Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout07 ADOPT RESO 22-12 ESTABLISHING THE PROPOSED RED HILL UNDERGROUND UTILITY DISTRICT 2022-01DocuSign Envelope ID: 8AC15A7F-0970-46D5-82C2-45D225FF4D35 AGENDA REPORT Reeweld m DS 6 Reviewed:City Manager I Finance Director N/A MEETING DATE: MARCH 15, 2022 TO: MATTHEW S. WEST, CITY MANAGER FROM: DOUGLAS S. STACK, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS/CITY ENGINEER SUBJECT: ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 22-12 ESTABLISHING THE PROPOSED RED HILL AVENUE UNDERGROUND UTILITY DISTRICT NO. 2022-01 SUMMARY Staff is requesting the City Council establish Underground Utility District No. 2022-01, ordering the removal of all existing overhead utilities, including but not limited to Southern California Edison (SCE), Verizon Wireless, Charter Communications, and AT&T, along a portion of Red Hill Avenue between EI Camino Real and approximately 230 feet north of San Juan Street, and placement underground. The boundary of the proposed district is shown on Exhibit "A" of the attached Engineer's Report. SCE has estimated the project cost at approximately $1.2M, which shall be funded by California Public Utilities Commission Rule 20A allocations ("work credits") that were accrued on the City's behalf over several years. Tustin Municipal Code Article 7, Chapter 5 outlines procedures and requirements for establishing such an underground utility district. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council: 1. Approve the attached City Engineer's Report for Proposed Red Hill Avenue Underground Utility District No. 2022-01 ("Engineer's Report"); and 2. Adopt Resolution No. 22-12 establishing Red Hill Avenue Underground Utility District No. 2022- 01. FISCAL IMPACT SCE will use Rule 20A allocations for the design and construction of the underground facilities, conversion for all properties within the UUD currently receiving service from the overhead utilities in Red Hill Avenue, and for removal of existing overhead facilities. The City has entered into a Consultant Services Agreement with Utility Consultants of Orange County in an amount not to exceed $10,000 to provide assistance with project coordination between the City, SCE, and the other affected utilities. CORRELATION TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN The project contributes to the fulfillment of the City's Strategic Plan Goal B: Public Safety and Protection of Assets. Specifically, the project implements Strategy 1, which among other items, is to ensure continuous maintenance and improvement of public facilities. In addition, Goal D: Foster strong relationships within the community, specifically, Strategy 2, enhance collaborative efforts with agencies within and outside Tustin on issues of mutual interest and concern. DocuSign Envelope ID: 8AC15A7F-0970-46D5-82C2-45D225FF4D35 Red Hill Avenue Underground Utility District No. 2022-01 March 15, 2022 Page 2 DISCUSSON The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in 1967 established electric tariff Rule 20 in response to local government interest in enhancing the aesthetics of their communities. Under Rule 20 are three programs, 20A, 20B, and 20C, each addressing different funding mechanisms and qualifications for undergrounding existing overhead utility lines. Under Rule 20A, projects deemed to create a general public benefit are funded by all of SCE's ratepayers throughout the service area using Rule 20A work credits, which are allocated to cities and counties using the formula found in Section A of Rule 20. Unused work credits are carried over year-to-year. As of January 1, 2021, Tustin had a work credit balance of $1,448,255. Credit balance information for year-end 2022 is not yet available. Tustin Municipal Code Article 7, Chapter 5 outlines procedures and requirements for establishing an underground utility district, including noticing requirements for all persons owning real property within the proposed District which has been met, as well as the requirement of the attached Engineer's Report. The proposed UUD No. 2022-01 is located on a portion of Red Hill Avenue between EI Camino Real and approximately 230 feet north of San Juan Street, as shown on Exhibit "A" of the Engineer's Report, and will remove five (5) utility poles and overhead wires. The Engineer's Report identifies that the project qualifies as a Rule 20A project by meeting the following qualifications: the project removes a heavy concentration of overhead utilities; the street carries a heavy volume of traffic; and the street is considered an arterial street. In addition, the project lies within the limits of the Red Hill Specific Plan Area, an area of significant scenic interest to the general public. If the UUD is established, SCE will use Tustin's Rule 20A work credits for the design and construction of the