TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Erick Lee, Public Works Director
Katherine Doherty, City Engineer
SUBJECT:Title
Formally Accept as Complete the Block 35 Elevated Water Tank Painting Project; Authorize Filing a Notice of Completion with the Los Angeles County Recorder; and Release Retention for $73,461.31 (Public Works Director Lee).
APPROVE
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Formally accept as complete the Block 35 Elevated Water Tank Painting Project constructed by Unified Field Services Corporation;
2. Authorize filing of the appropriate Notice of Completion with the Los Angeles County Recorder’s Office;
3. Approve the release of retention for $73,461.13 to Unified Field Services Corporation.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The Block 35 Elevated Water Tank Painting Project was authorized with a total budget not to exceed $1,706,250 from the Water Fund. The construction contract between the City and United Field Services Corporation was approved for a total amount not to exceed $1,481,971. The contractor has completed the work associated with their portion of the project for a total cost of approximately $1,469,267 and is now requesting formal acceptance of their work on the project. There are no additional fiscal implications at this time.
BACKGROUND:
On July 21, 2020, City Council awarded a $1,411,389 construction contract for the Project to Unified Field Services Corporation and authorized an additional contingency of $70,582 for a total construction budget of $1,481,971. The work consisted of recoating the Block 35 Elevated Water Tank, which was originally constructed in 1948. The 300,000-gallon steel tank is supported on a central pier and eight outer columns. The elevated tank is part of the City’s potable water system’s Main Pressure Zone. The tank also provides fire flow protection in the Main Pressure Zone.
Inspections conducted in 2017 determined the elevated tank’s protective coating had reached the end of its service life at several locations both inside and outside of the tank surface, causing progressive corrosion of the steel tank structure. The 2017 inspections also identified electrical wiring, corroded structural members, and lighting fixtures which were in need of repair. To preserve the elevated tank’s steel structure and prolong its useful life, the following work was performed:
• Existing interior and exterior coatings were removed;
• New epoxy coatings were applied to the interior and exterior tank surfaces; and
• Structural components such as the interior and exterior ladders, catwalk panels, catwalk guardrails, etc., were repaired or replaced.
To facilitate the tank recoating work, several antennas mounted on top of the tank had to be removed in 2020, including two City-owned IT antennas, one City-owned Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) antenna, and additional antennas owned by the Interoperability Network of the South Bay Joint Powers Authority (INSB), which support the regional emergency services network. The removal of all of these antennas was not part of the Block 35 Elevated Water Tank Painting Project construction contract. City staff is now coordinating with INSB staff to remount all of the antennas on top of the tank.
DISCUSSION:
Construction of the Block 35 Elevated Water Tank Painting Project began on October 1, 2020, and was substantially complete by October 2021. At that time, water was placed into the tank and sampled to ensure it was of acceptable quality for reintroducing this structure into the City’s water system. Some additional minor touch-up painting was completed on February 7, 2022.
Two contract change orders were necessary for this project. The first, Contract Change Order No. 1 for $10,998.19, covered removal of a corroded flange and fabrication and installation of a new flange; patching holes in the tank; and soils sampling during construction.
The second, Contract Change Order No. 2 for $46,839.74, covered additional dehumidification; credit for removal of unnecessary pit/perforation treatment; credit for removal of non-required inspection spot blasting work; credit for removal of unnecessary structural support members; additional water sampling per Water Supervisor’s request; and additional required grinding and related blasting and blowing down.
Unified Field Service Corporation has satisfactorily completed all work for a total construction cost of $1,469,226.93 and is now requesting formal acceptance of the project. The retention amount of $73,461.13 will be released 35 days after recordation of the Notice of Completion with the County Recorder. All work inspected by the City’s independently retained Coatings Specialty Inspection Services consultant (CSI Services) was found to be in conformance with the plans and specifications and of good quality.
A warranty inspection, consistent with industry standards for steel tank coating projects, will be conducted in early 2023. Any areas observed during that warranty inspection which require remediation will be repaired at that time. This warranty work is included in the City’s construction contract with Unified Field Services Corporation.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
Staff distributed construction notices to area residents and maintained regular communication with property owners to keep them abreast of the project schedule and impacts during construction.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City reviewed the project for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and determined the project qualified for a Categorical Exemption pursuant to Section 15301(b) (repair and maintenance of existing public facilities, involving negligible of no expansion of use) of the State CEQA Guidelines. A Notice of Exemption for this Project was filed with the Los Angeles County Clerk’s Office.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENT:
1. Location Map