PISMO BEACH CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Agenda Item #12.F
SUBJECT/TITLE:
EMERGENCY FIRE SUPPRESSION WATER SERVICE TO COASTAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL AT 1005 NORTH OAK PARK BOULEVARD
RECOMMENDATION:
Discuss Coastal Christian School’s request for a direct connection to the City’s water supply infrastructure to supply emergency fire suppression to the school’s Multipurpose Building’s fire suppression sprinklers only, and provide direction to staff on a modification to the existing agreement between the City and the school, if desired.
BACKGROUND:
On November 16, 2021, the City Council considered and approved a request from Coastal Christian School (CCS) for the City of Pismo Beach to provide emergency fire suppression water to the school’s campus at 1005 North Oak Park Boulevard. The City executed an Extra-Territorial Service and Offsite Infrastructure Agreement with CCS subject to approval of the proposal by the San Luis Obispo Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), as the campus is located outside city limits but within its sphere of influence. Further background information is provided in staff’s November 16, 2021 report to Council, which is available in the Access Pismo public records portal at www.pismobeach.org/accesspismo.1
Since that time, CCS has conducted further analysis of the arrangement and has requested that the City consider revising the Agreement. At the June 20, 2023 meeting, the City Council directed staff to review an alternative concept for fire suppression service to the school and return with an item allowing the City Council to re-evaluate the existing agreement.
Current Water System and City Agreement
The current water system for the campus consists of five 5,000-gallon tanks which supply 25,000 gallons for fire suppression and a separate tank for domestic water use. To meet fire suppression requirements for Phase II of the campus development, the fire system must be able to provide 1,500 gallons per minute (gpm) for two hours. The onsite well can only provide a maximum of 70 gpm, which means the school’s current water system would require a 180,000-gallon reservoir for fire suppression storage. However, on November 16, 2021, the City Council approved an Extra-territorial Service and Offsite Infrastructure Agreement between CCS and the City of Pismo Beach (included in Attachment 1) to allow the school to utilize the City’s water system to fill the fire suppression reservoir should the reservoir’s water level fall below a set limit. With this configuration it was estimated that fire suppression needs could be achieved with two additional 5,000-gallon tanks, which would have considerable cost savings to the school. 1 Full URL:
https://accesspismo.pismobeach.org/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=362772&dbid=0&repo=Laserfiche Council Agenda 7-18-2023 12.F-1
The City’s water supply would be controlled by a float valve as shown in Figure 2, on the next page.
Figure 1: Coastal Christian School Campus
Figure 2: Typical Float Valve
Further Analysis and Revised Proposal
After a further in-depth analysis of the proposed emergency water supply connection as well as coordination with CalFire and City staff, Coastal Christian School is now requesting a direct connection to City’s water system only for the Multipurpose Building fire sprinkler system. All domestic water and onsite fire hydrants would still be supplied by CCS’s onsite water system. This connection would provide CCS with the following benefits:
Council Agenda 7-18-2023 12.F-2
Reduced complexity of the fire water system
Reduced maintenance costs
Reduces the potential City supplied water from 903 gpm for four hours to 450 gpm for one hour
Provides CCS’s fire water system with enhanced reliability Eliminates the need for pumps in CCS’s fire suppression sprinkler system
When first approached with the concept of a direct connection to the City’s water supply system the staff had the following concerns:
Water theft through fire hydrants
Equity to the City’s rate payers
Safety of the City’s water supply
The ability of the water system to provide fire suppression to CCS while still meeting domestic water and/or fire suppression needs of City
CCS addressed these concerns by offering the following:
Revising their plans to rely on the City’s water supply for only the fire sprinkler system
Agreeing to pay water service fees in excess of the typical costs to cover the City’s additional administrative expenses for billing and infrastructure planning Installing a double detector check valve to prevent backflow and contamination of the City’s water supply/infrastructure
Hiring a consultant to ensure that the emergency connection would not negatively impact:
o The City’s ability to provide domestic water to its residents and businesses o The City’s own fire suppression needs
Should the City Council choose to allow a direct connection to the City’s water system to only supply water to the MPB fire suppression sprinkler system the following steps would need to be accomplished by CCS and City staff:
Revision of the existing Extra-Territorial Service and Offsite Infrastructure Agreement between Coast Christian School and the City of Pismo Beach (Agreement) to reflect the revised project description
Adoption of a City Council resolution approving the revised agreement and project description
Gain LAFCO’s approval of the revised Agreement and revised project description
Conclusion and Recommendation
CCS has addressed staff’s concerns with a direct connection to the City’s water supply infrastructure and therefore staff supports this concept as long as the modeling shows there is adequate pressure and flow to meet the City’s domestic and fire suppression needs in the event of a draw on the system by the CCS fire suppression sprinkler system.