underground facilities and the conversion for all properties within the UUD currently receiving service from the overhead utilities in Red Hill Avenue. For these properties, Rule 20A allocations will be used for work on private property for the installation of no more than 100 feet of each customer's underground electric service lateral and the conversion of a customer's meter panel to accept underground service. No monies are required from the property owners for this work. SCE has prepared a rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost of the project in the amount of $1.2 million, which includes the costs for design, construction, private property connections, removals, and contingencies for SCE, Verizon Wireless, Charter Communications, and AT&T. A more refined cost estimate will be prepared by SCE and the City after the construction drawings are developed. Upon formation of the UUD by the City Council, the estimated project schedule is 18 months for the Design/Pre-Construction Phases, 3 months for the Bid Phase, and 3 months for the Construction Phase. Therefore, it is expected that the proposed undergrounding, conversion of private services, and removal of overhead utilities and poles will be completed by April, 2024. It is recommended that the City Council approve the Engineer's Report and adopt a resolution forming the undergrounding district. The establishment of the UUD is exempt from further review under California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to Section 15302(d) of the State CEQA Guidelines. -Ir �z - VectaVStack, P.E. or of Public Works/City Engineer Attachment No. 1: Resolution No. 22-12 Attachment No. 2: City Engineer's Report for Proposed Red Hill Avenue Underground Utility District No. 2022-01 DocuSign Envelope ID: 8AC15A7F-0970-46D5-82C2-45D225FF4D35 ATTACHMENT 1 Resolution No. 22-12 DocuSign Envelope ID: 8AC15A7F-0970-46D5-82C2-45D225FF4D35 RESOLUTION NO. 22-12 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUSTIN, CALIFORNIA ESTABLISHING UNDERGROUND UTILITY DISTRICT NO. 2022-01 PURSUANT TO CALIFORNIA PULIC UTILITIES COMMISSION RULE 20A AND TUSTIN MUNICIPAL CODE ARTICLE 7, CHAPTER 5 WHEREAS, a public hearing was called for and noticed to be conducted on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 at the hour of 6:30 pm in the Council Chambers of the City of Tustin located at 300 Centennial Way, to ascertain whether the public necessity, health, safety or welfare requires the removal of existing poles, overhead wires, and facilities for supplying electric, communication, or associated services and placing them underground, within the portion of the road right-of-way on Red Hill Avenue between EI Camino Real and approximately 230 feet north of San Juan Street as identified on Exhibit "A" of the attached report titled "City Engineer's Report for Proposed Red Hill Avenue Underground Utility District No. 2022-01" ("Engineer's Report"); and WHEREAS, it has been recommended that such an underground utility district, hereafter called "District", be formed within the portion of the road right-of-way on Red Hill Avenue between EI Camino Real and approximately 230 feet north of San Juan Street, as identified on Exhibit "A" of the Engineer's Report; and WHEREAS, a Public Hearing was duly and regularly held on March 15, 2022 in the Council Chambers of the City of Tustin, and all interested and affected persons were given an opportunity to be heard; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED as follows: The City Council hereby finds that the public necessity, health, safety, or welfare requires the removal of existing poles, overhead wires, and facilities for supplying electric, telephone, cable communication, and associated services and placing them underground within the District as identified on Exhibit "A" of the Engineer's Report. 2. The City Council hereby authorizes Underground Utility District work credits to be used provided pursuant to California Public Utilities Commission Rule 20A. 3. The City Council hereby declares the above -referenced property, as shown on the map attached to the Engineer's Report as Exhibit "A", to be designated as Underground Utility District No. 2022-01. 4. The City Council hereby orders that the above -referenced facilities be removed and installed underground. 5. The City Council hereby orders that each utility which undertakes underground installation of its facilities shall use the underground conversion allocation, computed pursuant to decisions of the Public Utilities Commission of the State of California, for the purpose of providing to each property premises in the District currently receiving services from Red Hill Avenue, no more than one hundred (100) feet of each customer's underground electric service lateral required by the undergrounding and the conversion of a customer's meter panel to accept underground service required by the undergrounding. After installation, each property owner in the District shall be DocuSign Envelope ID: 8AC15A7F-0970-46D5-82C2-45D225FF4D35 responsible for the maintenance of the conduit and termination box located on, under, or within any structure on the premises served. 