BACKGROUND:
Moving into 2022 the Cathedral City is still experiencing rapid growth with newly submitted developments in the planning stages. This development expansion is a great opportunity for the City.
Even though these new development projects are submitted through the City’s Planning Department, the City’s Engineering Department is significantly involved in the preplanning process, the entitlement process (Planning Commission) and the actual construction process. Evidence of these efforts can be recently seen on Date Palm Drive with the new Tower Market and Amazon projects and their related improvements.
The City also has a robust Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) with many projects that have been approved in the FY 2021-22 and 2022-23 Budget. Significant projects upcoming this spring and summer are as follows:
•SB-1:
oCentury Park Neighborhood Street Rehabilitations
oLandau Blvd/McCallum Way Traffic Signal and Related Improvements •Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for Via De Anza Street Rehabilitation
•Maintenance of Effort (MOE):
oSarah Road Street Pavement Rehabilitation
oRamon Road Rubberized Emulsion Aggregate Slurry (REAS) oCorral Road REAS
oAvenida Los Ninos Surface Widening
•Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG):
oDate Palm Drive north of I-10 to Varner Road Widening Design oCanyon Shore Traffic Signal
•Federal Highway Bridge Program (FHBP):
oOphelia Bringas Bridge Completion
oRamon Road Bridge Design Support
oVista Chino Bridge Design Support
•Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 5:
oEast Palm Canyon Bicycle Lanes Construction
oCathedral Canyon Multi-Use Path and Bicycle Lane Design Completion oDate Palm Drive Sidewalks, Bicycle Lane and Bridge Widening (east side) Design Completion
•Proposition 68 Grant Award:
oDream Homes Park Design
•Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP):
oCycle 9 – 12 Intersection Improvements Design
oCycle 9 – Date Palm and Varner Safety Improvements Design oCycle 10 – Ramon Road/La Paloma (High-Intensity Activated CrossWalK) (HAWK) Signal Design
•Park Improvements
oPanorama Dog Park Construction
oVarious Improvements Century, Ocotillo, Panorama, Soccer and 2nd Street Parks
•Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians (ACBCI) for Date Palm Drive Improvements Planning and DesignCity Wide Programs
oSign Inventory Program
oPavement Management Roadway Assessment
In conjunction with the above work, there are several projects listed within the CIP that will need to be planned and worked on to meet schedules in the late summer and fall.
DISCUSSION:
The above discussed CIP projects represent the City’s success in acquiring grants, securing agreements with various funding partners, applying increased gas tax revenues to critical projects and well thought out application of General Funds to satisfy the City’s Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirements. The above also represents a significant amount of experienced resources required to manage the projects to completion. Currently, the Engineering Department is down one engineering position.
The City’s new development project queue is increasing for the Engineering Department. Understanding that development is cyclical, we need to address the development expansion while “the market is hot” in the short term and later staff will evaluate its impact on long term organizational structure. This is a good challenge for the City to have.
To support the overall workload and thinking outside the box, Staff is requesting additional consulting management support to be provided for the Department, specifically for the City’s CIP Engineers. This on call consulting management support is to provide the City’s existing Staff with an available experienced consultant, initially for two mornings a week (5 hours each day), that can coach and mentor our engineers on specific project questions, ensure key project timelines are being met, assist with the use of other on call consultants and assist Staff with project related requests and Staff Reports.
The CIP management staff support is proposed to be provided by HR Green, Inc. (HR Green). HR Green, Palm Desert office, amongst other services, specializes in supporting municipalities in situations just as we are experiencing which is a rapid expansion with limited resources to adequately address the needs and Staff limited in experience. HR Green’s consultant to support the Director is Tim Jonasson, PE, who once was the long-time serving Director of Engineering/Public Works for the City of La Quinta. With HR Green, Mr. Jonasson has worked with other cities in Southern California to support similar situations as we are experiencing now.
Having an experienced on call engineer supporting the Department, will free up time for the Director to focus on the development expansion that is currently taking place in the City. This additional time will allow the Director to have more hands-on coordination Commented [KF1]: Not sure if this is correct,
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with the developers and their respective consultants as well as the City’s consultants that are supporting the City’s development project review process.
Initially HR Green would be working two (2) mornings a week (5 hours each day) to support the CIP Project Staff. This may increase and/or decrease depending on certain milestones in various projects being completed and others being initiated. The estimate for these services is $150,000 and will be paid at the hourly rates in the proposal.
In addition to the above, HR Green also offers plan check services. Currently, most of the developer plan checking and study reviews are contracted out to consultants supporting City Staff. Staff is requesting HR Green be added to the list of available consultants providing plan check services. The estimate for these services is $50,000 and will be paid according to the services provided. Note: The newly adopted fee structure takes into account internal or external plan and study review services collected in advance of the after-entitlement development process.
HR Green has submitted a proposal, which has been reviewed and is in line with current support services provided by similar consultants. Staff is recommending a Consulting Services Agreement be authorized for a period of one (1) year in the not to exceed amount of $200,000, of which $150,000 for On Call CIP Program Management Services and $50,000 for Electronic Plan and Study Review Services.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The General Fund Engineering Professional and Technical Services account, 100-156- 8601, for FY 2021-22 has available funding for the $67,000 portion of the Agreement that may be incurred during the remainder of this fiscal year. This will not require a budget amendment
The General Fund Engineering Professional and Technical Services account, 100-156- 8601, for FY 2022-23 may require up to $133,000 of the Agreement to be incurred through the end of the term of the Agreement. If the Engineering department is able to maintain budgeted staffing levels, there may be a need for a budget adjustment. If so, a request will be submitted to City Council for approval.