Let there be light: Leaders shelling out for street lamps
By JASMIN PERSCH Special to the Daily Press
(Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures which appear on the upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agenda. Consent agenda items are routinely passed by the City Council with little or no discussion from elected officials or the public. However, many of the items have been part of public discussion in the past.) CITY HALL — Elected leaders are expected to spend $2.6 million tonight for cleaner water, new street lights and improvements to the city’s trash collection.
The largest expenditure by far — at $2.4 million — will fund this year’s replacements in city lighting, staff said.
Steiny and Company, Inc. has won the construction contract with the city to install new street lights and fixtures in several areas throughout the city.
New lights will be installed at Crescent Bay Park, Ozone Park and in the Pico neighborhood; Ocean Avenue between Colorado Avenue and Pico Boulevard; between Adelaide Drive and Montana Avenue; Second Street from Wilshire Boulevard to Colorado Avenue; Georgina Avenue between Ocean Avenue and Fourth Street; Palisades Avenue from Ocean Avenue to Fourth Street; and Wilshire Boulevard from Yale Street to Centinela Avenue.
City officials will pay the construction company more than $2 million, which is several hundred thousand dollars more than the city engineer’s estimate of $1.6 million, staff said.
City Hall contracted with Steiny and Company for last year’s lighting project and the firm has also completed projects for the cities of Los Angeles and Santa Clarita.
City officials also will pay SA Associates $132,000 to inspect Steiny and Company’s work. of delivery, the company will propose new service options and pick-up rates, which would cost an additional $127,000.
LOCAL WATERS ‘IMPAIRED’ The remainder of tonight’s spending — $47,470 — will help fund the construction of a new water-treatment facility.
The majority of the expenses will be paid in grants City Hall received from the California Integrated Waste Management Board and Proposition 12 in 2001 and Proposition 13 in 2004, totaling $1,419,930.
City officials picked Blios Construction, Inc. to build the water-treatment facility at Mar Vista Park. The city of Los Angeles gave Santa Monica the permission to use its land to construct and maintain the urban runoff system.
Mar Vista Park was the preferred site because it has open space for construction, is easily accessible for operation and maintenance and is close to the Sepulveda Channel, which can absorb water in case of a flood.
The DMR Team was chosen to manage the project the responsibilities of dealing with traffic control and detours, holding progress meetings periodically and providing information to the contractor when needed and keeping files on the construction.
The goal of the project is to improve the city’s water quality and stop water from flowing from the Centinela Basin to Ballona Creek, which pours into the Santa Monica Bay.
Both the creek and bay have poor water quality and are on the national list of impaired water bodies that need attention.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 25, 2005. Read the original PDF.