The council on June 13 ratified the Public Works director’s emergency relocation of an I-405 waterline improvement.
This was a Consent Calendar item. The Consent Calendar was approved collectively, without discussion except for two items related to swim clubs. The calendar was approved unanimously.
To get technical, the council:
• Declared the waterline relocation necessary and ratified the Public Works director’s declaration that the relocation was necessary
• Authorized the city manager to execute a purchase order with Valverde Construction, Inc., for $128,006.42 without seeking bids
• Accepted the emergency work
• Directed the city clerk to file a “Notice of Completion” with the Orange County Clerk’s Office
• Approved a budget amendment for $128,006.42.
The Public Works director is authorized to approve agreements up to $36,514. Because the actual cost of the emergency work exceeded the director’s limit, staff asked the council to approve the decision.
“The I-405 Improvement Project is an ongoing Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) effort to provide one additional general-purpose lane and two toll lanes in each direction between the Orange County limits within the City of Seal Beach and the City of Costa Mesa,” according to the staff report by Iris Lee, acting director of Public Works.
“As part of this widening effort, the existing sound walls would be demolished and new sound walls would be installed according to the freeway’s new alignment. One of the new sound walls is located adjacent to the City’s Beverly Manor Reservoir and North Gate Road,” Lee wrote.
“The reservoir is filled through a 12-inch water line that runs along the northerly reservoir edge within property owned by the Department of Navy. Due to the new freeway alignment and installation of the sound wall, OC405, the OCTA contractor, notified the City on February 25, 2022 that a portion of this 12-inch waterline needed to be relocated,” Lee wrote.
“Because the available records did not show the waterline to be within City right-of-way or property, the City was responsible for carrying out the waterline relocation, subject to the right to seek reimbursement from OCTA,” Lee wrote.
“The I-405 Improvement project schedule reflected the sound wall to begin construction in April 2022. As the City was not notified by OC405 of the need to relocate the waterline until just one month before the freeway improvements were scheduled to take place within that area, it was not possible for the City to utilize the competitive bidding process for completion of the relocation,” Lee wrote.
“Failure to promptly relocate the waterline would compromise proper potable and fire flow water uses. As a result, the Director of Public Works declared an emergency on the basis of immediate preservation of life, health, and property of the City,” Lee wrote.
“Staff mobilized Valverde Construction, Inc. (Valverde), one of the City’s existing on-call contractors, for this emergency work. The work started on March 24, 2022 and was substantially completed within ten (10) days. The sound wall construction commenced approximately one (1) week later,” Lee wrote.
