1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: August 27, 2024
TO: Justin Hess, City Manager
FROM: Ken Berkman, Public Works Director
BY: Kenneth Kozovich, Senior Civil Engineer
SUBJECT: Adoption of a Resolution Approving an Amendment to Increase the Cost to Bid Schedule No. 1508, Providencia Sewer Improvement Project Phase 2, in the Amount of $3,968,363.72; Amend the 2024 -25 Fiscal Budget to Appropriate Funds; and Authorize the Public Works Director to Execute the Contract Amendment.
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BURBANK APPROVING AN AMENDMENT TO INCREASE THE COST TO BID SCHEDULE NO. 1508, IN THE AMOUNT OF $ 3,968,363.72; AMEND THE FISCAL YEAR 2024 -25 BUDGET TO APPROPRIATE SUCH FUNDS; AND AUTHORIZE THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR TO EXECUTE THE CONTRACT AMENDMENT (Attachment 1).
BACKGROUND
The Providencia Sewer Improvement Project Phase 2 (Project) is a required Sewer System Master Plan project to increase sewage conveyance capacity to accept flows from approved and anticipated development projects in the Downtown Burbank District.
The Project provides approximately 1,500 feet of new parallel or upsized sewer pipe, and to date, approximately 200 feet of pipe remains to be installed to complete the Project (Attachment 2) . While the Project was originally slated to be completed in July 2023, significant delays and additional costs have accumulated primarily due to six utility conflicts that were either unmarked, at different locations/depths from record drawings, or that required verification by the respective utility company. These utility conflicts include two parallel abandoned So uthern California Gas lines, an abandoned private sewer lateral, a live fiber optic line, a Burbank Water and Power (BWP) electrical conduit, and most recently a live 20-inch oil pipeline. Each conflicting utility requires approval from the respective owner(s) before the City’s contractor can remove and/or relocate the utility.
2 The remaining portion of the Project requires a new steel casing to be jack-and-bored within an existing steel casing that goes underneath both the railroad tracks and the I-5 Freeway. In the process of installing the new casing, an oil pipeline was discovered, which was not marked by the utility owner as required by law and was at a depth /location different from what was shown on the oil company’s record drawings. The oil line is within the Southern California Railroad Association ( SCRRA) right-of-way. To resolve th e conflict, the City’s design consultant proposed to excavate in the SCRRA right -of-way beyond the oil pipeline at the edge of the existing steel casing so that a smaller casing could be placed underneath the oil line and the boring equipment could still be properly aligned.
After the revised plans were approved by the SCRRA , it was discovered during the contractor’s excavation that the existing steel casing was not where the Cal trans record drawings indicated. Additionally, the City was unable to locate it within the railroad zone approved by the SCRRA (extending 12 feet beyond the center of the railroad tracks). As a result, the City is preparing to use locator technology to identify the exact location of the edge of the existing steel casing. Once located, a solution will be designed and submitted to the SCRRA for review.
To install the new sewer pipe, the existing pipe had to be demolished to properly place the necessary equipment. As such, a complex sewer bypass pumping system was set up to divert sewage flows to a City sewer pipe that also crosses the railroad tracks and the I-5 Freeway (located at Verdugo Avenue and Front Street). The sewer bypass system, which was included in the original specifications and contract agreement, requires nonstop monitoring by contractor staff. This is due to the large amount of sewage being bypassed (approximately 1 million gallons per day) and ensuring immediate response and remedy should any issues occur. Due to t he delays described herein , the bypass system must remain in place longer than anticipated, therefore increasing the Project cost.
The estimated funding needed to complete the Project is $3,968,363.72. Unused funding would be returned to the source Wastewater Enterprise account(s). A detailed cost summary breakdown is included (Attachment 3).
DISCUSSION
To complete the Project, the following actions will occur:
1. The exact location of the existing steel casing will be identified within the SCRRA right-of-way. Potholing/locating activities are ongoing, and staff expects to identify the steel casing location prior to the end of September 2024. 3 2. With the casing located, a design change will be developed and submitted to the SCRRA for review and approval . Engineering review with SCRRA is expected to take approximately three weeks.
3. Upon SCRRA approval, remaining work is expected to be completed within approximately four weeks.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Staff conducted an initial environmental review and recommends City Council find that this proposed project is categorically exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to the following sections of the CEQA Guidelines: Section 15282(k), because this project involves new sewer pipeline and the maintenance, repair, restoration, removal, or demolition of an existing sewer pipeline that is less than one mile in length; 15303(d), because this project involves replacing existing sewer pipelines to serve existing construction; and 15304(f), because any excavation will be restored after installation of the sewer pipelines.
FISCAL IMPACT
Staff is requesting Council authority to execute a contract amendment for Bid Schedule No. 1508 in an amount of $3,968,363.72 and amend the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25 Budget to account for the increase in costs.
A portion of funds are available in the following project account:
• $1,784,996.37 from 494.PW23C.15032.0000.19260.0000 Water Reclamation and Sewer Plant Operations & Maintenance Infrastructure Work - Sanitary Sewer Repairs/Upgrades
Sufficient funding is available to provide for the remaining amount and staff is requesting Council authority to amend the FY 2024-25 Budget by appropriating:
• $2,183,367.35 from 494.ND000.30011.0000.000000.00000 Water Reclamation and Sewer Fund, Non -Departmental Assigned Fund Balance to the Project’s expenditure account number 494.PW23C.15032.19260.0000 (Water Reclamation and Sewer Plant Operations & Maintenance Infrastructure Work – Sanitary Sewer Repairs/Upgrades)
4 CONCLUSION
Staff recommends that Council approve the proposed resolution to amend Bid Schedule No. 1508 in the amount of $ 3,968,363.72 to complete the Providencia Sewer Improvement Project Phase 2, amend the FY 2024-25 budget to appropriate such funds, and authorize the Public Works Director to execute the amendment.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Resolution
Attachment 2 – Project Plans
Attachment 3 – Cost Summary Breakdown