Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.07.21 Public Works - Director's Report March 2021 From:Pack, Joshua To:Alpert, Bruce;Bennett, Robin;Clerk of the Board;Connelly, Bill;Cook, Holly;Cook, Robin;Kimmelshue, Tod; Lucero, Debra;Paulsen, Shaina;Pickett, Andy;Ring, Brian;Ritter, Tami;Rodas, Amalia;Sweeney, Kathleen; Teeter, Doug Cc:Ott, Radley;Nuzum, Danielle Subject:Public Works - Director"s Report March 2021 Date:Sunday, March 7, 2021 8:36:07 PM Attachments:March 2021 Public Works Director"s Report.pdf Good evening Board members – Please see my attached Director’s Report for March 2021. I hope that this monthly report will provide valuable insight into key Public Works activities that you may not typically receive through more formal settings. I have attempted to present this information in a format that can easily be passed on to your constituents. With that said, I’m happy to revise the style or format o this Report to better meet the Board’s needs. This month’s report includes some initial insights from my first two months in the position. I’ve also included updates on some key efforts in each supervisorial district, insight into Public Works items before the Board in March, a preliminary 2021 construction schedule, some updates on our disaster recovery efforts, a special feature on our road maintenance division, and other special topics we think may be of interest. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or would like to discuss items in greater detail. I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday! Josh Joshua Pack Director of Public Works 7 County Center Drive Oroville, CA 95965 530.538.7681 Phone 530-538-7171 Fax jpack@buttecounty.net PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR’S REPORT March 2021 Butte County Public Works Department of Public Works Joshua Pack, Director 7 County Center Drive 530-538-7681 Oroville, CA 95965 jpack@buttecounty.net Snow Removal Activities – January 27, 2021 0 1 SPECIAL REPORT – Introduction This monthly Director’s Report is designed to provide the Board of Supervisors with updates on various Public Works projects and programs affecting Butte County residents. I hope that it provides valuable information and insight that may not regularly be available through Board of Supervisor meetings or other more formal settings. I intendto prepare this report in a manner that can easily be shared with your constituency in a variety of settingsand better educate and inform you about the work Public Works is performing on behalf of the community. While theformat of this report is based on prior reports I have prepared for elected officials at my prior jurisdiction. I’m happy to revise this report to better meet your collective needs. Decades of deficient infrastructure investments combined with the cumulative effects from numerous disasters and the disaster recovery process have left our roads vulnerable to future events. These roads provide essential connectivity between residents and their communities and also serve as emergency evacuation routes in times of crisis. Past and future disasters continue to threaten this connectivity and require considerable resources to restore and maintain. The challenges facing Butte County are difficult, but our mission to maintain and repair county roads must not fail. Public Works continues to work expeditiously to repair many of the roads impacted by these disasters. We are currently managing over 50 projects at varying stages not included additional repair projects triggered by the North Complex Fire. While many of the design, environmental, and construction challenges can be overcome, there are two significant issues the Board should be aware of that may affect our ability to complete this work. Preliminary project estimates to return key roads impacted by the Camp Fire to their pre-disaster condition approach $50 million. Additional disaster recovery work combined with other obligated projects result in projects totaling well over $100 million. Any additional improvements like widening or realigning existing roads or building new roads would cause these costs to skyrocket. While much of this work has qualified for State and Federal reimbursement, the current reimbursement procedures require the County toadvance local funds for repairs. Reimbursement is requested after work is complete, and the process to receive reimbursement from these agencies once a reimbursement request has been completed can take months (or years) to receive. Public Works does not come close to having sufficient funds inits current budget to advance many of these essential disaster recovery projects and must find some other funding source to provide the necessary cash flow to complete this work. Adding to these issues are the local funding match requirements required to receive State and Federal reimbursements. Currently, road funds are proposed for the local match for these repairs. While these local match requirements by percentage run from 6%-12% on these repairs, the sheer size and costs of these repairs place a tremendous strain on our limited local road funds. Relying solelyon road funds for our local funding match requirements will erode our ability to maintain other maintained roadways throughout Butte County. This will result in worsening infrastructure in many areas of the County. 