6. The City Council hereby directs the City Clerk to provide notice of this Resolution to all affected utilities and all affected persons owning real property within ten (10) days after the date of its adoption. The City Clerk shall further notify said property owners that the utilities will contract to provide all necessary facility changes on their premises for all properties within the District currently receiving service from the overhead utilities in Red Hill Avenue. Such notification by the City Clerk shall be made by mailing a copy of this Resolution and a copy of Tustin Municipal Code Article 7, Chapter 5 to affected property owners as such as are shown on the last equalized assessment roll and to the affected utilities. 7. The establishment of the District is exempt from further review under the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to Section 15302(d) of the State CEQA Guidelines. PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Tustin held on the 15th day of March, 2022. AUSTIN LUMBARD Mayor ATTEST: ERICA N. YASUDA City Clerk DocuSign Envelope ID: 8AC15A7F-0970-46D5-82C2-45D225FF4D35 STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF ORANGE ) SS CITY OF TUSTIN ) I, Erica N. Yasuda, City Clerk and ex -officio Clerk of the City Council of the City of Tustin, California, do hereby certify that the whole number of the members of the City Council is five; that the above and foregoing Resolution No. 22-12 was duly and regularly passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held on the 15th day of March, 2022 by the following vote: COUNCILMEMBER AYES: COUNCILMEMBER NOES: COUNCILMEMBER ABSTAINED: COUNCILMEMBER ABSENT: ERICA N. YASUDA City Clerk DocuSign Envelope ID: 8AC15A7F-0970-46D5-82C2-45D225FF4D35 ATTACHMENT 2 City Engineer's Report for Proposed Red Hill Avenue Underground Utility District No. 2022-01 DocuSign Envelope ID: 8AC15A7F-0970-46D5-82C2-45D225FF4D35 Department of Public Works Douglas S. Stack, P.E. Director City Engineer's Report for Proposed Red Hill Avenue Underground Utility District No. 2022-01 In the City of Tustin, California March 15, 2022 I. INTRODUCTION An underground utility district (UUD) is proposed to be established for a portion of Red Hill Avenue from EI Camino Real to approximately 230 feet north of San Juan Street in the City of Tustin for the purpose of removing all existing overhead utilities of, but not limited to, Southern California Edison (SCE), Verizon Wireless, Charter Communications, and Motive Infrastructure Solutions within the district boundary and placing them underground. The boundary of the proposed district is shown on the attached Exhibit "A". Article 7, Chapter 5 of the Tustin Municipal Code outlines procedures and requirements for establishing an underground utility district, including the requirement of this City Engineer's Report. The project proposes to place all existing overhead utilities along Red Hill Avenue within the district underground and provide underground utility service connections to all properties within the district that currently receive services from the existing overhead utilities in Red Hill Avenue. II. PHASES OF THE WORK The proposed UUD will be completed through the following phases of work: Planning The Planning Phase includes initial project qualification and Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimate by SCE, consultation with the affected utilities, and formation of the UUD with adoption of a resolution by the City. Design Upon formation of the UUD by the City Council, construction drawings will be developed by SCE and the other affected utility companies. The drawings will establish the proposed locations for below -ground conduits and handholes and above- or below -ground transformers, street lights, and any other equipment. The design process involves SCE preparing a civil land survey and developing the construction drawings. These drawings are then distributed to the other g 300 Centennial Way, Tustin, CA 92780 0 P: (714) 573-3150 • F: (714) 734-8991 0 www.tustinca.org DocuSign Envelope ID: 8AC15A7F-0970-46D5-82C2-45D225FF4D35 utilities, so they may commence with their designs, typically utilizing a joint trench design with the SCE facilities. The locations of easements on private properties for structures and conduits shall be determined at this stage of the project. If easements are required, the affected property owners will be contacted to coordinate the recording of such easements. Pre -Construction The pre -construction