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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-02-05 City Council (10)TO: City of Palo Alto City Manager’s Report HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT:UTILITIES AGENDA DATE:FEBRUARY 5, 1996 CMR:126:96 SUBJECT:Approval of the Arastradero Creek Access Road Project Landscape Mitigation Plan REQUEST This report requests that Council approve the Arastradero Creek Access Road Project Landscape Mitigation Plan (PLAN) developed by staff and members of the environmental community to mitigate the utility access road construction effects on the Arastradero Preserve. RECOMMENDATIONS Staff recommends that Council: Approve the use of $15,000 of the remaining project balance of $44,141 in the Arastradero Creek Access Road Improvements project (Project No. 8915) toward the purchase of a boom mower. The boom mower will be used by Open Space and Sciences staff to manage non-native invasive weeds migration on the Arastradero Preserve; Approve the use of $9,000 of the remaining project balance of $44,141 in the Arastradero Creek Access Road Improvements project for contract maintenance work and supplies, materials and tools to implement landscape improvements; Approve that the remaining project balance of $20,141 in the Arastradero Creek Access Road Improvements Project be returned to the utility reserves. CMR:126:96 Page 1 of 4 POLICY IMPLICATIONS This plan does not represent any change to existing policies. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The existing Arastradero Creek Access Road was constructed in late 1993 and early 1994. The construction effects of the access road on the Arastradero Preserve were partially mitigated in the design and environmental review phases of the project. The road width was narrowed, the roadbed was realigned, the road section was reduced, the asphalt surface was removed and vehicle turnouts were eliminated from the project plans. During the 1994-95 winter, heavy rains induced dense grass growth in areas hydro- seeded at the completion of the access road construction. The grass areas affected by the road construction on the Arastradero Preserve have filled in with dense new growth, minimizing the potential for erosion in these areas. The rain also caused some damage to the unprotected gravel road surface in several areas and was repaired by Utility Operations Section staff. At one location, an additional drainage culvert was added to the project to control heavy uphill runoff. The upstream trash rack on the additional drainage culvert clogged with debris during the next heavy rain, and the roadbed was damaged again. New repairs were made by Utility staff and the trash rack design was changed on the upstream culvert head wall. No further problems have resulted at this location. The roadbed has been maintained by the Utilities Operations Section since the access road construction was completed. Additional project mitigation landscaping was requested by the environmental community, and a landscape consultant was hired to develop a landscape mitigation plan. The consultant’s plan was sent out for bids by staff to eight contractors. A single bid was received on June 6, 1995 from one contractor which, at the recommendation of staff, Council rejected (CMR:289:95). The bid was rejected because the amount bid was approximately three times the landscape consultant’s construction estimate. Council directed staff to reevaluate the level of additional landscaping required to complete the Arastradero Creek Access Road project mitigation. Utilities and Open Space and Sciences staff met, reviewed, evaluated and developed a revised landscape mitigation plan for the access road. Open Space and Sciences staff met with members of the local CMR:126:96 Page 2 of 4 environmental community and developed the PLAN for the access road construction mitigation. MITIGATION PLAN (PLAN) Utility and Open Space and Sciences staff worked closely with the community to finalize the PLAN, which will incorporate landscape protective fencing and some plant selections contained in the landscape plan rejected by Council in June 1995. The actual planting scheme will be developed in the field by the Open Space and Sciences staff with input from the environmental community. Utility staff will narrow the access roadbed to ten feet in the areas the roadbed has increased in width. Split rail fencing will be installed, adjacent to selected areas planted with new seedlings, to protect the seedlings and to maintain the roadbed width. Split rail fencing along the inside radius of one access road curve will be constructed, to prevent further widening of the roadbed and to protect new oak trees that will be planted. Volunteer groups from the environmental community will be organized and supervised by the Open Space and Sciences staff to clear weeds, prepare soils and plant/maintain landscaping on the Arastradero Preserve. The PLAN will remove and manage non-native