1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: February 11, 2025
TO: Justin Hess, City Manager
FROM: Ken Berkman, Public Works Director
VIA: Stephen Walker, Assistant Public Works Director – Wastewater Systems BY: Kenneth Kozovich, Senior Civil Engineer
SUBJECT: Adoption of a Resolution Authorizing an Amendment to Increase the Cost to Bid Schedule No. 1508 - Providencia Sewer Improvement Project Phase 2 in the Amount of $2, 340,000 and Amend ing the Fiscal Year 2024/25 Budget by Appropriating Funds
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BURBANK AUTHORIZING AN AMENDMENT TO INCREASE THE COST TO BID SCHEDULE NO. 1508 - PROVIDENCIA SEWER PROJECT PHASE 2, IN THE AMOUNT OF $2,340,000; AMEND THE FISCAL YEAR 2024/25 BUDGET TO APPROPRIATE SUCH FUNDS; AND
AUTHORIZE THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR TO EXECUTE THE AMENDMENT (Attachment 1).
BACKGROUND
The Providencia Sewer Improvement Project Phase 2 (Project) is a required Sewer System Management 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 .
While the Project commenced in March 2023 and 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, and/or that required verification by the respective utility company. These utility PUBLIC
WORKS
2 conflicts include two parallel abandoned Southern California Gas lines, an abandoned private sewer lateral, a live fiber optic line, an abandoned BWP electrical conduit, and 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.
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 pipeline is within the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) right-of-way. To resolve the 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 operations that the existing steel casing was not where the Caltrans 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).
Due to the unforeseen conditions that caused depletion of the Project’s existing funds , City Council approved Contract Amendment No. 1 to provide $3,968,363.72, under resolution 24-29,549, on August 27, 2024. The staff report for Amendment No. 1 identified the following items to complete the project:
• Locate the existing steel casing within the SCRRA right-of-way; and • Potholing/locating activities were expected to be completed in September 2024.
It was previously anticipated that the work in SCRRA right-of-way could be completed by late November 2024.
With the casing located, a design change was to be developed and submitted to the SCRRA for review and approval. Engineering review with SCRRA wa s expected to take approximately three weeks. Upon SCRRA approval, the remaining work to complete the Project was expected to be completed within approximately four weeks.
To perform additional potholing activities closer to the railroad tracks to locate the existing steel casing, the City was required to obtain “special approval” from SCRRA . Updated plans were prepared and submitted to the SCRRA for their review , and it was initially anticipated that the specialized potholing work could be performed before the end of September 2024; however, the permit amendment for work within the SCRRA right -of- way was not approved until November 14, 2024, due to the permit review and 3 Communications and Signal (C&S) marking delays from the SCRRA (Attachment 2). After SCRRA granted approval, the City’s contractor immediately performed the potholing work and completed it in one day on Saturday, November 16, 2024. The contractor determined that the edge of the existing steel casing is located 9.5 feet from the centerline of the railroad tracks.
As a result of the steel casing being closer to the railroad tracks, the City team met with SCRRA on November 21, 2024 and December 11, 2024 to get clarification on their specialized shoring requirements. The City was informed on December 11, 2024 that a more complex review process w as be required, involving a two -step approval from SCRRA’s consultant (RailPros), followed by Metrolink Engineering. SCRRA also indicated that track monitoring will be required to e nsure the shoring system perform s satisfactorily and there is no settlement adjacent to the railroad tracks.
The SCRRA-required specialized shoring and monitoring plan design was completed and submitted to SCRRA for review on December 16, 2024. Comments were received on January 7, 2025 and the City resubmitted the plans on January 13, 2025. A second round of SCRRA review comments was received on January 22, 2025, and the City resubmitted updated plans on January 25, 2025 . Once the permit amendment is approved, the final segment of construction work can occur to finish the Project.
To install the new steel casing and sewer pipe within Caltrans and SCRRA rights- of-way, the existing pipe had to be demolished to make room for the necessary jack -and-bore equipment. As such, a complex sewer bypass pumping system was setup to diver t sewage flows around the construction area to a City sewer pipe that also crosses the railroad tracks and the I -5 Freeway (located at Verdugo and Front Street). The sewer bypass system, which was included in the original specifications and contract agreement, requires nonstop monitoring by the contractor’s 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. The bypass has been in place since January 5, 2024, as the City resolved all the issues created by the inaccurate utility records and met all the requirements of the SCRRA.
The Project currently has sufficient funding through February 21, 2025. The estimated additional funding amount needed to complete the Project is $2,340,000. A detailed cost summary breakdown has been included (Attachment 3).
DISCUSSION
To complete the Project, the following actions will occur:
With the end of the existing steel casing located, the specialized shoring and monitoring plans have been developed and submitted to the SCRRA (RailPros and Metrolink Engineering) for their review and approval. Given their past performance and that a more in-depth/specialized review is required due to the proximity to the railroad tracks, it is 4 expected that approval will be granted within six weeks. Following the plan approval, an additional two to three weeks will be required for the SCRRA to schedule flaggers and to complete the C&S marking at the construction site.
With SCRRA approval and markings completed , the remaining construction work is expected to be completed within four to six weeks (by the end of April 2025).
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This project was subject to an initial environmental review and City Council has already made a finding that the project is categorically exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
FISCAL IMPACT
Staff is requesting Council authority to execute Budget Amendment No. 2 for Bid Schedule No. 1508 in the amount of $2,340,000, and to amend the FY 2024-25 Budget to account for the increase in costs.
Staff is requesting Council authority to amend the FY 2024-25 Budget by appropriating:
$2,340,000 from account number 494.ND000.30011.0000.000000.00000 (Water Reclamation and Sewer Fund, Non -Departmental Assigned Fund Balance) to the Project’s expenditure account 494.PW23C.15032.19260.0000 (Water Reclamation and Sewer Plant Operations & Maintenance Infrastructure Work – Sanitary Sewer Repairs/Upgrades).
CONCLUSION
Staff respectfully recommends that Council approve the attached resolution to amend Bid Schedule No. 1508 in the amount of $ 2,340,000 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 – Delays Associated with SCRRA Permit Amendment Attachment 3 – Cost Summary Breakdown