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss CCS’s request (Attachment 1) and provide staff with direction on how to proceed. Should the Council direct staff to proceed with CCS’s proposal, staff would return to the Council at the next available meeting with Council Agenda 7-18-2023 12.F-3
a revised agreement for the Council’s consideration, after which the proposal would proceed to LAFCO.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no direct fiscal impact associated with Council providing direction to City staff.
There would be a fiscal impact to provide these additional services to Coastal Christian School, which the City would seek to recover from CCS through additional service charges. Additionally, the City may choose to have staff evaluate a private fire hydrant service charge. This charge could be a bi-monthly fixed fee based on meter size that covers a portion of the fixed costs of operating the water system. Such fixed costs include maintenance of the water system and facilities, customer service, administration, and staffing, plus an additional cost to provide services outside of the City’s limits. If the proposal moves forward, staff would evaluate these costs.
ALTERNATIVES:
None.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Memorandum from Oasis Associates on behalf of Coastal Christian School, which includes:
A. Resolution No. R-2021-092
B. LAFCO Final Notice of Completion for the Outside User Agreement between the City of Pismo Beach and Coastal Christian School C. LAFCO Resolution No 2022-04
D. Recorded copy of the Extra-Territorial Service and Offsite Infrastructure Agreement Between Coastal Christian School and City of Pismo Beach E. Sphere of Influence Exhibit
Meeting Date: July 18, 2023 Prepared by and Submitted by:
Benjamin A. Fine, P.E.
Director of Public Works/City Engineer
Interim City Manager Approval:
Council Agenda 7-18-2023 12.F-4
3427 Miguelito Court San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805.541.4509 p 805.546.0525 f www.oasisassoc.com
mmemorandum
DATE:16 June 2023
TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS – CITY OF PISMO BEACH, CA FROM:C.M. Florence, AICP, Agent for Coastal Chrisian School RE: REQUEST TO REVISIT THE EXTRA TERRITORIAL SERVICE AND
OFFSITE INFRASTRUCTURE AGREEMENT BETWEEN COASTAL
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL (CCS) AND CITY OF PISMO BEACH for FIRE
SUPPRESSION WATER
I. OVERVIEW
On November 16, 2021, the City Council generously approved Resolution No. R-2021-092 approving a request by CCS to provide emergency fire suppression water to the school’s campus.
In March 2022, the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) reviewed and approved an Outside User Agreement for the City of Pismo Beach. On April 15, 2022, the Extra Territorial Service and Offsite Infrastructure Agreement Between Coastal Christian School and City of Pismo Beach was recorded. Since that time, CCS has been diligently pursuing the preparation of building plans and related specification for the ultimate construction of its multi-purpose building (MPB) and related amenities.
II. BASIS OF DESIGN –WHAT WE KNEW AT THE TIME
At the time of the noted approvals, CCS had conducted a very preliminary analysis of the proposed fire suppression system requirements, as described below
1. ….to meet the fire suppression requirements for the campus’s Phase II, the fire system must be able to provide a 1,500 gallons per minute (gpm) for two hours, which means the school’s current water system would require a 180,000-gallon reservoir for fire suppression storage; however, if the school is able to utilize the City’s water system, it would only need to construct two additional 5,000-gallon tanks for fire suppression.
In essence, should CCS’ private water system fail to provide sufficient fire flow duration, City water would be automatically supplied into the school’s fire suppression tanks, allowing them to continue to feed the new building’s sprinkler system and fire hydrants in an emergency. As described, this is a very complicated and expensive design to pursue, based upon the following components:
Tie-in and additional piping to carry City water for fire suppression up to the existing tank farm, on as-needed basis;
1 Excerpt from adopted City Council Resolution No. R-2021-092, November 16, 2021.
Attachment 1
Council Agenda 7-18-2023 12.F-5
OASIS ASSOCIATES, INC.
COASTAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL + CITY OF PISMO BEACH
16 June 2023
3427 Miguelito Court San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805.541.4509 p 805.546.0525 f www.oasisassoc.com
City water would be piped into the fire suppression tanks, which would then gravity feed to the multi-purpose building;
A fire pump would be required in order to provide enough pressure for the MPB’s sprinkler system to properly function;
Recent, more detailed analysis has determined that CCS would actually have to provide 80,000 gallons of dedicated fire protection water storage, even with the emergency refill supply from the City of Pismo Beach; and finally
This proposed arrangement relied upon emergency refill from the City of Pismo Beach at a rate of 903 gallons per minute (gpm) for a duration of four (4) hours.
III. THE REQUEST – WHAT WE KNOW NOW
Based upon further in-depth analysis and coordination with CalFire and the City Engineer, CCS is respectfully requesting a “direct, pressurized” connection from the City’s water system to the proposed MPB fire sprinkler system only. The basis of this request necessarily included a review of the City’s 2020 Water Master Plan to ensure that the system was capable of a direct connection.