2 Fortunately, these challenges can be overcome with proactive planning and effective problem-solving honestly and transparently. Itis my intentfor Public Works to prepare acomprehensive disaster recovery and infrastructure restoration plan that details project costs and explorespossible alternative funding recommendations. We recognize that road repairs and maintenance are only one of many challenges facing Butte County, but we remain convinced that well-maintained roads and infrastructure are an important part of our ongoing mission to serve the community. We look forward to having a conversation with the Administration and Board of Supervisors soon on these topics. Speaking more broadly, Public Works plans to develop and implement a multiyear Public Works Capital Improvement Program (PW-CIP) to identify and prioritize critical projects that restore critical infrastructure and schedule much-needed maintenance and improvement projects. These efforts will be performed transparently and equitably and will involve engagement with the Board of Supervisors and the public and will be done each year to ensure the program is aligned with the Board's objectives and priorities. The Department plays a diverse and significant role in theButte County community. Our citizens need us to be proactive leaders and engaging partners. To be strong leaders and community partners, weneed to be respectful, responsive, and reliable to our citizens. We need to evolve our approach to delivering projects in a continually changing and complex environment. Given the political and regulatory constraints we face, extraordinary efforts are required to succeed. I sincerely look forward to working with you in these endeavors. Joshua Pack Director of Public Works 530-538-7681 530-537-7157 x2007 (direct) 530-913-3836 (cell) jpack@buttecounty.net 3 INTRODUCTION This update focuses on recent major activities and provides the Board of Supervisors a summary of Public Works projects and operations. Additional information is always available by contacting me directly. SUPERVISOR DISTRICT UPDATES District 1 The Pulga Road Metal Beam Guard Rail Replacement project replacedthe metal beam guardrail destroyed during the Camp Fire near the community of Pulga. All contract work has been completed perthe project plans and specifications at a total cost of $305,256.25. Public Works plans to bring a Notice of Completion to the Board in late March. The Las Plumas Ave and Lincoln Blvd Safe Routes to School Project is currently in winter suspension. The Project is expected to start later this spring. Additional underground work by PG&E on Bald Rock Road is ongoing. Construction staff is monitoring work progress, performing compaction testing, and monitoring traffic control as necessary. PG&E has also submitted an initial encroachment permit application for planned underground work on portions of Oro Quincy Highway. At this time PG&E has not provided a construction start date. Once work begins, construction staff will perform field inspection and compaction testing. While PG&E is 90% complete with underground work on Autry Lane and Via Canela, they still must perform final trench patching and roadway restoration. District 2 The Small Communities Flood Risk Reduction Project in Nord will evaluate various actions to reduce the risk of flooding in the area. The County performs regular check-ins with the Department of Water Resources up to monitor their efforts to update hydraulic models. Public Works recentlypresented the Board of Supervisors with an update of this project and anticipates public outreach efforts to begin by early summer 2021. Public Works is still negotiation a professional services contractfor the Bidwell Avenue Bank Repairs. Contract execution has been impacted by delays from CalOES and FEMA to approve the County’s request to revise the original scope of work and corresponding time extension. Public Works is also in the process of updating the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) permit program. The County adopted an ordinance in 2008, but the state permit requirements requireus to update the ordinance to comply with current regulations. This program only applies to certain areas adjacent to the City of Chico that are similar to the sphere of influence area. The Board awarded a contract to facilitate this update last November, and Public Works is working to update the program and County Code. Key elements to the program include the requirement to retrofit existing infrastructure to capture trash to prevent transport downstream, development and administration of a "Pyrethroids Management Plan", and incorporation of “Post-Construction Standards” which will require projects sized greater than 5000 square feetto incorporate design elements to retain, treat, and infiltrate minor (1-2 year) rainfall-runoff storm events. Public outreach is a requirement of the program and is expected in the coming several months. It should be noted that the City of Chico, the Town of Paradise, and the City of Oroville all have similar programs and regulations. This program is an unfunded mandate, and efforts to maintain the program are funded by the General Fund. District 3 Our tree and levee crew has been spraying our pre-emergent herbicide on County-maintained levees that the County maintains from northeast of Cohasset Road to the Sacramento River. We have also been 4 spraying pre-emergent along key roads throughout the County, and continue to communicatethe availability offree “no-spray” agreementswith residents. Public Works is also participating in efforts spearheaded by the Butte County Sheriff’s Office for comprehensive evacuation route planning for the communities of Cohasset, Forest Ranch, and Upper Magalia. An upcoming meeting scheduled for the week th of March 8will discuss evacuation routes from these areas and alternate potential routes. Discussions will also include possible sheltering locations in each of these areas that might be viable in an emergency along with discussions and ideas for ways to improve how, when, and where we evacuate. Public Works also recently met with Butte County Fire Safe Council to discuss brushing and vegetation