1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: June 24, 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 $1,840,000 and Amending 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 $1,840,000; 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 seven 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 conflicts include two parallel abandoned So uthern California Gas lines, an abandoned
2 private sewer lateral, a live fiber optic line, an abandoned BWP electrical conduit, a live 20-inch oil pipeline, and most recently a 26 -inch gas line.
The 20-inch oil pipeline is located within the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) right-of-way. The oil pipeline 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 26 -inch So uthern California Gas line is also located within the SCRRA right-of-way. It was not shown on SCRRA drawings or marked in the field and was encountered when the City’s contractor was installing piles for the specialized shoring system. Southern California Gas Company determined the 26-inch line to be their abandoned facility on June 11, 2025. Each conflicting utility requires approval from the respective owner(s) before the City’s contractor can remove and/or relocate the utility.
In addition, 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. 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; however, while excavating, the contractor discovered 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 SCRRA’s extensive time required for review and “special approval” of the revised plan, the existing Project funds were depleted , and City Council approved Contract Amendment No. 1 to provide $ 3,968,363.72 in funding under Resolution 24-29,549 on August 27, 2024, and Contract Amendment No. 2 to provide $2,340,000 in funding under Resolution 25-29,589 on February 11, 2025.
Permit Amendment No. 2 for work within the railroad right-of-way was not approved by SCRRA until November 14, 2024 and included permit review and Communications and Signal 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. The City was informed on December 11, 2024, that a more complex review process was required, involving a two-step approval from SCRRA’s consultant (Rail Pros), followed by Metrolink Engineering. SCRRA also indicated that track monitoring will be required to e nsure the shoring system performs 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 . In February 2025, it was estimated by staff that the ongoing Engineering review by SCRRA (that included both Rail Pros and Metrolink Engineering) of Permit Amendment No. 3 would take approximately 3 six additional weeks to complete (by March 19, 2025) , and thus anticipated that construction of the revised scope of work in SCRRA right-of-way would be completed by April 30, 2025.
However, the actual review and approval by the SCRRA took 121 days, with 30 days needed for the City ’s consultants to address all SCRRA comments and additional requirements, which resulted in the permit amendment not being approved until May 16, 2025.
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 to ensure immediate response and remedy should any issues occur. The bypass has been in place since January 5, 2024, as the City was required to resolve all the issues created by the inaccurate utility records and meet all requirements of the SCRRA. The contractor has since indicated that during this time the sewer flows in this pipeline have increased, which is likely due to new development projects being completed and connecting to the sewer system.
The estimated additional funding amount needed to complete the Project is $1,840,000.
A detailed cost summary breakdown has been included (Attachment 3).
DISCUSSION
With the recent approval by SCRRA (both Rail Pros and Metrolink Engineering) of the specialized shoring and monitoring plans, the City’s contractor has resumed construction work to complete the Project. The specialized shoring is currently being installed within the SCRRA right of way, and the existing pipe will be removed so the directional boring work can continue in late June 2025 to extend the existing steel casing under the SCRRA right of way to the receiving pit in Caltrans right -of-way. Finally, the approximately 200 feet of sewer will be installed to restore gravity sewer flow and allow the removal of the temporary sewer bypass system. Barring any further unforeseen circumstances, t he remaining construction work is expected to be completed within approximately four to six weeks (by mid to late July 2025). The requested funding includes a contingency of up to approximately four weeks through August 16, 2025.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This project was subject to an initial environmental review and City Council has previously found that the project is categorically exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
4 FISCAL IMPACT
Staff is requesting Council authority to execute Budget Amendment No. 3 for Bid Schedule No. 1508 in the amount of $1,840,000, and to amend the FY 2024-25 Adopted Budget to account for the increase in costs by appropriating: $1,840,000 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 $1,840,000 to complete the required Providencia Sewer Improvement Project Phase 2 , authorize an amendment to the FY 2024-25 Adopted 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