The project’s fire protection engineer of record believes that the direct, pressurized connection is feasible given the City’s existing infrastructure. Nonetheless, should the City require review of CCS’ proposal in the context of the 2020 Water Master Plan, CCS is amendable to compensate the City for this third-party review.
In addition, all on-site fire hydrants will be supplied solely with CCS well water from on-site storage tanks to eliminate the concern for theft of municipal water resources. In consideration of the City’s concerns, the benefits of a direct, pressurized connection include the following:
System will continue to be used solely for emergency fire suppression; Reduces the complexity of the fire water system and related installation and long-term maintenance costs;
Reduces the quantity of emergency water required from the City to approximately 450 gallons per minute (gpm) for a 1-hour duration;
Enhanced reliability by alleviating the necessity to rely on CCS’ domestic water source, City back-up, and fire pump all requiring operation in concert for the building sprinkler system to perform, as required;
Eliminates the need and costs attributed to boosting the sprinkler system pressure via a fire pump;
Prevents potential “water theft”, as all on-site fire hydrants will be supplied via CCS’ existing private water system and new fire water storage; Payment of water service fees in excess of typical costs to cover the City’s additional administrative expenses for billing and infrastructure planning purposes; and finally Cal Fire has concurred with CCS’ fire protection engineer’s calculation of the requisite quantity of new water storage facilities and its compliance with the NFPA 1142 standard.
Attachment 1
Council Agenda 7-18-2023 12.F-6
OASIS ASSOCIATES, INC.
COASTAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL + CITY OF PISMO BEACH
16 June 2023
3427 Miguelito Court San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805.541.4509 p 805.546.0525 f www.oasisassoc.com
FF i g ure I. Schematic of Prop osed Direct Connection
IV. NEXT STEPS
We anticipate that we will review our request with the City Council, based upon staff’s analysis.
Should the Council approve the request via resolution, revisions to the existing Extra-Territorial Service and Offsite Infrastructure Agreement between Coastal Christian School and the City of Pismo Beach (Agreement) would be required. Specifically, changes would need to be made to the Agreement to reflect the revised project description.
Since the Agreement was reviewed by LAFCO, with the subsequent creation of a resolution approving the Outside User Agreement for the City of Pismo Beach (OUA) and final Certificate of Completion, LAFCO’s Executive Director has advised us that it will be a similar process as the previous approval of the OUA.
Thank you, in advance, for your review of the aforementioned request. On behalf of Coastal Christian School, we look forward to your positive response.
END OF MEMORANDUM
Attachment 1
Council Agenda 7-18-2023 12.F-7
OASIS ASSOCIATES, INC.
COASTAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL + CITY OF PISMO BEACH
16 June 2023
3427 Miguelito Court San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805.541.4509 p 805.546.0525 f www.oasisassoc.com
Attachments – 1. City of Pismo Beach Resolution No. R-2021-092, November 16, 2021
2. Extra-Territorial Service and Offsite Infrastructure Agreement between Coastal Christian School and City of Pismo Beach, recorded April 15, 2022
3. LAFCO Certificate of Completion, recorded April 25, 2022
4. LAFCO Resolution No. 2022-04, March 17, 2022
c: Jorge Garcia, Interim City Manager
Benjamin Fine, PE, City Engineer
Ted Malley, CCS Board President
P. Trutner, FPE + J. Henahan, FPE
18-0062
Attachment 1
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Attachment 1.A
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Attachment 1.A
Council Agenda 7-18-2023 12.F-10
TO:
Ben Fine, City of Pismo Beach, Applicant Team
Carol Florence, Oasis Assoc, Applicant Team
FROM: Rob Fitzroy, Executive Officer
Imelda Marquez, Analyst
DATE: April 25, 2022
RE: Final Notice of Completion for the Outside User Agreement between the City of Pismo Beach and Coastal Christian School Filings for the above-named change have been completed. Attached are the following materials including:
1. Certificate of Completion
2. LAFCO Resolution No. 2022-04
If you have any questions, please call us at (805) 781-5795.
LAFCO - San Luis Obispo - Local Agency Formation Commission SLO LAFCO - Serving the Area of San Luis Obispo County
CCOMMISSIONERS
Chairperson
ED WAAGE
City Member
Vice-Chair
DEBBIE ARNOLD
County Member
LYNN COMPTON
County Member
MARSHALL OCHYLSKI
Special District Member
ROBERT ENNS
Special District Member
STEVE GREGORY
City Member
HEATHER JENSEN
Public Member
ALTERNATES
DAWN ORTIZ-LEGG
County Member
ED EBY
Special District Member
CHARLES BOURBEAU
City Member
David Watson
Public Member
STAFF
ROB FITZROY
Executive Officer
BRIAN A. PIERIK
Legal Counsel
IMELDA MARQUEZ
Analyst
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