removal activities in areas primarily located in District 3. Both parties have agreed to establish an “Operations Committee” comprised of key staff from both organizations to better coordinate programs and activities. Public Works is excited about these efforts and the potential to better align our work with the Fire Safe Council and other engaged stakeholders. District 4 Construction on the Midway Bridge Replacement Project at Butte Creek project is ongoing. The 1404-ft long reinforced concrete bridge is being built by MCM Construction from North Highlands, CA at a cost of approximately $20 million. Deep foundation work will be nearing completion by mid- March. Work will then be focused on building the columns and temporary falsework which will support the bridge superstructure. Based on the current schedule, the new bridge should be open to traffic by the end of this year. The Ord Ferry Road Bridge Replacement Project across Little Chico Creek continues to progress through design and into the right-of-way and permitting phases. This project will replace the long narrow bridge west of the town of Dayton at a projected construction cost of approximately $10 million. Due to ongoing funding issues at the Federal level, it is unclear when project funding will be available for construction. We hope that the existing bridge condition and safety benefits will merit strong consideration for construction funding approval. District 5 A primary focus of Public Works is the repair and rehabilitation work on infrastructure damaged by the Camp Fire. Three significant Emergency Relief (ER) projects on Skyway, New Skyway, and Pentz Road. Repairs on these roads are expected to cost approximately $23 million. While a significant portion of these projects is funded through disaster funds, approximately $2.5 million in local money is required. Recently adopted Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account funding is expected to provide the local funding match for this and other road and infrastructure repair work. While this funding source has sufficient funding to provide necessary local match funding, using this funding impacts other much- needed preventative road maintenance and rehabilitation projects and will have a lasting impact on our ability to address ongoing maintenance needs throughout Butte County. Additional discussion on this topic was previously discussed in this report. Current funding allocations are slated for construction in2022. 5 Road maintenance crews are taking advantage of weather conditions to address roadside vegetative fuels along upper Skyway using equipment funded by a 2018 CalFire grant. Road maintenance crews are monitoring snow accumulations and coordinating with the Hillsliders on the opening of Humbolt road on th to allow cabin owners to access their cabins in the Jonesville area. March 15 Board of Supervisor Meetings – March 2021 Key items scheduled for the Board this month include: Contract Amendment to Quincy Engineering for the Midway Bridge Project Approve plans and advertisement for construction of the Module 4 Landfill Gas Collection System Expansion Capital Asset Surplus –Vehicles for Auction Multiple Trucking Services Blanket Purchasing Agreements Capital Asset Authority to Purchase Compost Facility Equipment th The Board will be considering a contract amendment on March 9 for Quincy Engineering for work relating to the Midway Bridge Project. The amendment totals an additional $179,600 for various additional tasks relating to project right of way acquisition and construction. Key contract amendments include additional hydraulic analysis to approve site grading within the floodway, increased right-of-way negotiation efforts for the Gorrill Ranch project, additional construction support for a change to the construction method for the deep foundations at the column support, additional geotechnical analysis for unforeseen site conditions encountered during construction, and extensive efforts to comply with Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) requirements changed by UPRR after the original contracts were executed. These types of amendments are not atypical when delivering a multimillion-dollar bridge project. The project is primarily funded through Federal Highway Bridge Program funding. In December 2020, a fourth-quarter Integrated and Instantaneous Surface Emission Monitoring event was conducted. During this monitoring event, three grids were found to have failed the 25 parts per million (ppm) threshold for Integrated Surface Emissions. Changes were made to the gas collection system and subsequent follow-up monitoring was completed. While one of the grids fell below the 25 ppm threshold, the remaining two grids remained above the 25 ppm threshold. As a result, the Neal Road Landfill is required to expand the gas collection system in 120 days The construction package for these efforts is a th Board of Supervisors consent agenda item scheduled for the March 9 meeting. 2021 CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE The following table outlines routine (non-disaster) Public Works construction activity for 2021. The construction end dates are approximate and will be updated in future reports. 