TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Erick Lee, Public Works Director
Katherine Doherty, City Engineer
Marzena Laskowska, Senior Civil Engineer
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of a Resolution Accepting a Right of Entry and Access Agreement for the Property at 1360 Voorhees Avenue for the Voorhees Sewer Lift Station Improvements Project (Public Works Director Lee).
A) ACCEPT AND AUTHORIZE
B) ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 24-0072
Body
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 24-0072:
1. Accepting a Right of Entry and Access Agreement for the property at 1360 Voorhees Avenue made by Scott Schumacher, as sole property owner of 1360 Voorhees Avenue; and
2. Authorizing the City Manager and/or his or her designee to accept the Right of Entry and Access Agreement on behalf of the City and any other forms necessary, and to record said grant of rights.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There is no cost associated with the acceptance of this Right of Entry and Access Agreement. There are no additional fiscal implications at this time.
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 2010, the City Council adopted a Wastewater Master Plan that analyzed various facilities and operations of the City’s existing wastewater collection system. The Wastewater Master Plan included a list of capital improvement projects that will enhance the system to meet established criteria, properly maintain the system assets, and replace the facilities that have reached the end of their useful lives. The 2010 Wastewater Master Plan identified six sewer lift stations requiring major rehabilitation. After reviewing this plan, staff has identified the Voorhees Avenue, Pacific Avenue, and Poinsettia Avenue stations as priorities. The Voorhees Avenue Sewer Lift Station structure was initially constructed in the early 1950s and has reached its useful life at nearly 70 years old. Once the useful life has been exceeded, these facilities become less reliable, more expensive to maintain, and are subject to failure.
In October 2019, the City issued a Request for Proposals for the Basis of Design Reports (BODRs) for the Voorhees Avenue, Pacific Avenue, and Poinsettia Avenue sewer lift stations and awarded an agreement to Pacific Advanced Civil Engineering (PACE), Inc. These preliminary engineering studies identify improvements needed to provide greater emergency storage capacities, pumping capacities, and other enhancements for these three sites.
In June 2022, the City Council received the BODRs for all three sewer lift stations and approved the professional services agreement to provide design services for Voorhees Avenue and Pacific Avenue sewer lift station improvement projects.
In August 2023, the City received State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water approval for our main separation waiver request for the Project.
In May 2024, the Voorhees Avenue Sewer Lift Station Improvement Project (“Project”) reached 100% design and is being prepared for bidding which will occur once the building permit is ready-to-issue. The improvements to the Voorhees Lift Station involve the construction of a new adequate emergency storage wet well, reintegration of the existing station dry vault structure, and installation of new mechanical and electrical equipment including a new emergency generator. The existing force main pipeline that travels approximately 1,300 feet to the intersection of Peck Avenue and Gates Avenue will remain in place and be rehabilitated. An additional force main pipeline will be installed to provide system redundancy and it will run north along Rowell Avenue from the pump station to 2nd Street and discharge into an existing gravity sewer.
DISCUSSION:
During the design of the Project, it was determined that a Right of Entry and Access Agreement would be required from the property owner at 1360 Voorhees Avenue, directly south of the sewer lift station. The Agreement allows the City to access the front lawn and driveway for construction purposes, remove and replace one tree with one 36-inch box tree, remove and replace hedging between the two properties, and restore any areas disturbed by the City’s construction.
On May 6, 2024, the property owner for 1360 Voorhees Avenue authorized and approved the granting of a Right of Entry and Access Agreement (Attachment). The Right of Entry and Access Agreement is for the duration of construction of the Voorhees Avenue Sewer Lift Station Improvement Project and will terminate at the end of this project.
The attached Resolution allows the City to accept the Right of Entry Agreement for the construction of the Project. Should the City Council approve the Agreement, then the Right of Entry Agreement will be accepted, executed, and recorded with the Los Angeles County Recorder’s Office.
The Project team has completed the construction documents and is in the process of obtaining building permits. Upon acceptance of this Right of Entry Agreement and building approvals, the project may move forward. An agreement with Manhattan Beach Unified School District (MBUSD) is also being drafted to allow the construction of an 8-foot wall adjacent to MBUSD’s property at 325 S. Peck Avenue to enclose a new back-up generator for the station.
The tentative schedule for the remainder of the Project is as follows:
• Advertisement for Construction Bids August 2024
• Construction Agreement Award by City Council September 2024
• Construction Start Fall 2024
• Construction End Fall 2025
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
A community meeting for the Project was held on October 24, 2023 at the Manhattan Heights Community Center. The Project was presented to the Parking and Public Improvements Commission (PPIC) on March 28, 2024. Additionally, once the project progresses to the construction phase, public outreach will include construction update notices, coordination with Pennekamp Elementary School, message boards, social media coordination, and updates on the City’s website. No public outreach was conducted specifically regarding this Right of Entry and Access Agreement as outreach was directly with the property owner.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed acceptance of Right of Entry and Access Agreement activity for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no further environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has approved the agreement as to form.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 24-0073
2. Right of Entry and Access Agreement -1360 Voorhees Avenue
3. Location Map