TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, City Manager
FROM:
Joseph DeFrancesco, Interim Public Works Director
Gilbert Gamboa, City Engineer
Marzena Laskowska, Principal Civil Engineer
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of a Resolution Approving Amendment No. 1 to the Professional Services Agreement with Butier Engineering, Inc. for $250,070 for the Voorhees Sewer Lift Station Improvements Project a for a Total Not-to-Exceed Amount of $798,210 and Re-Appropriating $250,070 in the Sewer Fund to the Voorhees Sewer Lift Station Improvements Project (No Budget Impact) (Interim Public Works Director DeFrancesco).
A) ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 26-0032
B) APPROVE RE-APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS
Body
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt Resolution No. 26-0032:
a. Approving Amendment No. 1 to the Professional Services Agreement with Butier Engineering (Butier), Inc. for additional construction management and inspection services in the amount of $250,070 for the Voorhees Sewer Lift Station Improvements Project (Voorhees Project) for a Total Not-to-Exceed Amount of $798,210;
b. Approving re-appropriation of $250,070 in the Sewer Fund from Annual Rehabilitation Gravity Sewer Mains Project to fund the Voorhees Project; and
c. Authorizing the City Manager and/or her designee to execute Amendment No. 1.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Amendment No. 1 authorizes an additional total amendment amount of $250,070 for the Voorhees Project for total not-to-exceed agreement amount of $798,210 for construction management and inspection services.
The Voorhees Project budget consists of $5,676,000 within the Sewer Fund. An additional appropriation of $250,070 is needed to fully fund the project. Sufficient funds of $250,070 are currently available for the project as a reappropriation from the available funds for the Annual Rehabilitation Gravity Sewer Mains Project in the Sewer Fund. A Project Budget and Expenditures Summary is attached.
BACKGROUND:
The City operates and maintains an extensive sanitary sewer system. The City’s existing wastewater collection system is comprised of a network of gravity sewer pipelines, lift (pump) stations, and force mains. The gravity system consists of approximately 81.6 miles (430,784 linear feet) of pipe and 2,086 manholes and cleanouts. It also includes eight pump stations and 5,114 linear feet of associated force mains to lift and convey wastewater from the lower elevation areas to the gravity system. The City’s local sewer system connects to the Los Angeles County Sanitation District system, which provides regional wastewater conveyance and treatment services to the City and neighboring agencies.
In October 2019, the City released a Request for Proposals concerning the Basis of Design Reports (BODRs) for the sewer lift stations located on Voorhees Avenue, Pacific Avenue, and Poinsettia Avenue, subsequently awarding a professional services agreement to PACE, Inc. These preliminary engineering studies identified improvements needed to provide greater emergency storage capacities, pumping capacities, and other enhancements for these three sewer facilities.
In June 2022, the City Council received the BODR for the Voorhees Project and approved the professional services agreement to provide design services for the project.
In November 2024, the City Council awarded the construction contract to Myers & Sons Construction, LLC and approved a professional services agreement with Butier Engineering for construction management and inspection services for the Voorhees Project.
DISCUSSION:
The original professional services agreement with Butier, Inc. was executed on November 7, 2024, for $548,140. Amendment No. 1 will add $250,070, bringing the total not-to-exceed amount to $798,210. Approval from the City Council is required for Amendment No. 1, since the amount exceeds the awarding authority of the City Manager.
Voorhees Project
The Voorhees Project involves the rehabilitation of the existing sewer lift station located at the intersection of Voorhees and Rowell Avenues, directly adjacent to 1340 Voorhees Avenue. The Sewer Master Plan, due to its age, capacity improvements, and the need for system redundancy, prioritized this project for replacement. The major components of the project include:
• Construction of a new emergency generator with a block wall enclosure.
• Construction of a new storage wet well with submersible pumps.
• Construction of a new force main pipeline and manhole.
• Rehabilitation of existing force main.
• Rehabilitation of existing dry well with new control instrumentation, electrical, and mechanical appurtenances.
The Voorhees Project construction contract and construction management and inspection services agreement were awarded in November 2024. Project construction began in May 2025 with anticipated completion in fall 2026. Due to the complexity of construction and the volume of submittals and requests for information (RFIs), additional construction management and inspection services was requested until the completion of the project.
Butier Amendment No. 1
The Voorhees Project is in construction phase and requires additional construction management and inspection services. Construction support services include deputy inspections for shoring, concrete, and welding reports required by building permits, additional material testing (i.e. early concrete breaks) to meet construction schedule, additional inspector hours to meet construction schedule, and additional construction manager hours for review of submittals, review of RFIs, review of change order requests, coordination, attending meetings, and other construction management support. Staff recommends amending the existing Agreement with Butier, Inc. to provide additional construction management and inspection services, including:
Voorhees Project Tasks:
1. Construction Management and Inspection Services - continue tasks until fall 2026.
The Amendment surpasses the City Manager's signing authority and requires authorization from the City Council for additional construction and inspection services.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
A community meeting for the Voorhees Project was held on October 24, 2023, at the Manhattan Heights Community Center. Additionally, the Project was presented to the Parking and Public Improvements Commission (PPIC) on March 28, 2024. Meeting notices were distributed throughout the surrounding neighborhood within a 500-foot radius of the project site. Direct outreach was made with the adjacent property owner at 1360 Voorhees Avenue and with the MBUSD staff.
Furthermore, the public outreach during the construction phase has involved and will continue to provide construction update notices, coordination with MBUSD, message boards, social media coordination, and updates on the City’s website.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
Environmental review was completed at the time the project was awarded. The City Council determined that the Voorhees project qualifies for a Categorical Exemption under Section 15302 (Class 2) of the State CEQA Guidelines, as it involved the replacement or reconstruction of existing facilities within the same footprint, with the same use and capacity.
The request outlined in Resolution No. 26-0032 does not involve any change to the approved scope of each project and rather involves administrative and financial amendments to the projects. As such, this request does not constitute a “project” as defined in Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines. Pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines, the financial request is not subject to CEQA, and no additional environmental review is required.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has approved the agreement as to form.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 26-0032
2. Amendment No. 1 - Butier Engineering, Inc.
3. Agreement - Butier Engineering, Inc.
4. Budget and Expenditure Summary
5. Location Map