). The Caltrans Agreement specified the design and construction of a joint use project to capture stormwater and the City will be responsible for all management, maintenance, and operation, including costs of the constructed Stormwater Capture Facility.
On July 19, 2016 the City Council approved item No. 19, Stormwater Project Services Agreement with the District for the design and construction management of Project No. 1515 - Carson Stormwater Capture Facility at Carriage Crest Park with a negotiated fee of not-to-exceed $2,851,000. The City retained the services of the District on a time and materials basis to support planning, design, and construction management.
In February 2018, the City also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the County of Los Angeles (“County”) to expand the project capacity and to construct, operate and maintain Water Quality Improvements at the Park. Under the County MOU, the County agreed to contribute up to a total amount of $5,720,000 to finance the capital cost of the Project and to provide the ongoing annual funding of 44% of the Operation and Maintenance costs of the Stormwater Capture Facility project. Per the County MOU, the City is required to prepare an operation and maintenance manual (“O&M Manual”) describing in detail the operation and maintenance requirements of various components of the Stormwater Capture Facility project.
The design plans were completed by the District using a consultant that they hired, the PS&E was approved by the City Council, and the project was advertised for construction bid. On April 2018, a construction contract was awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, OHL, Inc. for the construction of Project No. 1515 - Carson Stormwater Capture Facility at Carriage Crest Park.
On January 14, 2020 the City Council Approved item No. 26, Approval of the First Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with the County Sanitation District No. 2 of Los Angeles County, for an additional $925,000.00, from Measure W funds, extending the funds of the construction management services for Project 1515 - Carson Stormwater Capture Facility at Carriage Crest Park.
The project included the construction of a stormwater diversion and capture system by installing massive concrete stormwater chambers underground at Carriage Crest Park. This project is part of Carson’s MS4 permit compliance strategy, which will reduce stormwater pollution to Machado Lake and the Wilmington Drain. The installation of the stormwater chambers required excavation approximately 30 feet below the ground surface. Wet-weather and dry weather runoff from the L.A. County Flood Control District storm drain will be intercepted and diverted to an underground storage facility at Carriage Crest Park. Any spills in this watershed of contaminated substances will be discharged to the Sanitation District’s sanitary sewer for treatment at the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant and will not enter any body of water directly. This will address the surface water quality issues, provide new supplies of reclaimed water for irrigation, and enhance the groundwater supplies.
Due to construction challenges, the Project has been significantly delayed. The challenges to construction completion included:
• Rain delays occurring primarily in the winter of 2018/2019;
• Delays associated with the contractor’s design and implementation of the shoring system associated with the main excavation;
• Characterization and management of contaminated soil;
• Various contractor-related productivity issues.
The construction of the Project is nearly complete and the City now needs to proceed to the operational phase. V. FISCAL IMPACT
Because the completion date and the cost of the startup phase were not yet determined at the time the budget was prepared, funds for the startup phase and monitoring were not included in the FY 2021/22 budget; therefore, if the project is awarded, the budget will need to be increased by $250,000.00 to cover this Agreement. Funds are requested to be appropriated from the unreserved, undesignated general fund balance to account no. 295-80-820-904-8011.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Operation and Maintenance Support Agreement (pgs. 5-105).
2. Budget Resolution No. 21-160 (pgs. 106-107)
a.
Prepared by: Gilbert Marquez, P.E. City Engineer, Kenneth Young, P.E. Senior Civil Engineer