Storm drain expected to be overhauled on Montana
(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.)
By Carolyn Sackariason
Daily Press Staff Writer
The Santa Monica City Council is expected tonight to spend more than $2 million on a host of items including major renovations to two city park facilities, a new water truck, fire station improvements and consulting services for land use regulations.
The biggest ticket item on the council’s agenda is a $1.5 million expenditure to build new restrooms, concession stands and storage buildings at Los Amigos Park and Memorial Park.
The council in 2000 approved a series of improvements to eight of the city’s parks as part of a master plan. The goal is to improve safety, maintenance, aesthetics, sustainability and make the facilities easier to use, officials say.
Because the funding extends through 2004, the design and construction of the project was divided into phases. The first phase includes Los Amigos, Memorial, Joslyn and Reed Parks, which are scheduled to be completed by November. The second phase, which is expected to be completed by 2005, includes Clover, Hotchkiss, Marine and Stewart Parks.
The council also is expected to sign off on purchasing a new truck for $149,490 so city staff can water and maintain the trees and plants in Santa Monica. The water truck will replace a 1992 model, which has become unreliable and needs repair, city staff said.
Another $100,000 could be spent on a two-year contract with Chrysalis, a local non-profit that helps economically disadvantaged and homeless individuals, to maintain and clean the city’s storm drains. Chrysalis currently provides monthly maintenance services to clean the city’s catch basins for $8,300 a month.
The council is being asked to extend the contract for two more years, totaling nearly $200,000. City staff wrote in their report to council that it is more cost effective to have an outside vendor do the work than it is for the city.
Each year city crews remove pollutant-laden debris from about 850 catch basins throughout Santa Monica. Last year, 19 tons of debris were removed.
The council is being asked to approve an additional $84,000 in construction services to Amelco Industries, a contractor hired to finish Fire Station No. 2.
Because Vahdani Construction Co. — the previous contractor hired by the city to construct the fire station — failed to pay a host of subcontractors, the city now must pay the $84,000 to complete the project.
The total project cost is $1.1 million.
In 2001, the council authorized a contract with a consulting firm for $103,000 to review existing conditions and current land use regulations affecting car dealerships in Santa Monica. Tonight, the council is being asked to approve another $32,480 so the firm can do a more comprehensive community outreach program.
The work being done by the firm will help the city in preparing zoning code modifications to be considered by the Planning Commission and the City Council.
The council also is being asked to buck up $144,000 as part of its match to a $952,000 state grant to overhaul the storm drain system on Montana Avenue.
Federal, state and local regulations require the city to reduce urban run-off pollution from storm drain discharges into the Santa Monica Bay. Recent changes have shifted the urban run-off control from an end-of-pipe approach to a sustainable watershed approach, where the entire watershed or storm drainage area is considered.
The system on Montana Avenue includes a screening chamber to remove trash, debris, sand, oil and grease, as well as other soluble pollutants attached.
Filtered water passes into a diversionary structure. During small storms, the system will then send the water on for treatment. In larger storms, water will bypass both treatment systems and flow straight to the bay.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 13, 2003. Read the original PDF.