TO:Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM:Nader Heydari, Public Works Director
DATE:September 15, 2026
SUBJECT: Street Lighting on Avenida De Los Arboles and Pavement Rehabilitation on Calle Abedul (CI 5725 and CI 5809)
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Approve the project design, plans, specifications, and Addendum No. 1 for the construction of the Street Lighting on Avenida De Los Arboles Project (CI 5725) and Pavement Rehabilitation on Calle Abedul (CI 5809).
2. Award construction contract to Universal Wiring Corp (La Habra, CA) in the amount of $556,852, plus a contingency of $55,748.
3. Approve budget appropriation in the amount of $396,800 from A/C #001-0000- 311-1000 (General Fund - Fund Balance) to A/C #001-5310-631-8300 (General Fund - Improvements Other Than Buildings, CI 5725).
4. Authorize expenditure in the amount of $717,600 as follows: $646,718 ($506,055 construction contract - lighting portion, $50,663 construction contingency - lighting portion, $75,000 for Southern California Edison streetlight installation, $10,000 for construction phase support material testing, and $5,000 for City furnished materials and supplies), where $250,000 is from A/C #141-5310- 631-8300 (Lighting Fund - Improvements Other Than Buildings, CI 5725) and $396,718 is from A/C #001-5310-631-8300 (General Fund - Improvements Other Than Buildings, CI 5725), and $70,882 ($50,797 construction contract - pavement portion, $5,085 construction contingency - pavement portion, and $15,000 for construction phase support material testing) from A/C #539-5310-631-8300 (Dev Fee Misc Street Fund - Improvements Other Than Buildings, CI 5809).
5. Delegate authority to the City Engineer to approve changes in the design, plans, specifications and working details of the project on work directives and change orders up to the project approved contingency amount.
Street Lighting and Pavement Rehabilitation (CI 5725 and CI 5809) September 15, 2026
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6. Find that the projects are Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Article 19, Section 15303, Class (3) “utility extension / street improvement."
LEVINE ACT ITEM: No
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
$396,800 Increase to Adopted FY 2026-27 General Fund Budget. $396,800 increase to the Adopted FY 2026-27 General Fund Budget for CI 5725 is requested. Carryover budget of $250,000 is available in the Lighting Fund for CI 5725. Total project cost for CI 5725 is estimated at $646,718. FY 2026-27 carryover budget in the amount of $134,402 is available in the DevFee Misc - Street Fund Budget for CI 5809. Total project cost for CI 5809 is estimated at $70,882.
BACKGROUND:
The Street Lighting on Avenida De Los Arboles Project (CI 5725) will install 17 additional streetlights along Avenida De Los Arboles from Calle Tulipan to Calle Abedul, across a segment of approximately one mile (Attachment #1) to improve nighttime visibility for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and nearby residents. The project area functions primarily as an arterial roadway with parking and bike lanes.
Nighttime lighting is limited to five existing streetlights concentrated near the North Oaks Plaza commercial complex.
The streetlights will be focused at key intersections within the project limits. The nine different streets that intersect with Avenida De Los Arboles are:
1. Calle Tulipan;
2. Calle Abeto;
3. Calle Bouganvilla;
4. Calle Olivo (east);
5. Calle Gomero;
6. Calle Olivo (west);
7. Calle Manzano;
8. Calle Castano; and
9. Calle Abedul.
The final design of the project includes all underground installation of wiring and conduits in order to avoid overhead wires between the streetlights as originally proposed by Southern California Edison (SCE). As a result, the total project cost estimate for CI 5725 increased significantly from the original estimate of $250,000.
The project also includes installation of approximately 72 feet of traffic signal Street Lighting and Pavement Rehabilitation (CI 5725 and CI 5809) September 15, 2026
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conduit across Avenida De Los Arboles at Avenida De Las Plantas. This conduit is included in the CI 5725 plans and specifications and will be installed as a part of the CI 5725 construction work to allow signal improvements under CI 5597. No expenditure is recommended for CI 5597 as a part of this action.
