Town of Paradise
Town Council Special Meeting Agenda
2:00 PM – January 21, 2025
Town of Paradise Council Chamber – 5555 Skyway, Paradise, CA
Meeting Procedures
I. The Mayor is the Presiding Chair and is responsible for maintaining an orderly meeting. The Mayor calls the meeting to order and introduces each item on the agenda.
II. The Town staff then provides a report to Council and answers questions from the Council.
III. Citizens are encouraged to participate in the meeting process and are provided several opportunities to address Council. Any speaker addressing the Council is limited to three minutes per speaker - fifteen minutes per agenda item A. If you wish to address the Council regarding a specific agenda item, please complete a “Request to Address Council” card and give it to the Town Clerk prior to the beginning of the meeting. This process is voluntary and allows for citizens to be called to the speaker podium in alphabetical order.
Comments and questions from the public must be directed to the Presiding Chair and Town Council Members (please do not address staff.) Town staff is available to address citizen concerns Monday through Thursday at Town Hall between the hours of 8am and 5pm.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance, persons who need special accommodations to participate in the Town Council meeting may contact the Town Clerk at least three business days prior to the date of the meeting to provide time for any such accommodation.
Town Manager, Jim Goodwin
Town Attorney, Scott E. Huber
Town Clerk/Elections Official, Melanie Elvis
CDD, Planning & Onsite, Susan Hartman
CDD, Building & Code Enforcement, Tony Lindsey
Finance Director/Town Treasurer, Aimee Beleu
Public Works Director/Town Engineer, Marc Mattox
Division Chief, CAL FIRE/Paradise Fire, Jason Finney
Chief of Police, Eric Reinbold
Recovery & Economic Development Director, Colette Curtis Human Resources & Risk Management Director, Crystal Peters Information Systems Director, Luis Marquez
Mayor, Steve Crowder
Vice Mayor, Steve “Woody” Culleton
Council Member, Greg Bolin
Council Member, Heidi Lange
Council Member, Ronald Lassonde
1 1. OPENING
1a. Call to Order
1b. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America 1c. Roll Call
2. COUNCIL CONSIDERATON
2a. 1. Consider concurring with staff’s recommendation to accept the Basis of Design Report (BODR) prepared and submitted by Carollo (ROLL CALL VOTE)
2. Provide staff direction on project next steps to commence requirements and impacts of modifying the Project Description for the Paradise Sewer Project from a regional connection to the City of Chico to a potential local treatment plant option. Further direction is requested on potential alternatives for a phased project approach to reach the full intended Sewer Service Area.
3. Appoint two Councilmembers to serve on an Ad Hoc Committee, replacing the previously established Sewer Regionalization Project Advisory Committee between the Town of Paradise, City of Chico and Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. (Marc Mattox/Town Engineer)
2b. 1. Consider concurring with staff’s recommendation to allow Paradise Town Manager to approve amendments to the current Master Services Agreement with HDR so long as the amendment does not affect the overall budget that was originally approved and the overall intent of the Master Services Agreement; and,
2. Adopt Resolution No. 2025-____ “ A Resolution of the Town Council of the Town of Paradise, Receding and Replacing Resolution No. 23-22, and Designating Authority to the Town Manager to Execute Individual Task Orders and Amendments Under The Resultant Master Agreement For RFQ 2023-001 On-Call Owner’s Agent Up To The Maximum Contract Aggregate Amount Of $5,000,000 To Expedite and Facilitate the Paradise Sewer Project, Initial Design And Progressive Design Build Process.” (Marc Mattox/Town Engineer)
3. CLOSED SESSION
3a. Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(2), the Council will meet with the Town Manager and Town Attorney regarding potential exposure to litigation – one case.
4. ADJOURNMENT
2 Town of Paradise
Council Agenda Summary
Date: January 21, 2025
Agenda Item: 2(a)
ORIGINATED BY: Colin Nelson, Capital Projects Manager
REVIEWED BY: Marc Mattox, Public Works Director
SUBJECT: Paradise Sewer Project Update & Next Steps
LONG TERM
RECOVERY PLAN:
Yes
COUNCIL ACTION REQUESTED:
1. Consider concurring with staff’s recommendation to accept the Basis of Design Report (BODR) prepared and submitted by Carollo Engineers (ROLL CALL VOTE)
2. Provide staff direction on project next steps to commence requirements and impacts of modifying the Project Description for the Paradise Sewer Project from a regional connection to the City of Chico to a potential local treatment plant option. Further direction is requested on potential alternatives for a phased project approach to reach the full intended Sewer Service Area.
