TO:Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM:Nader Heydari, Public Works Director
DATE:August 26, 2025
SUBJECT: Unit W Box Canyon Maintenance Hole Addition Project (CI 5684) RECOMMENDATION:
1. Approve Professional Services Agreement with Envicom Corporation (Westlake Village, CA) for preparation of a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliant environmental document for the Unit W Box Canyon Maintenance Hole Addition Project (CI 5684) in an amount not to exceed $87,660, plus extra services of $8,760, with a term ending December 31, 2026.
2. Authorize expense in the amount of $96,420 ($87,660 agreement, plus extra services of $8,760) from A/C #624-8250-682-8300 (Wastewater Fund – Capital Improvements, CI 5684).
3. Find that this action is not a project as defined under the CEQA.
LEVINE ACT ITEM: Yes
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
No Additional Funding Requested. $900,000 is included in the Adopted FY 2025-26 Wastewater Fund Capital Budget and $251,696 in carryover budget for a total available budget of $1,151,696 for CI 5684. Additional funding for construction costs may be requested at the time of construction contract award depending on bids received.
BACKGROUND:
The City provides wastewater services to our residents and businesses. The City’s wastewater service area covers nearly 38,000 customers, representing more than 100,000 residents via 415 miles of wastewater pipelines and 8,300 maintenance
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holes in the City's wastewater system. The wastewater is conveyed to and treated at the Hill Canyon Treatment Plant (HCTP), which is an advanced tertiary wastewater treatment plant with a 14 million-gallon-per-day capacity.
The Unit W Box Canyon Maintenance Hole Addition Project includes improvements to an unimproved City access road to the south fork of the Arroyo Conejo from Calle Las Trancas, as well as the construction of a new manhole structure over an existing 30-inch diameter wastewater pipeline in the canyon (Attachment #1). The access road contains an 8-inch diameter wastewater pipeline that collects wastewater from a portion of the Lynn Ranch neighborhood and connects at the canyon bottom to the 30-inch diameter Unit W pipeline. The access road contains several drainage crossings that need replacement. In addition, approximately 150 feet of the access road requires concrete or hardscape installation to allow vehicles to safely enter and exit the canyon. As part of the project, a new reinforced concrete manhole structure will be constructed where the 8-inch diameter pipeline meets the 30-inch pipe to facilitate easier maintenance of the two pipelines.
Given the complexity of the environmental documentation process and the need for biological expertise, the City needs an environmental consulting firm to review record drawings, document existing site conditions, and assist in the project design and the development of the required environmental documentation for the upcoming capital improvement project. The consultant will present draft recommendations, incorporate them into a final environmental alternatives analysis document, and prepare the necessary regulatory permit documents.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
In accordance with Government Code section 4526 and Thousand Oaks Municipal Code section 3-10.401, staff solicited a Request for Proposals/Qualifications (RFP/Q). Unlike the low bid requirements of the Public Contract Code, contracts for professional, management, general, or special services should only be awarded to firms or persons who have demonstrated an adequate level of experience, competence, training, credentials, resources, staffing, and other professional qualifications necessary for more than satisfactory performance of the services solicited. The award of an RFP/Q is based upon a variety of factors that demonstrate the best value to the agency for the solicited scope of service. The cost of the service may be considered as one of those factors; however, the lowest cost is not the sole factor in deciding who will be awarded the contract.
A formal RFP/Q for professional services was publicly advertised on May 16, 2025, in the Thousand Oaks Acorn newspaper and on the City’s procurement website.
Proposals were received on June 12, 2025, from the following three (3) consulting firms:
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1. Envicom Corporation Westlake Village, CA
2. Rincon Consultants Ventura, CA
3. UltraSystems Environmental, Inc. Irvine, CA
A team of Public Works engineering and operations staff evaluated the proposals based on the following criteria:
•Project understanding and approach.
•Relevant experience (projects of similar size and scope). •Quality, clarity, responsiveness & conformance with the terms of the RFP/Q. •Qualifications and availability of key persons working on the project. •Team (sub-consultants) qualifications.
•Reasonableness of schedule and level of effort dedicated to each task After careful review and consideration of the firms’ qualifications and project team/approach, Envicom Corporation (Envicom) was determined to be the most qualified to meet the City’s needs for this project. A detailed scope of work and consulting fees schedule has been negotiated and finalized with Envicom. Staff recommends approval of the Professional Services Agreement with Envicom (Attachment #2).
ESTIMATED PROJECT COST SUMMARY
Environmental Document (this action) $ 87,660
Extra Services (this action) $ 8,760
Engineering and Project Management Support (previous
authorization) $ 50,000
Construction phase estimate, including support and
contingency (future action) $ 1,005,276
Total Estimated Project Cost Costs for CI 5684 $ 1,151,696 The estimated project timeline is as follows:
Environmental Document Preparation Fall 2025 - Winter 2026 Bid and Award of Construction Contract Spring 2026
Construction Summer 2026 - Winter 2027
While the action of awarding this professional services agreement is not a project as defined under CEQA, this effort will conduct analysis related to CEQA, prepare draft and final CEQA Compliance Environmental Assessment Documents, and Unit W Box Canyon Maintenance Hole Addition Project (CI 5684) August 26, 2025
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determine if further CEQA analysis is required. This determination is planned to be included in a future staff report associated with the Unit W Box Canyon Maintenance Hole Addition Project.
Community Outreach: This project will be limited to work on the access road and within the South Fork Arroyo Conejo Canyon and is not expected to impact any neighboring residences. Once the draft environmental document is prepared, it will be circulated for public comment, and a period for comments will be observed before responses to the comments are prepared, and the document included in a future staff report for adoption.
This project meets City Council’s Top Ten Priorities #8 and #9, “Environmental Sustainability” and “Public Works Infrastructure Investments”.
CIP PROJECT PRIORITY (as outlined in FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27 CIP Program Budget)
Priority Two – Necessary, but not essential, and there could be consequences if deferred.
LEVINE ACT (California Government Code § 84308):
This item is subject to the Levine Act. City Councilmembers who have received a campaign contribution of more than $500 (aggregated) within the preceding 12 months from a party or their agent/representative, or a financially-interested participant involved in this proceeding may do either of the following: (1) disclose the contribution on the record and recuse themselves from this proceeding; or if applicable (2) return the portion of the contribution that exceeds $500 within 30 days from the time the official knew or should have known about the contribution, and participate in the proceeding.
All parties and their agents/representatives must disclose on the record of this proceeding any aggregated contribution of more than $500 made to any Councilmember within the preceding 12 months. Councilmembers are prohibited from accepting, soliciting, or directing a campaign contribution of more than $500 (aggregated) from a party, their agent/representative, or a financially-interested participant during a proceeding and for 12 months following the date a final decision is made. In addition, a party, their agent/representative, or a financially- interested participant is prohibited from contributing more than $500 (aggregated) to a Councilmember during a proceeding and for 12 months following the date a final decision is made.
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COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goals:
C. Operate City government in a fiscally and managerially responsible and prudent manner to ensure that the City of Thousand Oaks remains one of California's most desirable places to live, work, visit, recreate, and raise a family.
F. Provide and enhance essential infrastructure to ensure that the goals and policies of the Thousand Oaks General Plan are carried out and the City retains its role and reputation as a leader in protecting the environment and preserving limited natural resources.
PREPARED BY: Paul Weinstein, Associate Analyst
Attachments:
Attachment #1 – Vicinity and Location Maps
Attachment #2 – Professional Services Agreement with Envicom DPW: 850-20\ev\Council\2025\082625\CI 5684\Unit W Box Canyon Maintenance Hole Addition Project staff report.docx