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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04.09.21 Public Works - Director's Report April 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;Smith, Micah;Partain, Amanda;Bridgnell, Bill;Cissell, Craig;Hightower, Scott; Cooper, Raymond;Edwards, Terry;McDowell, Felicia;Cambra, Brett Subject:Public Works - Director"s Report April 2021 Date:Friday, April 9, 2021 12:52:16 PM Attachments:April 2021 Public Works Director"s Report Final.pdf Good afternoon Board members – Please see my attached Director’s Report for April 2021. I hope that this monthly report will provide valuable insight into key Public Works activities that you may not typically receive through other more traditional 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. 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 April2021 Butte County Public Works Joshua Pack, Director Department of Public Works 530-538-7681 7 County Center Drive jpack@buttecounty.net Oroville, CA 95965 CSA 172 Retention Pond Vegetation Removal March 16, 2021 0 1 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. FACTS OF THE MONTH Did you know? Public Works maintains approximately 1,300 miles of roadways, over 500 bridges and drainage structures, and more than 18,000 road signs. If all Butte County Roads were lined up one by one, we would be able to travel from San Diego to Austin, Texas. The Butte County Pavement Condition Index - or condition of all publicly maintained roadways including cities–was 60 in 2018. The represents a 10-point drop over the past ten years.This condition includes both county- and city-maintained roads. Butte County roads are rated at a 53. Overall, Butte County Public Roads are considerably worse than the Statewide average of 65 and considered “at-risk” by a 2018 California Statewide Local Streets and Roads Needs Assessment. SUPERVISOR DISTRICT UPDATES District 1 Beginning April 12th, the Las Plumas Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard Safe Routes to School Project will construct road and sidewalk improvements on portions of both roads. Spring work will begin on Lincoln Boulevard from Monte Vista Avenue to Arnold Avenue. Las Plumas Avenue improvements are scheduled to start after schools adjourn for summer break to minimize impacts to school traffic. Public Works plans to complete repairs to guardrail damaged by the North Lightning Complex Fire along portions of Bald Rock Road and Lumpkin Road in the coming months. This work is eligible for reimbursement through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Assistance Program. The Engineers Estimate for the damaged guardrail repairs on Bald Rock Road and Lumpkin road is approximately $150,000. Road crews recently replaced damaged and rotted boards and painted areas of need on the Oregon Gulch Covered Bridge. Road crews also rehung the Oregon Gulch sign refurbished by a local community member. District 2 A recent meeting with County Service Area 172 residents resulted in various action items for Public Works that include a follow-up field meeting in May to discuss the potential removal of street trees impacting surrounding public and private infrastructure. Action on a proposed landscaping maintenance agreement previously scheduled for late April has been delayed until the May meeting occurs. Road crews also recently completed vegetation removal in the CSA’s retention pond and plans to investigate adjacent drainage culverts this summer. Sierra Moon Subdivision Phase 4 has requested approval of their Final Subdivision Map. The project is comprised of 14 lots and is in conformance with the Tentative Map and Butte County Code. The applicant wishes to defer construction of remaining on-site improvements until after the Final Map is recorded. This is allowable per the Subdivision Map Act, and the applicant has providedthe appropriate securities to guarantee completion of the required remaining Phase 4 improvements. The item will be brought to the April 13, 2021 Board meeting for consideration. We recognize the sensitivity to th development activity in the North Chico area and will be prepared to answer any questions on the 13. 2 District 3 Caltrans recently completed its annual preemergent program along Highway 32. Caltrans applies preemergent along fire strips about 4-8 feet wide depending on the location. Due to various protocols on herbicide usage, Caltrans does not spray preemergent beyond fire strips.Caltrans has allocated additional resources to perform follow-up spraying once CalFire has completed work and includes a post-emergent application to treat shrub and stump resprout. The post applications typically follow quickly behind CalFire pruning efforts to control to be effective to minimize resprouting. Soil stabilization and dust suppression efforts began earlier this week on various roads in Butte County. Roads targeted for treatment in District 3 include Mud Creek Road (Cohasset