TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Tony Olmos, Public Works Director
Raul Saenz, Utilities Manager
SUBJECT:Title
2015 Winter Storm Preparation Update and Appropriation of $335,000 for the Purchase of Storm Preparation Equipment and Supplies (Public Works Director Olmos).
WAIVE FORMAL BIDDING, RECEIVE REPORT, APPROVE
Line
_________________________________________________________
Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff Recommends that the City Council:
1. Receive report on the 2015 Winter Storm Preparations
2. Appropriate $335,000 from available Unreserved General Fund for the purchase of equipment, supplies and materials
3. Waive formal bidding and authorize City Manager to approve any necessary purchase orders to purchase storm preparation equipment and supplies in the cumulative amount of $335,000
Body
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Funds are available from the unreserved portion of the General Fund.
BACKGROUND:
In their most certain forecasts to date, the Climate Prediction Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the World Meteorological Organization have indicated that there is a 95% chance that El Niño will continue to evolve through the 2015-16 Winter. This probability is up from 90% in July and 85% in June. They anticipate that it:
• May rival the strongest El Niño previously recorded in 1997
• Is likely to peak between October and January;
• May gradually strengthen in the Fall, and
• Weaken through Spring 2016
Statistically, El Niño typically peaks between December and April. However, current El Niño forecasting tools cannot predict how many storms may cross California, or how much rain and snow will fall. Only time will tell if this event will be as potent as predicted.
The City of Manhattan Beach owns, operates and maintains 21 miles of storm drain facilities, including open channels, closed conduits, catch basins, laterals, manholes, 16 shoreline outfalls, three storm water retention basins, one percolation basin and two pump stations. Approximately 20% of the City’s storm water is conveyed to the Dominguez Channel and 80% is conveyed to the Pacific Ocean.
The County owns, operates and maintains approximately eight miles of storm water trunk lines, two pump stations and two shoreline outfalls. Serving as the City’s “trunk-line”, the system conveys approximately 70% of the City of Manhattan Beach’s storm water to the Pacific Ocean. From these, the most high-profile facility is their pump station at Polliwog Park.
DISCUSSION:
In preparation for the 2015/2016 Winter storms, staff has developed an action plan to address flood issues related to the protection of property and human safety. Initial light storm, storm-related issues will be addressed by Public Works (PW), Police and Fire as a matter of routine field responses. As storms strengthen and pose greater hazards to property and public safety, the Director of Public Works may activate and fully staff the Disaster Operations Center (DOC) on a 24/7 basis. Should storm conditions continue to intensify, the Director of Public Works may request for the activation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to coordinate all emergency responses with the DOC.
Given past history, staff is aware of low-lying areas in the City and will take the necessary precautions to minimize damage. If the DOC is activated, it will be located at the City Yard and will serve as the staging area for human resources and as the primary depot for housing equipment, traffic control devices, flood control materials and safety supplies. Field Staff will keep the DOC fully appraised on a real-time basis of known flooding hotspots, developing and evolving field conditions, and on the need for material and emergency Police/Fire/PW support. All field conditions, materials, equipment and human resources will be tracked and updated on a real-time basis on a wall mounted map. Should any storm event exceed the capacity of the DOC’s ability to operate independently, the EOC will be activated as the central emergency command center to which the DOC will yield its operations authority.
The Los Angeles County Flood Control District (County) has designated Polliwog Lake as a “hot spot”, which assigns priority attention to that facility during the storm season. County and City staff held meetings to discuss our mutual and respective storm water related challenges. Key personnel from both agencies were identified to communicate and collaborate in efforts to move storm water away from potential flood areas on a continual basis. It is envisioned that the Field Operations Supervisors from both agencies will be in constant contact as they monitor and respond to field conditions during storm events. They will keep the EOC/DOC apprised of all conditions to enable the EOC/DOC to update its database and mobilize support resources as needed.
To effectively and proactively address the anticipated storms, $335,000 from available General Funds will need to be allocated to immediately purchase/rent equipment and supplies (Attachment 1), including:
• Equipment - pumps, generators, hose/connectors, chainsaws, transfer switches
• Traffic control - signs, delineators, barricades, arrow board
• Flood control - sand bags, wattles
• Safety - flash lights, portable lighting, reflective clothing, rain gear
In order to facilitate the rapid procurement of the equipment and supplies, staff recommends that the City Council waive formal bidding for items that may exceed the $50,000 formal bid limit, and authorize City Manager to approve those purchases. Staff will perform informal bidding processes in lieu of formal bid processes, and will report back to the City Council on those items purchased.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
Staff and the County will conduct a joint Stormwater Preparation Community Workshop in late October 2015 to advise citizens of the City’s planned efforts to protect property and public safety and offering suggestions on preparing for potential flooding of private property. The workshop will also provide information on water recycling and best practices, such as utilizing rain barrels, etc. The workshop will be recorded and posted on the City’s website.
CONCLUSION:
Staff Recommends that the City Council:
1. Receive report on the 2015 Winter Storm Preparations
2. Appropriate $335,000 from available unreserved portion of the General Fund for the purchase of equipment, supplies and materials
3. Waive formal bidding and authorize City Manager to approve any necessary purchase orders to purchase storm preparation equipment and supplies in the cumulative amount of $335,000
Attachment:
1. Equipment and Supplies Cost Estimates