6 2021 Construction Program Capital Improvement Projects Approx. Approx. Project NameProject DescriptionConst.Const. StartEnd Replacement of bridge across Butte Creek on Midway Bridge at Butte CreekAugust-20December-21 Midway All field work is complete Pulga MBGR ReplacementReplacement of guardrail on Pulga Road Las Plumas Ave and Lincoln Blvd. SRTS ProjectSidewalks, drainage and roadway rehab.May-21August-21 Midway RehabilitationMill existing AC surface and place HMA OverlayJune-21August-21 Rehab. Existing road from Oroville C.L. to Foothill Blvd. RehabilitationAugust-21October-21 Oro Bangor Hwy. Neal Road Recycling and Waste Facility Projects Approx. Approx. Project NameProject DescriptionConst.Const. StartEnd Module 4 LFG Well Expansion Install landfill gas wells within Module 4May-21August-21 Encroachment Permit / Land Development Inspection Approx. Approx. Project NameProject DescriptionConst.Const. StartEnd West Biggs Gridley Water DistrictBridge Replacement on Afton RoadFebruary-21April-21 PG&EUnderground gas on Via Canella, Autry LnNovember-20April-21 PG&EBald Rock Road Underground Electric Phase 1January-21April-21 PG&EBald Rock Road Underground Electric Phase 2March-21July-21 Sierra Moon Subdivision Phase IVConstruction of next phase of subdivisionJanuary-21June-21 South Feather Water and PowerUnderground water main Foothill BlvdJuly-20April-21 PG&EOro Quincy Hwy Underground ElectricJune-21unknown DISASTER RECOVERY Camp Fire update - Hazard Tree Removal: The Department continues to inspect the hazard tree removal operations on county roadways. We are grateful for the work that our Cal Recycle and CalOES partners are performing and are happy to report that contractors are doing a good job performing in compliance with our encroachment regulations. The Department is also pursuing supplemental removals of trees not covered in the Hazard Tree Removal Program. These trees include those under 6” in diameter, or that were dead before the Camp Fire. We will know how large of a project this will be as the program proceeds, but there is the potential for a sizable effort to remove these non-eligible trees along County roadways. North Complex Fire update - Hazard Tree Removal: The Department learned in January that it is responsible for delineating the legal boundary of the County right-of-way for Cal OES and the tree removal program. While the Department understands the legal basis for County roadway right-of-way, defining where those lines are in the field is a significantly different element. In many cases, there may not be property corners that remain, and to conform with the State code, boundary surveys with formal surveys are required. This is not the case everywhere, but significant efforts may be needed to perform the surveys needed. Public Works is soliciting professional surveying services to assist in this task, and agreements 7 should be brought to the Board for action as soon as possible. Our survey, engineering, and road maintenance teams have been coordinating effortsto mark boundary areas that do not require a more technical survey to accommodate the CalOES/ Cal Recycle efforts. North Complex Update - Mud/ Debris Flows: We have experienced a few higher intensity rain events this winter and have only observed two mud and ash flows located on lower French Creek Road. The roadways experienced minor damage that our road maintenance crews were able to repair within a few days.The lack of observed impacts can be attributed to the diligent efforts of Road Maintenance Crews to remove excess ash, debris, and mud from roadway ditches and culverts. These efforts are paramount in keeping the relatively minor storms seen this year from creating much larger impacts. The burn severity for the North Complex is relatively high and the potential for mud, ash, and debris-related flows in vulnerable areas will continue for the next couple of years. Despite these efforts, portions of the road remain closed this winter. North Complex Update – Surface Water Sampling: Public Works continues to support and be a liaison to a larger state agency working group that is sampling and testing surface waters within the burn scar and Lake Oroville. Monthly sampling starting in November through January shows minor elevation in constituents, but not at a level that exceeds human health standards. Public Works and Environmental Health facilitated a cooperative Facebook Live interview in February that discussed this larger working group. This working group is expected to extend through the spring. The efforts made by Cal OES early in the incident to place wattles and other protective measures around structures close to waterways are anticipated to have helped reduce contamination potential. The Department of Water Resources will continue to maintain its algal bloom monitoring program as we move into the summer months. SPECIAL DEPARTMENT FOCUS – ROAD MAINTENANCE Public Works has approximately 150 employees serving different divisions that include Road Maintenance, Landfill Operations, Fleet Services, Engineering, Surveying, the County Surveyor, Land Development, and Fiscal and Administrative Services. Each month, I will provide a more in-depth look at one of our Divisions within Public Works. For this month, I’ve provided more detailed insight into the operations of our Road Maintenance Division. The Oroville road crew recently completed a request to clean all drainage pipes along Miners Ranch Road from Highway 162 to Oro Bangor Highway. Work was completed in approximately nine days with the help of our inmate Alternative Custody Supervised crew. Oroville has also have been trying to maintain Lumpkin Rd. from ongoing heavy tree removal operations, as localized road failures have become a significant concern. The Paradise road crew continues clearing brush and small trees impacting county roads for the communities of Stirling City, Inskip, and Magalia. Portions of Skyway around the DeSabla reservoir and Doe Mill Road were recently completed, and road crews are focusing on additional sections of Skyway above Stirling City. The Gridley road crew has been working on district-wide roadside shoulder improvements that include sections of E. Gridley Road, Colusa Highway, and Gilstrap Road and drainage improvements along Larkin Rd. near the Sutter County line. Our striping