3. Appoint two Councilmembers to serve on an Ad Hoc Committee, replacing the previously established Sewer Regionalization Project Advisory Committee between the Town of Paradise, City of Chico and Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Background:
Since its incorporation in 1979, the Town has sought a formal wastewater treatment solution for the community, with service for commercial and densely populated residential areas being a priority. Failed and failing septic systems create public health and environmental concerns and have limited economic growth. Prior to the Camp Fire, which almost completely destroyed the town in 2018, Paradise was the largest unsewered community in California. The Town has prepared numerous studies to address its need for a centralized wastewater treatment solution, and in its most recent study, the Town identified a proposed sewer service area. The proposed sewer service area includes the Town’s commercial corridors, and as described in the 2017 feasibility study, it represented the area that had the most septic systems that had failed or were projected to fail by 2022.
The Town of Paradise has secured $30 million for pre-construction phases of work (environmental, design, right of way, and permitting) and an additional $15 Million for construction through Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Planning and Infrastructure funds to facilitate the design phase of the Paradise Sewer Project.
Analysis:
3 On October 30, 2023, staff issued a formal Request for Qualifications (RFQ 2023-005) utilizing formal selection procedures in compliance with Paradise Municipal Code, State and Federal requirements including regulations for typical federally funded projects as well as specific requirements utilizing CDBG-DR funds. The RFQ stated the scope of work for the Progressive Design Build Services and requested proposers provide their qualifications and experience and included price as a component.
As a result of that procurement, Paradise Town Council hired Mountain Cascade (contractor) and Carollo Engineers (design team) as the Progressive Design Build (PDB) Team for the Paradise Sewer Project. The first step towards final project design is to establish a Basis of Design Report (BODR) which will inform the additional design phases of the project in a well thought out and consistent manner. During the BODR, the team studied all the previous Technical Memorandums, created a hydraulic model to analyze dry weather and wet weather flow rates, analyzed land uses and impacts to the system, and specified pipe sizing, among other design considerations. The PDB also evaluated design alternatives within the collection system, made progress on environmental permitting and selected export pipeline alignments which minimize environmental impacts. Additional field investigation plans were developed, and a preliminary cost model was developed.
The full BODR is available for download at the Paradise Sewer Project website, www.paradisesewer.com. The document may be found under the “Project Materials” heading. A direct link to download the document can be found below:
https://paradisesewer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Final-Basis-of-Design-Report-ParadiseSewer-Project-1.pdf Staff is requesting Council accept the completion of the BODR by the PDB team.
Concurrent to the preparation of the BODR, staff has continued funding pursuits with the State Water Board Division of Financial Assistance as well as other state and federal advocacy efforts.
As part of the development of the BODR, staff has learned the cost of completion (design through system commissioning) may exceed $400M. Previous funding endeavors aimed to secure an additional $262Mhave been unsuccessful to date. Following critical project workshops with the State Water Board Division of Financial Assistance and Regional Water Quality Control Board, staff has reached a conclusion that the project, as currently visioned, is financially infeasible.
On December 10, 2024, staff provided an update to the Town Council which shared a brief project and project cost history. Due to the complexities associated with building a ground-up utility in the lens of a recovering population base in the midst of historical cost increases, a revised project approach must be determined. Council and community feedback informed staff that the project remains critical to our recovery from the 2018 Camp Fire and that many businesses and residents are relying on its imminent completion. Further discussions involved pivoting to a local treatment plant option with phased collection system projects. Staff was requested to begin efforts sharing potential alternatives forward as soon as possible.
Staff is requesting Council provide formal direction to seek next steps for implementation of a revised project description to construct a phased collection system with a local treatment plant at a to-be-determined location.
4 Also, during the December 10, 2024 Council meeting, Council discussed the history of the previously established Sewer Regionalization Project Advisory Committee. The Councils of the Town of Paradise and City of Chico formed this Advisory Committee to develop principles of agreement for the City to provide the Town with wastewater treatment services. The Advisory Committee also monitored overall progress of the project, including the EIR process and associated public comment periods, as well as provided updates and recommendations back to the two Councils. This Advisory Committee was very successful in its mission. With a potential change in Project scope, a regional committee will not be needed moving forward. As a result, Council has requested a new Ad Hoc Committee be formed with two Councilmembers to participate more closely in the development of a revised project mission.
Staff is requesting Council appoint two Council Members to serve on the Paradise Sewer Project Ad Hoc Committee. Once appointed, staff and the committee will determine a meeting schedule and format to ensure ongoing review and engagement in this new direction for the sewer project.
