San Diego Infrastructure Committee Meeting - September 20, 2017

The Infrastructure Committee of the San Diego City Council met on September 20, 2017, at 2:00 P.M. in Council Chambers. The meeting was chaired by Chair Kirsey, with Vice Chair Ward, Councilmember Zaf, and Councilmember Gomez present, along with City Attorney representative Mark Mercer, IBA representative Jillian Cassie, Mayor's representative Alejandra, and committee consultant Lee Friedman. The committee addressed three discussion items: a $6.1 million pipeline design agreement, a reallocation of park improvement funds for Chollas Lake playgrounds, and a $1.2 million library design consultant agreement. All three items were approved unanimously, and the meeting lasted approximately 24 minutes.

Consent Calendar

• No consent agenda items were presented at this meeting.
• The committee approved the meeting minutes from August 2, 2017, as distributed, without objection.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Martha Welch, speaking during non-agenda public comment, expressed strong frustration about road conditions and potholes throughout the city, alleging that the city repeatedly promises residents that roads will be paved "next year" or "next summer" but never follows through, and that easier roads get paved while worse ones are neglected. She also claimed the city lacks sufficient in-house workers due to pension concerns and questioned whether a library project she had heard about would actually appear on the agenda.
• During the Chollas Lake playground item, Ms. Welch expressed support for the project, stating she was glad to see it moving forward and that she has a personal connection to the lake.

Discussion Items

• Agreement with Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, Inc. for Alvarado 2nd Pipeline Extension (H166752): Deputy Director Akron Bassione and Assistant Deputy Director Abby Palisade of the Public Works Department presented a request to approve a $6.1 million agreement with Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, Inc. for design, environmental, and construction support services. The project includes a brand-new 48-inch and 30-inch pipeline starting at West Michim Bay Drive and extending along SeaWorld Drive, Hazard Center Drive, and Friars Road to the east side of I-805, plus replacement of a 16-inch asbestos cement pipe along Friars Road. The total project is estimated at approximately $53 million, including about $42 million in construction hard costs and $10.9 million in soft costs. Design is expected to take two years (completing late 2019), followed by approximately six months to bid and award the construction contract, with construction anticipated to take up to two and a half years, completing by 2023. Vice Chair Ward raised questions about the timeline, which presenters attributed to the project's roughly 10-mile length, three freeway crossings, two railroad crossings, fault analysis, and extensive permitting requirements. Ward also asked about the replacement pipe material; presenters confirmed the asbestos cement pipe would be replaced with PVC pipe, which has an expected lifespan of about 75 years. Staff noted that because the construction contract will exceed $30 million, they will return to the committee for approval before awarding it.
• Reallocation of Regional Park Improvement Funds from L18001 Chollas Lake Improvements to S14002 Chollas Lake Park Playground Improvements: Assistant Director Andy Field of the Parks and Recreation Department presented a request to reallocate approximately $300,000 from the Chollas Lake Improvements project (L18001) to the Chollas Lake Park Playground Improvements project (S14002). The playground project includes new playgrounds at Gloria's Mesa (ages 2-5 and 5-12) and at Friday's Gate (all ages), replacing very old equipment. The first two playgrounds at Gloria's Mesa are fully funded and already slated to begin construction. The reallocation would fund the Friday's Gate playground, which the community views as an essential increment, while leaving $200,000 in the improvements project for future work. The improvements project is intended to bring electrical power and security lighting to the lake, which currently has no power on its entire eastern edge, plus solar panels and other improvements. The Regional Park Improvement Oversight Committee approved the reallocation during the summer. Councilmember Gomez expressed familiarity with the area and support for directing resources to it.
• Consultant Agreement with Architects Hanna Gabriel Wells for Pacific Highlands Ranch Branch Library: Acting Deputy Director Elif Chitin of the Public Works Department's Architectural Engineering Parks Division presented a request to award a $1.2 million consultant agreement with Architects Hanna Gabriel Wells for design and construction support services for a new library. The library will be approximately 18,000 square feet on a 1.5-acre site, including a large community meeting room, teen and children's areas, study rooms, a catering (warm-up) kitchen, and patio and exterior seating areas. The library will serve the Pacific Highlands Ranch, Black Mountain Ranch, Tory Highlands, and Del Mar Mesa communities, located immediately north of Highway 56 and east of Highway 5, near Carmel Mountain Road, directly across from a community park. The estimated total project budget is just over $19 million, funded by FBA (Facilities Benefit Assessment) funds received in increments. Design is scheduled to begin in fall 2017, with construction documents advertised in summer 2019, construction starting in winter 2019-2020, and completion estimated in summer 2021. Chair Kirsey asked about the city managing developer-funded projects; project officer Cynthia Meinhart explained that city-managed projects are typically more efficient and cost-effective because developers managing projects still require city oversight, making it more expensive. Regarding the catering kitchen, Meinhart clarified that a warm-up kitchen avoids the extensive county permitting requirements (including grease traps) associated with full food preparation kitchens.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the agreement with Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, Inc. for design and construction support services for the Alvarado 2nd Pipeline Extension, in the amount of $6.1 million, including a 10% contingency. Motion by Vice Chair Ward, seconded by Councilmember Gomez; carried unanimously.
• Approved the reallocation of Regional Park Improvement Funds from L18001 Chollas Lake Improvements to S14002 Chollas Lake Park Playground Improvements, in the amount of approximately $300,000. Motion by Councilmember Gomez, seconded by Vice Chair Ward; carried unanimously.
• Approved the consultant agreement with Architects Hanna Gabriel Wells for design services for the Pacific Highlands Ranch Branch Library, in the amount of $1.2 million. Motion by Vice Chair Ward, seconded by Councilmember Gomez; carried unanimously.
• The next Infrastructure Committee meeting was scheduled for October 25, 2017.