crews continue to work on pavement marker installations on portions of Meridian Road, River Road, and Larkin Road. In the upcoming weeks, road crews throughout Butte County will begin prepping for upcoming soil stabilization and dust suppression work. This year’s work includes nearly 27 miles of unpaved roads in and around the 8 communities of Paradise, Concow, Forest Ranch, Cohassett, Gridley, Oroville, and Palermo. Work should be completed inApril. Public Works continues to partner with the Alliance for Workforce Development (AFWD) crews for much- needed vegetation and brush-removal efforts in areas affected by the Camp Fire. Recent work performed with AFWD assistance includes sections of Lunt Road from Hwy-70 to Nelson Bar Road in the Oroville / Concow area. AFWD crews are scheduled to continue vegetation work on Deadwood Road and Lime Saddle Road in the coming weeks. OTHER PUBLIC WORKS NEWS Butte County Service Request System Public Works received 82 service requests in February – a 14% drop in service requests from the prior month. Primary complaints for this past month include Potholes and Other Road Issues (54%), Trees and Vegetation (17%), and Illegal Dumping (15%). Hazard Mitigation Grants Public Works was recently awarded three hazard mitigation grants. Public Works was awarded two hazard mitigation grants to evaluate and recommend preferred solutions to flooding issues for the Palermo and Wyman Ravine areas south of Oroville. These grants are matched with Development Impact Fees and are structured to provide feasible solutions to chronic flooding, but also provide larger master plans and models that can be utilized in future development projects. The level of effort to develop these plans requires external technical services, and solicitations for these services are forthcoming. Public Works was also recently awarded phase one of a hazard fuel reduction grant from FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The grant will help reduce hazardous fuels from various strategic County maintained roadways, and the first phase will identify those routes that meet certain grant requirements and can maximize grant funding. Success in the $70,000 first phase could result in an additional $1M in available funds for a second phase. The County expects to complete this process in three years. Specific roadways are still being evaluated, but priorities include major roadways, evacuation routes, and higher fuel load areas. Still in evaluation is the type and method of fuel reductions with shaded fuel breaks being the current preferred treatment method. The Department is coordinating with the Butte Fire Safe Council on this project, with the grant being matched by the Road Fund. Butte RCD Coordination The Department continues to work with the Butte Resource Conservation District (RCD) on a multitude of projects. More recently, the RCD was able to secure approximately $750,000 from the Water Board to implement road stabilization improvements to Dixie Road, a native surface road that is subject to high sediment yields and mudflows due to the Camp Fire. The Department supports the RCD in the installation of these measures as it adds resilience to the roadway system and reduces maintenance costs to this remote roadway. 9 Job Order Contracting Currently, many county projects are delivered using the traditional Design, Bid, and Build (DBB) process. Under most circumstances, individual projects require separate Board of Supervisors actions that may include the approval of project plans and specification and contract award. This process takes considerable time and staff resources and impacts the county’s ability to timely deliver critical General Services and Public Works projects. With this in mind, county staff is considering a more simplified and efficient process to implement routine rehabilitation, remodeling, and maintenance projects. General Services and Public Works plan to present information to the Board in April on a Butte County Job Order Contracting (JOC) program. JOC is an alternative project delivery process that allows contractors to complete a substantial number of smaller individual projects with a single blanket contract for repairs, remodeling, maintenance, and other repetitive work. Successful JOC programs can reduce costs, save time, and increase productivity for agencies that utilize JOC as part of their overall project delivery strategy. JOC also provides significant resources during disasters and improves the County’s ability to quickly respond during times of duress. More than twenty California counties have implemented JOC programs, including San Joaquin County, Stanislaus County, El Dorado County, and Sacramento County. I also developed and implemented the JOC program at my prior organization. We look forward to discussing this program with you in April. Social Media Outreach In the coming weeks, Public Works plans to begin social media and public outreach efforts to the community. These efforts are part of our efforts to increase community awareness of Public Works activities and projects through dedicated outreach efforts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Many other agencies have seen benefits from their public outreach efforts, and we hope to increase awareness of the great work Public Works is performing on behalf of the community. COVID-19 Response Staff continues to follow the protocols outlined by the CDC, CDPH, and Butte County. We have several employees who have adopted telework schedules or have utilized leave policies resulting from COVID-19. This has left the department a bit understaffed at our front counter area and in engineering. Despite these issues, there have been no significant impacts on our core programs or services at this time.