Financial Impact:
All efforts associated with the Paradise Sewer Project are currently funded by an existing grant through California Housing and Community Development (HCD) utilizing Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds. The intent of the current $30M allocation was to complete the Design phase of the Paradise Sewer Project while construction funds are secured. It is anticipated this grant will continue to support the project moving towards a new iteration, however, full project costs associated with completing design are not currently known due to the pace of changes being requested. Staff will continue to work with the new sewer committee on next steps and financial impacts of the project’s progress, and also regularly report to the full Town Council.
5 Town of Paradise
Council Agenda Summary
Date: January 21, 2025
Agenda Item: 2(b)
ORIGINATED BY: Colin Nelson, Capital Projects Manager
REVIEWED BY: Jim Goodwin, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Amend how the Town is able to Amend the Current Master Services Agreement with HDR
LONG TERM
RECOVERY PLAN:
Yes
COUNCIL ACTION REQUESTED:
1. Consider concurring with staff’s recommendation to allow Paradise Town Manager to approve amendments to the current Master Services Agreement with HDR so long as the amendment does not affect the overall budget that was originally approved and the overall intent of the Master Services Agreement; and,
2. Adopt Resolution No. 2025-____ “ A Resolution of the Town Council of the Town of Paradise, Receding and Replacing Resolution No. 23-22, and Designating Authority to the Town Manager to Execute Individual Task Orders and Amendments Under The Resultant Master Agreement For RFQ 2023-001 OnCall Owner’s Agent Up To The Maximum Contract Aggregate Amount Of $5,000,000 To Expedite and Facilitate the Paradise Sewer Project, Initial Design And Progressive Design Build Process.”
Background:
The original Resolution gave the Paradise Town Manager authority to execute the Master Services Agreement with HDR for Owner’s Agent Services, but did not include language allowing the Town Manager to approve any amendments. This resolution would allow for a change to the original resolution permitting the Paradise Town Manager to approve amendments as long as they don’t affect the overall cost of the contract. This would include schedule extensions, and budget line-item reallocations that don’t affect overall cost, and language edits that are considered minor in nature and don’t affect the original intent of the contract.
Analysis:
The ability to approve contract amendments is commonly included in authorizing resolutions, this allows for a streamlined process for executing small contract changes without needing to bring the contract back in front of full Town Council. With an established Paradise Sewer Project Ad Hoc Advisory Committee, staff intends to report the status of contracts and amendments made by the Town Manager.
Financial Impact:
The original MSA has an NTE of $5,000,000. This amendment does not change that. 6 1
TOWN OF PARADISE
RESOLUTION NO. 2025-__
A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF PARADISE REPEALING AND REPLACING RESOLTUION NO. 23- 22 AND
DESIGNATING AUTHORITY TO THE PARADISE TOWN MANAGER TO
EXECUTE INDIVIDUAL TASK ORDERS UNDER THE RESULTANT MASTER AGREEMENT FOR RFQ 2023-001 ON-CALL OWNER’S AGENT UP TO THE MAXIMUM CONTRACT AGGREGATE AMOUNT OF $5,000,000 TO
EXPEDITE AND FACILITATE THE PARADISE SEWER PROJECT, INITIAL DESIGN AND PROGRESSIVE DESIGN BUILD PROCESS.
WHEREAS, the 2018 Camp Fire caused unprecedented damage to the Town of Paradise and has necessitated a variety of recovery projects which are further guided by Paradise Long-Term Recovery Plan;
WHEREAS, the Paradise Sewer Project is by far the largest project in scale, cost and overall benefit to the community.
WHEREAS, in an effort to streamline and expedite delivery of The Paradise Sewer Project, Town staff issued a Request for Qualifications On-Call Owners Agent (RFQ 2023-001);
WHEREAS, RFQ 2023-001 was designed for a base term of five years, with the possibility of a one-year extension at the sole discretion of the Town Manager for a maximum term of six-years;
WHEREAS, RFQ 2023-001 was designed for a not-to-exceed aggregate contract amount of $5,000,000 to be issued as individual task orders; WHEREAS, RFQ 2023-001 was prepared and reviewed under the most stringent of procurement standards, meeting Paradise Municipal Code, State and Federal requirements;
WHEREAS, RFQ 2023-001 was advertised on March 26, 2023 for work relating to the Town of Paradise Sewer Project, with major scopes of work categories listed below:
Provide program management on all aspects of the Paradise Sewer Project and ensure that the project is completed in a professional manner, within budget, and on schedule.
Review, evaluate, and coordinate the Paradise Sewer Project through all remaining phases including procurement, preliminary design, final design, coordination with outside agencies, utility coordination, permitting, construction, operations and maintenance, and project closeout. The 7 2
Program Manager shall review and make recommendations for revisions that will improve project delivery. Facilitate meetings and ensure communication among all parties.