Road to Vilas Road in Cohasset), Garland Road (Highway 32 to the end of county-maintained in Forest Ranch), and Doe Mill Road / Schott Road (end of pavement to end of county-maintained in Forest Ranch). District 4 Later this summer, Public Works plans to remove and replace 4 inches of existing asphalt pavement with a new polymer modified hot mix asphalt along 4.6 miles of road of Midway from Durham Dayton Highway to Hegan Lane. Additional improvements include pavement shoulder backing, modifications to the concrete bridge rail, guardrail improvements at the railroad overpass, replacement of traffic signal loops, and new thermoplastic striping and pavement markings. The engineer's estimate for construction is $2,520,000 and is funded with Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) revenues. Public Works continues to make progress on the construction of improvements on the Midway Bridge. Recent work has resulted in modest contract unit price increases for various items in the contract. A contract change order will be brought to the Board in April for these changes. Please note that these contract change orders are different than the recent contract change orders approved by the Board for consultant services. Contract change orders during construction are commonplace, and most California municipalities utilize Public Contract Code statutes that allow minor construction change orders without the need for the Board of Supervisors' approval. It’s unclear why Butte County Public Works has not utilized State law in the past, as the need for Board approval for each minor construction contract change order results in considerable effort and cost. I plan to revise future construction contract language permitting Public Works to be consistent with State law. District 5 Significant efforts have been focused on portions of Skyway over the past month. Hazard trees were removed through multiple efforts that involved Butte County Public Works road crews, the Alliance Workforce Development crews, Alternative Custody Supervised (ACS) inmate crews, and CalRecycle. Public Works also recently coordinated with the ACS crews to complete litter removal along Skyway from the City of Chico to the Paradise town limits. These efforts typically occur each spring. Significant disaster recovery currently scheduled for work in 2022 under the Federal Highways Administration Emergency Relief (FHWA-ER) program includes road rehabilitation and repair efforts on Skyway, New Skyway, and Pentz Road. Preliminary estimates target the costs for these projects at approximately $23 million that includes $2.5 million in local matching funds. Due to federal funding delays, any repair efforts will require the County to use local funding and seek reimbursement once the project is completed. Additional discussion on this topic is included in this report. Efforts to manage both the FWHA and FEMA federal disaster reimbursement process have been difficult and time-consuming and continue to affect our ability to deliver both disaster recovery and other standard infrastructure projects. 3 Board of Supervisor Meetings – April 2021 Key items scheduled for the Board this month include: Sierra Moon Phase 4 Final Map Improvement Standards Discussion Midway Roadway Rehabilitation Project FEMA Guardrail Replacement – North Complex Fire On January 12, 2021, the Board of Supervisors requested staff to schedule an educational item for future discussion on the County's Improvement Standards. These Standards help provide minimum design and construction criteria that apply to various site improvements and help regulate the design and preparation of plans for the construction of streets, drainage, fire protection, and other related improvements. On April th 13, I will provide the Board with a presentation onthese Standards. Public Works and Development Services staff will be available to answer questions from the Board. 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. 2021 Construction Program Capital Improvement Projects Approx. Const. Approx. Const. Project NameProject DescriptionStartEnd Replacement of bridge across Butte Creek on Midway Bridge at Butte Creek8/3/202012/31/2021 Midway Las Plumas Ave and Lincoln Blvd. SRTS ProjectSidewalks, draiange and roadway rehab.4/12/20218/13/2021 Midway RehabilitationMill existing AC surface and place HMA Overlay6/14/20217/30/2021 Rehab. Existing road from Oroville C.L. to Foothill Blvd. Rehabilitation9/1/202110/29/2021 Oro Bangor Hwy. Neal Road Recycling and Waste Facility Projects Approx. Const. Approx. Const. Project NameProject DescriptionStartEnd LFG Well Expansion Install landfill gas wells within Module 45/24/20218/27/2021 Encroachment Permit / Land Development Inspection Approx. Const. Approx. Const. Project NameProject DescriptionStartEnd West Biggs Gridley Water DistrictBridge Replacement on Afton RoadComplete PG&EUnderground gas on Via Canella,Autry Ln11/6/20205/30/2021 PG&EBald Rock Road