invasive weeds on the Arastradero Preserve by mowing the weeds twice during each spring with the boom mower. The PLAN weed abatement work will become a part of an overall weed management program on the Arastradero Preserve managed by the Open Space and Sciences staff. The Landscape Mitigation Plan will use $15,000 of the remaining project funding toward the purchase of a boom mower and $9,000 toward the use of contract maintenance and supplies and materials for landscape and mitigation work. The remaining project balance of $20,141 will be returned to the utilities reserves. Beginning in FY 1996-97, the Utilities Department will budget funds annually in the Water, Gas, Wastewater and Electric Operations and Maintenance funds, to pay for the future maintenance of the access road by Open Space and Sciences and to continue the overall weed abatement plan on the Arastradero Preserve. FISCAL IMPACT Funds for this project are included in the Capital Improvement Program Project: "The Arastradero Creek Access Road Improvement Project," (Project No.8915). Total annual funding of $6,200 for future access road maintenance and weed abatement on the CMR:126:96 Page 3 of 4 Arastradero Preserve will be included in future Water, Gas, Wastewater and Electric Operations and Maintenance budgets. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT A negative, declaration of no significant environmental impact was approved by Council for the construction of the Arastradero Creek Access Road Improvements and no further environmental review is necessary. Attachments:CMR:289:95 PREPARED BY:Roger Cwiak and Greg Scoby DEPARTMENT HEad9 APPROVAL: ~DVy/ARD J. 1VI~Zt~K Director of Utilities CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: CMR:126:96 Page 4 of 4 City of Palo Alto City Manager’s Report TO: FROM: AGENDA DATE: SUBJECT: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL CITY MANAGER June 12, 1995 l0 DEPARTMENT: UTILITIE S CMR:289:95 Rejection of Bid for Landscaping the Arastradero Creek Access Road REOUEST This report requests that Council reject the bid received for the Arastra Preserve Restoration Project and authorize staff to reevaluate the level of additional landscape mitigation required to complete the Arastra Creek Access Road Project. RECOMMENDATIONS Staff recommends that Council: Reject the bid received from Jim Lord Landscape Services in the amount of $45,856.50 for the Arastra Preserve Restoration Project; Authorize staff to reevaluate the level of additional landscaping required to complete the Arastra Creek Access Road project. POLICY IMPLICATIONS This rejection of a bid does not represent any change to existing policies. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Bids for the Arastra Preserve Restoration Project were sent out to eight contractors on May 18, 1995. A bid was received on June 6, 1995 from one contractor, which staff feels is not a good response. The bid was evaluated by staff and is shown in the attached Bid Evaluation Summary Sheet (Exhibit A). Four of the eight contractors that received project bid packages did not submit a bid due to bid timing and their current workload. The Engineer’s estimate based on CMR:289:95 Page 1 of 2 the City’s consultant’s recommendation for the project was $15,000.00 for landscape installation. The bid received for landscape installation was approximately three times the Engineer’s estimate for the project. The existing Arastradero Creek Access Road was constructed in late 1993 and early 1994 by Interstate Grading and Paving Co., Inc.. During the 1994-95 winter, heavy rains induced dense grass growth in areas hydro-seeded at the completion of the access road construction project. The grass areas effected by the road construction on the Arastradero Preserve have filled in with dense new growth grasses. The proposed landscape project would have removed weeds, hydro-seeded approximately 10,500 square feet of area where weeds were removed, planted approximately 97 additional new trees and provided monitoring of the new plantings for 3 years. Staff worked closely with interested members of the public and the Habitat Restoration Group (HRG) to define the project scope and final project mitigation plans. The HRG was recommended to staff by members of the public who had worked with HRG on the landscape mitigation restoration plan for Matadero Creek in Barron Park. FISCAL IMPACT Funds for this project are included in the FY1994-95 Water, Gas, Wastewater and Electric CIP budgets. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT A negative declaration of no significant environmental impact was approved by Council for the construction of the Arastradero Creek Access Road Improvements and no further environmental review is necessary. Attachments: Bid Summary PREPARED BY: Phung Hoang, Greg Scoby, Roger Cwiak DEPARTMENT HEAD APPROVAL: CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: of Utilities FLEMING Manager CMR:289:95 Page 2 of 2 Z 0 < 0 0 < 0 << ©