08-22-11 Regular Meeting of La Porte City Council

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REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM Agenda Date Requeste August 22, 2011 Requested By: David Mick Department: Public Works Report: Resolution Ordinance: Exhibits: Bid Tab Exhibits: location Map Exhibits: Public Works Priority Power List Appropriation Source of Funds: CDBG 100% Account Numbe TBD Amount Budgeted . 731,140 CDRG Amount Requested: $612,469 Budgeted item: N/A SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION On July 26, 2011, staff opened bids ( #11026) for the installation of generators and manual switches designed to facilitate emergency power supply to Water Well Nos. 4, 7, and 9; the Fairmont Booster Station, and Lift Station Nos. IA, 8, 13, 30, 31, 32, 37 and 40. The lowest and best bid was submitted by C.F. McDonald, Inc. from Houston, Texas. The C.F. McDonald bid of $592,469 is 9.7% below the low end of the cost estimate range of $656,000 to $760,000 provided by the design engineer and $138,671 less than the fill grant amount. This project is funded through the 2008 Texas Community Block Grant Development (CDBG) Disaster Recovery Supplemental Grant program. The City will be reimbursed for 100% of the contract amount by the Texas General Land Office. A list of facilities included in the Public Works Priority Power list is attached. Over three - quarters of the facilities on the list are sanitary lift stations. During a prolonged power outage, Public Works crews must monitor liquid levels in the lift stations, and when necessary, drop a portable pump into the lift station and bypass pump the sewage to the next downstream manually. This is a time consuming and labor- intensive process. An improvement to the bypass pumping approach is to rewire the lift station controls for a manual switch and quick connect connection with a mobile generator Unit, of which Public Works has two. The crews still monitor the liquid levels in the lift stations but have the ability to quickly connect a mobile generator to the lift station to pump down the liquid levels. For the largest lift stations, a gas generator permanently fixed to the station to allow for normal operation is the best alternative. The work associated with this contract includes proposed switches at the booster station, three water wells, and five lift stations. Gas generators are proposed at Lift Station Nos. 1A, 30, and 37. Future Considerations: There is an additional $138,671 in grant finding available to the City of La Porte through this grant find assuming a total expenditure in this C.F. McDonald contract equal to the bid amount. Staff is