phase includes SCE obtaining all necessary easements, permits, and environmental clearances. A coordinated joint bid process for the civil work (underground conduit and structures) to a single contractor will occur during this phase. Construction The construction phase will consist of (a) construction of underground utilities for, but not limited to, SCE, Verizon Wireless, Charter Communications, and AT&T; (b) construction of service connections for those properties that currently receive services from Red Hill Avenue and qualify under the PUC Rule 20A guidelines; and (c) installation of street lights and connections to be owned and maintained by the City of Tustin. Closing The closing phase consists of the removal of all existing overhead utility wires and utility poles within the district boundary as shown on Exhibit "A". The utility companies are responsible for the removal of their respective wires and poles. Also included are administrative close-out documentation and accounting. III. COST OF THE WORK SCE has prepared a rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost of the project in the amount of $1.2 million, which includes the costs for design, construction, private property connections, removals, and contingencies for SCE, Verizon Wireless, Charter Communications, and AT&T. A more refined cost estimate will be prepared by SCE and the City after the construction drawings are developed. Once the UUD has been established by resolution of the City Council, SCE shall use underground conversion allocations following the requirements of PUC Rule 20A for the design and construction of the underground facilities, and the conversion for all properties within the district currently receiving services from the overhead utilities on Red Hill Avenue. Underground conversion allocations will be used for work on private property for the installation of no more than 100 feet of each customer's underground electric service lateral and the conversion of a customer's meter panel to accept underground service. After installation, each property owner in the district shall be responsible for the maintenance of the conduit and termination box located on, under, or within any structure on the premises served. No monies are required from the property owners for this work. 21 Page DocuSign Envelope ID: 8AC15A7F-0970-46D5-82C2-45D225FF4D35 IV. RULE 20A FUNDING REQUIREMENTS Funding for the work will be from underground conversion allocations made available by the California Public Utilities Commission through Rule 20A that were allocated to the City for undergrounding purposes. For a project to qualify as a Rule 20A project, it must be determined, after consultation with the electric utility, that such undergrounding is in the general public interest for one or more of the following reasons: (a) Such undergrounding will avoid or eliminate an unusually heavy concentration of overhead electric facilities; (b)The street or right-of-way is extensively used by the general public and carries a heavy volume of pedestrian or vehicular traffic (minimum of 5,000 average trips per day); (c) Wheelchair access is limited or impeded by existing above ground infrastructure; (d)The street, road, or right-of-way adjoins or passes through a civic area, public recreation area, or an area of unusual scenic interest to the general public; or (e) The street or right-of-way is considered an arterial street or major collector road, as defined by the California Department of Transportation's California Road System functional classification system. This project will remove overhead utilities and five (5) utility poles along Red Hill Avenue which has been determined to meet the requirements to qualify as a Rule 20A project under one or more of the reasons described above. V. SCHEDULE OF THE WORK Upon completion of the Planning Phase, including the UUD formation by the City Council, the estimated project schedule is: Design/Pre-Construction Phases 18 months Bid Phase 3 months Construction / Overhead Facilities Removal 3 months Therefore, it is expected that the proposed undergrounding, conversion of private services, and removal of overhead utilities and poles will be completed by April, 2024. Prepared under the supervision of Attachment: Exhibit "A" /Stack, P.E. of Public Works/City Engineer 31 Page DocuSign Envelope ID: 8AC15A7F-0970-46D5-82C2-45D225FF4D35 .[1L*; a EXHIBIT 'A" BOUNDARY MAP UNDERGROUND UTILITIES DISTRICT NO. 2022-01 .L'L_.j L-1 I LJ I (_ _I_ —)I L PINE TREE PARK i -- --+-- r -T--� r -r ---T---1----11 -- --! L LANCE --DRIVE - -�-- -- L_ 1_L_J-L_L_1 I I I �--- I I ��--T13701 I --�--�I �I--�r- P 13722 LL1L1- -- r -r-__7-1- 13751 13742 13802 j J J 13841 13806 — 13850 13871 13852 13891 13872 i ---� I 1-5 FREEWAY SCE POLE J1535385E (TO REMAIN) LIMITS OF PROPOSED UNDERGROUND UTILITIES DISTRICT NO. 2022-01