Council Communication

Contract Approval for the Main Feeder Waterline Replacement Project
Meeting Date:	March 1, 2005		Primary Staff Contact:	Joe Strahl, 552-2411 strahlj@ashland.or.us; Pieter Smeenk, 552-2413
Department:	Public Works		Secondary Staff Contact:
Contributing Departments:	Administration
Approval:	Gino Grimaldi

Statement: On January 5th, 2005, the Engineering Department received bids for the construction of the main feeder waterline from the Water Treatment Plant to Reeder Reservoir. Five bids were received from R&G Excavating Inc., Johnny Cat Inc., Kerr Contractors, LTM Inc. and Pacific Pipeline. The lowest apparent bidder was R&G Excavating out of Scio, Oregon with a low bid of $2,018,876.54, which includes potential cost saving alternatives. The contract alternatives were negotiated by staff and the contract engineer, Brown & Caldwell and agreed to by R&G Excavating. The low bid amount exceeded the engineer's estimate of $1,750,000. Attached is a summary of bid totals. Some non-essential elements were removed from the low bid total which resulted in the recommended contract amount of $2,018,876.54. The primary reasons for the 25% difference between the engineer's estimate and the low bid were: 1) rapid escalation of ductile iron pipe prices; 2) inaccurate assessment by the engineer of constructability issues associated with this project; and 3) rapid escalation of construction prices experienced recently on public works projects in Oregon. The low bid of $2,018,876.54 exceeds the budgeted amount of $1,060,000. The shortfall of $958,876.54 is to be made up from two sources: 1) $225,000 budgeted for the fireflow distribution reservoir, which will not be constructed this year; and 2) $733,876.54 from the total of $950,000 budgeted for the Hosler Dam transmission line, which will not be performed until next fiscal year. Of the $1,060,000 budgeted for this project, it was proposed that $400,000 be appropriated in 2006 since a significant portion of the work will not be completed until after July 1, 2005. There exists sufficient budgetary appropriation this year to pay all anticipated project expenses. Staff now needs Council approval to enter into contract with R&G Excavating for the construction of the main feeder waterline.
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Background: As part of the Capital Improvement Projects, replacement of the feeder waterline was deemed a high priority to ensure water supply and quality. The line from Reeder Reservoir to the Water Treatment Plant was built in the early 1900s and, given its age, replacement is inevitable. Lee Engineering submitted an analysis of the Main Feeder Raw Waterline in January 2002 recommending replacement of the waterline. The project replaces the approximately one-mile of existing 24-inch waterline and supporting structures with 30-inch ductile iron pipeline, as well as improving drainage related to the support structures. The evaluation of the system was completed in 2002, which recommended relocating the line to the roadway. The process for selecting a project engineer began in the fall of 2003. The City contracted with Brown & Caldwell in December of 2003 to engineer, design and manage construction of the waterline. On July 21, 2004, a public meeting brought together several key contributors; Brown & Caldwell, Fishman Environmental Services, Terrasurvey, Small Woodland Associates and Golder Associates; to present engineering plans delineating the preferred routing of the waterline, ecological impacts, project staging and potential conflicts with scheduling. The meeting provided the first public introduction to the need for waterline replacement. Staff and Brown & Caldwell used the input from the meeting to continue fine-tuning the engineering plans. The City sought easements from local residents, applied for permits to work within the creek and interface from the USFS Department of State Lands, the Oregon Department of Forestry, US Army Corps of Engineers, Jackson County and the City of Ashland Planning Department. Upon receipt of permit approvals, staff and Brown & Caldwell compiled the specifications for construction bids and the project first advertised on November 23, 2004. R&G Excavating plans to begin work on this project as soon as possible to take advantage of seasonal weather. The proximity of Ashland Creek makes this project sensitive and specific measures will be implemented in accordance with permitting from the Department of Environmental Quality. The contractor will be filing specific permits to conform to the DEQ standards for erosion and sediment control to assure quality control throughout the project. The contractor will implement erosion control measures which will appear on the City website and in the City Source. Several measures to ensure public safety will need to be put in place. R&G Excavating crews will be accessing the Water Treatment Road via Granite Street, thereby increasing the amount of truck and equipment traffic and causing possible congestion along Granite Street and through the upper end of Lithia Park. Since Granite Street at the top of Lithia Park is only 20 feet wide, and cars often park along the roadside to access the swimming hole and hiking paths, making it difficult for construction equipment to pass. This potential conflict between trucks, vehicles and pedestrians is of concern. To address the issue, the contractor has been instructed to install the following signage: "Construction Zone, No Parking, Violators will be Towed" along the road at the swimming hole. "Construction Zone, Off Limits" at the access gate to the water treatment plant. "Pedestrian Detour" near upper Granite Street indicating the path to cross over Ashland Creek and then access up to Glenview Drive to avoid the construction area. "Alternate Parking" located at the concrete pit on Glenview Drive. "Construction Zone, No Access" on the approach to the area from Glenview and Granite Streets. The parking prohibitions will be in place as of April 1st and remain in effect until construction is completed. Flyers will be placed on windshields to alert frequent users of the upcoming changes. The changes will remain in effect until the end of the project at the end of August. Mailings will also be sent to residents along Granite Street as to the project progress as they will see the increase in traffic. Granite Street residents will also be alerted to the expected frequency of equipment and contact information for project management. Regular updates on the City website and articles in the City Source, The Daily Tidings and The Mail Tribune and on RVTV (Channel 30) will keep the public informed of progress for the duration of the work.
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Related City Policies: This is a Capital Improvements Project adopted by the City Council. Public Works construction within the City of Ashland is in accordance with the American Public Works Association/Oregon Department of Transportation - Oregon Standard Specifications For Construction 2002. City staff and contract engineer will provide project management to ensure that these standards are met.
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Council Options: The contract with R&G Excavating will need Council approval for execution.
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Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends Council to approve the contract with R&G Excavating to facilitate construction of the main feeder waterline replacement.
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Potential Motions: Approval of City staff to enter into the contract with R&G Excavating Inc. for the replacement of the main feeder waterline from the Water Treatment Plant to Crowson Reservoir.
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Attachments: Please click on the link below to view the following attachments: • Memo from Ann Seltzer, Management Analyst on Public Information • Vicinity Map showing parking prohibitions. • Bid summary

Waterline-Project-Attachments.pdf (301.3KB)

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