In addition, the project includes pavement rehabilitation for approximately 250 feet of Calle Abedul between Calle Naranjo to Avenida De Los Arboles to match the adjacent pavement rehabilitation planned under CI 5809 as part of the City’s 2026 Pavement Project. Because the paving work under CI 5809 will be completed before the streetlight improvements, CI 5809 will terminate at Calle Naranjo and the remaining segment between Calle Naranjo and Avenida De Los Arboles will be completed as part of this streetlight project. This sequencing will prevent the need to trench into newly rehabilitated pavement. City staff completed the project design and engineering in collaboration with SCE in May 2026.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
On May 12, 2026, City Council authorized staff to advertise the Street Lighting on Avenida De Los Arboles Project (CI 5725). The Notice Inviting Bids (NIB) was published in the Thousand Oaks Acorn newspaper on June 26, 2026, and was made available to all vendors on the City’s procurement website. A total of 1,112 vendors were notified of the NIB, and 55 downloaded the NIB. Bids were publicly opened on July 29, 2026. A total of three bids were received; however, two were not accepted as they did not provide bid bonds for the project. The bid results are as follows:
Bidder Bid
1 Universal Wiring Corp (La Habra, CA) $ 556,852
2 Alfaro Communications Construction, Inc. Not Accepted (no bid bond submitted)
3 Select Electric, Inc. Not Accepted
(no bid bond submitted)
The lowest responsive bid is from Universal Wiring Corporation (Universal Wiring) in the amount of $556,852, which is close to the engineer’s estimate of $539,000.
The bid package submitted by Universal Wiring has been reviewed and found to be in order and the bid protest period has elapsed with no formal protests received.
Staff recommend the award of the construction contract to Universal Wiring.
SCE, as the electric utility provider for the City, has collaborated with the City’s engineering staff in the designing of CI 5725 and will be responsible for installing streetlight poles, fixtures and their foundations. Estimated cost for SCE’s portion of work performed for CI 5725 is $75,000.
Street Lighting and Pavement Rehabilitation (CI 5725 and CI 5809) September 15, 2026
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Construction material testing in the amount of $25,000 ($10,000 for CI 5725 and $15,000 for CI 5809) will be processed under task order(s) issued during the construction phase to one of the City’s on-call consultants.
The estimated project costs are as follows:
Street Lighting at Ave. De Los Arboles (CI 5725)
Construction Contract (this action) $ 506,055
Construction Contract Contingency (this action) $ 50,663 Southern California Edison (this action) $ 75,000
Construction Material Testing (this action) $ 10,000 City Furnished Materials and Supplies (this action) $ 5,000 Total Estimated Project Cost $ 646,718
Pavement Rehabilitation on Calle Abedul (CI 5809)
Construction Contract (this action) $ 50,797
Construction Contract Contingency (this action) $ 5,085 Construction Material Testing (this action) $ 15,000
Total Estimated Project Cost $ 70,882
Schedule
The tentative schedule for completion of the project is as follows:
Award of Construction Contract September 2026
Start of Construction October 2026
Project Completion/Closeout Spring 2027
The project is categorically exempt from CEQA per section 15303 (utility extension / street improvement).
The project design, specifications, and Addendum No. 1 are available for review upon request by request to the Public Works Department by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at (805) 449-2400.
This project meets City Council’s Top Ten Priorities #9, “Public Works Infrastructure & Sustainability,” and #10, “Public Safety, Preparedness, Resiliency, and Community Risk Reduction.”
Community Outreach: Staff has established a public outreach plan for the project, with particular focus on the residents located adjacent to the project as well as the general public. Various communications tools and strategies, including community meetings (if needed), press releases, website updates, and social media posts will continue to be utilized to inform the public and receive feedback. A dedicated Street Lighting and Pavement Rehabilitation (CI 5725 and CI 5809) September 15, 2026
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project website has been created: https://toaks.gov/arboles-lights where updated project information will continue to be provided throughout the construction phase of the project.
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.
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.
D. Maintain strong commitment to public safety (including Police, Fire, Emergency Medical Services, and Emergency Management) to ensure City remains one of the safest Cities in the United States with a population over 100,000.
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: Norasaze Nana, Associate Engineer
Attachments:
Attachment #1 – Vicinity and Location Maps
Documents Provided Under Separate Cover:
#1 – Project Plans, Specifications and Addenda
DPW: 850-20\ev\Council\2026\091526\CI5725 CI5809\Street Lighting and Pavement Rehabilitation staff report.docx