Coordinate with other Town consultants, public agencies, and utility companies.
Review executed (estimated February 2023) IMA between the Town of Paradise and City of Chico and ensure all provisions of the IMA are adhered to through project development and completion.
Establish a public outreach plan that includes the Consultant facilitating public engagement and outreach for the Project as well as coordination with the Town on media releases, website updates, stakeholder communication, and responses to questions relating to the Project.
Organize and prepare for presentations at meetings held by Town staff, the Town Council, neighborhood groups, and other stakeholders. Attend Town Council meetings to update Town Council on progress of the Project.
Support the Town during project bidding, including responding to questions and preparation of necessary addenda.
Establish the roles and responsibilities of the augmented staff and manage these work efforts.
Coordinate regular internal project team meetings to monitor work progress, make decisions to facilitate progress, and provide the basis for updating stakeholders on progress.
Develop document management procedures including web-based sites for document sharing for the project team.
Maintain and track schedule.
Maintain and track budget and update cost estimates.
Coordinate with Town staff on the submittal of grant documents. Preliminary financial evaluation of sewer rate schedule. Other related professional and administrative tasks to assist the Town on the project.
Evaluating SOQs and shortlisting consultants.
Preparing RFP and technical appendices (design, construction, and performance requirements).
Assist in development of the contract and schedule.
Evaluate initial concept proposal and help select the PDB consultant. Assist in contract negotiations and development of the contract. Coordinate the right-of-way and easement acquisitions for the Core Collection System Construction.
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Coordinate the easement acquisitions, encroachment permits, and the extraterritorial letter for the Export Pipeline System Construction. Support needed right-of-way activities initiated and led by the Design-Build team.
Manage the geotechnical evaluations.
Complete necessary work to ensure NEPA/CEQA Compliance Manage the environmental permitting process from start to finish. Management the approval process with outside agencies from start to finish.
Review and comment on Draft Operational Plan, Commission Plan, and Start-up Plan.
Review the final Operational Plan, Commission Plan, and Start-up Plan for congruity with Town comments.
Submit the Operational Plan, Commission Plan, and Start-up Plan for review and approval with the Regional Water Quality Control Board. Aid with regulatory permitting and environmental permitting. Upon receipt of contractor’s schedule, evaluate and confer with the Town regarding workability of the schedule or suggest changes that may improve the schedule. Attend various meetings as a representative of the Town, and chair weekly on-site construction meetings with the construction management staff.
Track and timely respond to all Contractor documented concerns, potential claims, and claims. Develop appropriate resolutions in consultation with the Town.
Review, monitor and respond in consultation with the Town Requests for Information from the construction team.
Process construction-related expenses and reimbursements. Track project construction schedule and provide updates of construction status to the Town every other week.
Work closely with Town staff on coordinating work with regulatory agencies and private entities. This may include public relations work. Track all costs of construction and construction management and work with Town staff on the funding status of the project.
Review all change orders and extra work expenditures with Town staff. Administer consultant contracts for support services while effectively monitoring costs and deadlines.
Verify construction management records, including record drawings, and maintain appropriate records and files.
9 4
Complete project closeout work, including record drawings, organization of project paperwork, and clear statements of any outstanding issues and recommended action or position on the issue.
Provide an O & M Annual Cost Estimate 10-year projection. The cost estimate should include the core collection system, export pipeline and all associated appurtenances. The Estimate should include electricity demand and utilization, O & M labor, major equipment repair and replacement, and other miscellaneous services and utilities.
WHEREAS, 3 proposals were received by April 3, 2023, and following subsequent evaluation and interview, the following Owners Agent was recommended for the Master Agreement:
WHEREAS, by designating the Town Manager authority to execute all task orders associated with RFQ 2023-001, full benefits of this robust procurement process will be realized.
WHERAS, the original resolution did not allow for the Town Manager to approve amendments to the Master Services Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Town Council of the Town of Paradise as follows:
Section 1. The Paradise Town Manager is authorized to execute a master agreement with the above-recommended Owners Agent and to execute individual task orders under the master agreements for RFQ 2023-01 On-Call Owners Agent not to exceed the maximum contract aggregate amount of ($5,000,000) to expedite and facilitate the initial design and progressive design-build process for the Paradise Sewer Project.
Section 2. The Paradise Town Manager is authorized to approve amendments to the Owners Agent Master Services Agreement that don’t change the overall scope, schedule or budget of the agreement as originally approved by Town Council.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Town Council of the Town of Paradise on this 21st day of January, 2025, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
By:
Steve Crowder, Mayor
10 5
ATTEST:
Melanie Elvis, Town Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Scott Huber, Town Attorney
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