Underground Electric Phase 11/6/20215/15/2021 PG&EBald Rock Road Underground Electric Phase 23/1/20217/1/2021 Sierra Moon Phase IVConstruction of next phase of subdivision1/11/20216/1/2021 South Feather Water and PowerUnderground water main Foothill Blvd Complete PG&EOro Quincy Hwy Underground Electric6/1/2021unknown DISASTER RECOVERY Butte County received a $252 million settlement from PG&E to compensate the County for the impacts of the Camp Fire, which wascaused by PG&E's criminal negligence. The County’s net settlement revenue after attorney fees was $204.4 million. In recent months, the Board has heard updates from Administration th on potential uses and will be considering action on various items on April 13. Part of this action may include consideration of a PG&E Settlement Fund Policy so the Board can consider stability, recovery, and 4 hazard mitigation initiatives and projects.The Board of Supervisors also expects that departments will pursue potential funding alternatives, including Community Development Block Grants or other similar funds before considering the use of PG&E funds. Recent feedback from the Board of Supervisors and the community reflects an interest in the restoration and rehabilitation of roads and infrastructure impacted by the Camp Fire. In response, Public Works has begun efforts to prepare a Butte County Infrastructure Rehabilitation and Restoration Plan. This Plan will reflect efforts to develop a comprehensive accounting of impacts to public roads and infrastructure resulting from the Camp Fire and other disasters over the past five years that focuses on drainage and flood protection; pavement repairs and rehabilitation; roadside tree, vegetation, and brush removal; guardrail repairs; signage and striping rehabilitation; unpaved road stabilization; hillside slope stability and erosion concerns; and other unmet needs. Specifically, the Plan will focus on four areas of concern: Federal disaster recovery projects typically require Butte County to complete the projects utilizing local funding and submit reimbursement requests to FEMA for the completed work. This process may take months or years to complete. The sheer size and number of projects identified under these programs far exceed Public Works’ ability to finance and requires consideration of short-term financing. Despite federal and state funding for various disaster projects, Butte County is required to provide a local funding match. For road infrastructure projects that have qualified for disaster assistance, the local funding match has been provided by the road fund (gas taxes). The use of local road funds for disaster recovery efforts has impacted our ability to fund other much-needed infrastructure repair and rehabilitation projects, including preventative pavement and infrastructure treatments. There are many other roads within disaster areas or providing access to disaster areas where combined disaster and disaster recovery efforts have impacted that have not qualified for federal disaster recovery funds but are deteriorating at an accelerated rate. Over the past half-decade, road crews have disproportionately allocated time and resources to infrastructure impacted by various disasters. Other roads and infrastructure in Butte County – and western portions of the County in particular – have not received the attention necessary to adequately maintain and are at risk of deteriorating at an accelerated rate. The proposed Plan will represent a comprehensive effort to identify the needs for restoration and rehabilitation of county roads and infrastructure affected by various disasters. Public Works looks forward to preparing this Plan and hopes to bring a draft to the Board of Supervisors later this spring. SPECIAL DEPARTMENT FOCUS – NEAL ROAD LANDFILL 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 Neal Road Landfill Operations. 5 The Neal Road Recycling and Waste Facility (NRRWF) recently received a haul truck used for delivering the daily cover material such as dirt, green waste, and gravel for building access roads; anexcavator used for loading the haul truck with daily cover materials such as dirt, green waste, and gravel for building access roads; and a skid steer used for site maintenance such as mowing, and repairing landfill side-slopes from minor storm damage. The Module 4 Landfill Gas Collection System was developed to capture, collect, and remove landfill gas (methane) from the landfill. Recent testing has demonstrated ambient and below-ground methane readings have exceeded permitted limits for the level of gas allowed to migrate off-site. To bring the system into compliance with permit conditions, a project to expand the gas collection and control system to capture excess gas escaping into the atmosphere and migrating off-site is progressing. The project involves drilling and installing twelve additional landfill gas wells, abandoning and decommissioning a damaged extraction well, installing