City Hall bracing for next earthquake
(Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures appearing on upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agendas. 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 — Looking to secure and enhance bus operations over the next four years, the City Council tonight is expected to spend just over $11 million, the majority of which will go towards locking in a steady and reliable supply of liquefied natural gas.
In all, the council is expected to spend more than $12.5 million tonight on Big Blue Bus operations, enhancements to City Hall and it’s computer systems, and the construction of water treatment plants near water wells contaminated by MtBE.
Almost $590,000 of tonight’s expenditures will come from grants and a settlement agreement involving oil companies over the contamination of city wells.
FILL ‘ER UP The most expensive item on the council’s consent agenda will be a four-year, $10 million contract with Clean Energy, a supplier of alternative, liquefied natural gas, or LNG, which burns cleaner than diesel fuel and is considered better for the environment.
With 89 alternative fuel buses in operation, Big Blue Bus currently consumes 10,000 gallons of LNG fuel a day. Over the next few years, Big Blue Bus looks to expand the LNG fleet, which requires a continuous supply of fuel by a proven LNG provider. Clean Energy was chosen by city staff as the most qualified.
The contract with Clean Energy is for one year, with three additional one-year renewals, for a total estimated cost of $10 million. Spending for the subsequent years will be included in annual budget proposals.
SPARE PARTS Continuing with the Big Blue Bus fleet, the council is also expected to purchase 10 LNG buses from New Flyer of America, the city’s current supplier. Staff is calling on the council to amend a contract with New Flyer to allow for the purchase of the buses, plus spare parts, for a total of $941,900.
The cost of the 10 buses is already included in the current contract. Council needs to make a modification to cover a contingency fee of $390,093 and to purchase spare parts at a cost of $422,759, plus $34,878 in taxes. The 10 new buses will go to replace older models.
Maintaining a Smooth Ride What’s the point of providing transportation if it doesn’t offer a smooth and comfortable ride? To ensure riders are sitting pretty, the council is expected to spend $146,628 installing onboard hydraulic system upgrades to 36 LNG buses. Delafield Fluid Technologies is in the running for the contract, according to a city staff report.
AN EASY BUTTON To help city staff and the community better access data, city staff is recommending the council approve $392,908 in spending for upgrades to computer software and data storage.
The first contract to be considered is for $93,000 to upgrade the city’s financial management program. The upgrade is intended to make accessing financial records easier for staff.
That is also the goal in digitizing records at Woodlawn Cemetery. City staff is asking the council to approve a contract worth $168,848 with Ramaker & Associates Inc. for their help in converting all cemetery records and maps into digital format. Currently, the records are stored manually. The physical quality of these records has deteriorated and they have become increasingly hard to read, according to a city staff report.
Once City Hall scans all the documents, it needs a place to store them. That’s where Laserfiche comes in. The company has offered to store and make available to the public, police reports, citations, building permits, City Council documents and engineering drawings, all for a cost of $131,000, with two years of software maintenance included. The move should save the city money and provide greater access to the public, according to a city staff report.
TAKING IT TO THE STREETS Seeking the public’s input on landscaping and street improvements to small stretches of Cloverfield and Pico boulevards, the council is expected tonight to approve a design contract worth $450,000 to Ahbe, a firm specializing in landscape architecture and environmental planning.
City staff had originally recommended the contract go to Amphion Inc., but members of the council had reservations about the firm’s work on the Transit Mall project, saying it was not “pedestrian friendly.”
If the contract is approved, Ahbe will be required to conduct public outreach with residents and business owners of the Pico Neighborhood, where the street renovations will take place. There are plans to add lighting, trees, landscaping and sidewalk extensions, plus street furniture and improved crosswalks, according to a city staff report. It is anticipated the improvements will begin by summer 2007.
FREE MONEY With funds left over from federal grants issued in the aftermath of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the council is expected to modify a contract in an amount not to exceed $285,889 for the seismic retrofit of City Hall.
The council has already entered into an agreement with Black and Veatch for $875,000, but extra funding is needed for modifications to the old jail cell, which will be used as office space during construction. The renovation of the jail is scheduled to start early 2007 and be completed mid-to late 2007. The retrofit is scheduled to start mid to late 2007 and be completed in early 2008, according to a city staff report. The total estimated cost for the retrofit is $5 million.
WATERED DOWN Worley Parsons Komex is in the running for a $304,000 design and build contract for two water-treatment plants near city wells at Charnock and Arcadia well fields.
The funds are part of a $121 million settlement with major oil companies over the contamination of city wells. Worley has been providing technical consulting services to City Hall in support of the 2003 settlement. As part of the contract, Worley would be required to attend meetings of the engineering and groundwater modeling committees, oversee the installation of monitoring wells, provide dispute resolution support and assist in cost estimates for various design alternatives.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 25, 2006. Read the original PDF.