vertical and horizontal landfill gas wellheads, installing various pipes fitting and fixtures, and restoring soil erosion cover. The work will help NRRWF comply with existing federal and state air emissions requirements. The NRRWF has been serving the public for over 50 years, 7 days a week, 360 days a year, with the public and franchise haulers bringing in approximately 200,000 tons of solid waste for disposal into the facility annually, and served 125,000 vehicles The current landfill footprint is projected to run out of storage space at some point in the 2050s. Public Works has identified to develop an NRRWF Master Plan to better account for emerging trends in landfill operations. This process will involve a robust program and policy analysis to address long-term capital and operating needs for the facility. Public Works anticipated engaging a large group of stakeholders that includes profit organizations engaged in diversion programs, and various County departments. The Public Works Department also plans to utilize the Butte County Solid Waste Local Task Force, which comprises various stakeholders to address various solid waste planning and management issues. Efforts to develop a site-specific Master Plan will also better inform the County of future property needs and necessary property acquisitions that result in the greatest public benefit for the least private impact. Public Works plans to delay the property acquisition and eminent domain process for the Nance Canyon parcel until these efforts are completed and the County can complete the necessary environmental assessment and approval processes. For more information on Solid Waste and the NRRWF, please click HERE. OTHER PUBLIC WORKS NEWS Butte County Service Request System Public Works received 73 service requests last month – an 11% drop in service requests from the prior month. Primary complaints for this past month include Potholes and Other Road Issues, Trees and Vegetation, and Illegal Dumping. Over the past few weeks, I have worked with our Maintenance Division to greatly increase the number of specificity of categories available for the public to submit service requests. This should better align citizen service requests with the resources available to address those requests. New 6 categories recently made available to the public include levee issues and concerns, sidewalk safety, snow removal, graffiti removal, and other general questions. Public Works also created separate categories to better separate minor and routine road maintenance requests with major requests that may not be reasonable or feasible with current resources. We believe these changes will better serve residents and improve our ability to accurately respond to constituent concerns in the future. Public Works Employee Survey Results As we recently passed the one-year mark of COVID, we recognize that this past year has been incredibly difficult on so many levels. If there is one thing we have all learned is that “business as usual” hasbecome anything but usual. We have all had to adjust to the loss of friends and loved ones, separation from our family and friends, sheltering-in-place, working remotely, homeschooling, and a variety of other life challenges both professionally and personally. In response to these challenges, I issued an employee survey in mid-March to checkin with employees and explore areas of improvement. A 10-question survey was issued and available to all employees both online and offline. Irecognize that these difficult times have had impacts on all of us, and I hope that this survey can help give us some insight and feedback that can improve our ability to support our employees and even help us revisit and revise the way we do business moving forward. In total, we received 74 responses. That represents about half of our department, and many of the employee responses were honest, candid, and thoughtful. We are in the process of reviewing the results, including reading every written response, and I plan to share the results of this survey with the employees in the coming days. Employee recognition and engagement, training and certification programs, development of permanent remote and flexible work policies, and improved communication and collaboration were some of the key areas of focus identified by Public Works staff, and I’m excited about the opportunity to focus on these and other areas in the coming months. COVID-19 Response Staff continues to follow the protocols outlined by the CDC, CDPH, and Butte County. We are coordinating with Development Services to provide limited counter service to the public as we progress through the orange and yellow COVID-19 tiers. We arealso in the beginning stages of developing a permanent return- to-work policy that utilizes the tools, skills, resources, and lessons learned during the pandemic to reimagine the delivery of services in a post-pandemic environment. We hope to have a policy in place by this summer.