REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF BOARD GOVERNED COUNTY SERVICE AREAS
AND RECORD OF ACTION
August 6, 2024
FROM
NOEL CASTILLO, Director, Department of Public Works - Special Districts
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Construction Contract for the County Service Area 70 Glen Helen - Screw Press Sludge Dewatering Project
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of County Service Area 70 GH Glen Helen, approve Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. 21-602 with Spiess Construction Company, Inc., increasing the contract amount by $71,936.91, from $1,121,501.97 to $1,193,438.88, and extending the contract duration by 496 calendar days, to facilitate completion of the Screw Press Sludge Dewatering Project (Four votes required).
(Presenter: Noel Castilo, Director, 387-7906)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The County Service Area (CSA) 70 GH Glen Helen - Screw Press Sludge Dewatering Project (Project) cost of $1,193,438.88 is funded through proceeds from Community Facilities District (CFD) No. 2006-1, Special Tax Bonds, Series 2018. Sufficient appropriation for the proposed Amendment No. 2 (Amendment) is included in the 2024-25 Capital Improvement Program budget for CSA 70 GH Glen Helen and will be included in future recommended budgets, as needed.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Lytle Creek North Wastewater Treatment Plant (Plant), which is operated by the Department of Public Works - Special Districts (Department), serves the Rosena Ranch Development Tract, Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center, and other Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator’s Department facilities located within the Glen Helen area near Devore. The Plant was built in 2007 and has the capability of processing 1,750,000 gallons of wastewater per day. Currently, 550,000 gallons of wastewater are processed daily that requires disposal of the associated waste product of 20,000 gallons of sludge each day. Using the existing drying beds and storage tanks, the Plant can only remove 13,000 gallons of sludge per day. The remaining 7,000 gallons of sludge is recycled back into the Plant and/or stored in the Plant’s detention basin. Under existing operational conditions, keeping up with the process of removing sludge is an ongoing challenge for Plant operators.
After evaluating multiple solutions to increase the Plant’s sludge handling capacity, it was determined that installing a screw press sludge dewatering system presented the most efficient and cost-effective method of processing the sludge. When completed, this system would be able to dewater and remove approximately 22,000 gallons of sludge in an eight-hour shift per day and return the Plant back to its originally designed operations. This new system would also have the capacity to handle additional sludge by adding additional daily shifts should demand necessitate.
On August 10, 2021 (Item No. 36), the Board of Supervisors (Board) awarded construction Contract No. 21-602 (Contract) to Spiess Construction Company, Inc. (Spiess) in the amount of $967,500 for the Project at the Plant, for 300 calendar days from the issuance of the Notice to Proceed (June 26, 2022). The Board also authorized the Director of the Department to order any necessary changes or additions in the work being performed under the construction contract for the total not to exceed amount of $60,875, pursuant to Public Contract Code Section 20142.
On August 30, 2022, the Director approved Administrative Change Order No. 1 to the Contract in the amount of $20,288.38, increasing the Contract amount from $967,500 to $987,788.38. Change Order No. 1 also increased the work calendar days from 300 days to 490 days (January 2, 2023).
On January 24, 2023 (Item No. 58), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to the Contract, increasing the Contract amount by $106,631, from $987,788 to $1,094,419, and extended the Contract duration by 140 additional days, from 490 calendar days to 630 calendar days (May 22, 2023).
On March 14, 2023, the Director approved Administrative Change Order No. 2 to the Contract, in the amount of $27,082.86, increasing the Contract amount from $1,094,419.11 to $1,121,501.97.
Since that time, additional changes to the Project work have been identified, which are set forth in the proposed Amendment. The changes consist of the following:
• Item No. 1 is needed to extend the 1.5-inch potable water feed line that services the Polymer System.
• Item No. 2 provides the District with a credit for the original 1.5-inch potable water line. The as-built information incorrectly reflected the location of the existing potable water line, which requires additional water line and demolition work to install.
• Item No. 3 will keep the temporary bypass line in place to allow for the bypass flows in the event of an emergency or in the event that the screw press needs to be taken offline. This change will cover the material cost of the pipe.
• Item Nos. 4 through 6 are changes required to the electrical system to ensure integration with the District’s SCADA system. The plans reflected incorrect as-built information, and during the course of construction, it was determined that additional electrical work was required.
• Item Nos. 7 and 8 add the winch mount and enclosure needed to operate the winch as designed.
Approval of the proposed Amendment increases the Contract amount by $71,936.91, from $1,121,501.97 to $1,193,438.88, and extends the Contract duration by 496 additional days, from 630 calendar days to 1126 calendar days (September 29, 2024). The Amendment is necessary to accommodate construction adjustments for the Project at the Plant, which will compensate the contractor for the additional cost and time of the Project work.
The proposed additional work is anticipated to take approximately two months after Board approval and be completed in September 2024. The addition of the 496 days is to align the current contract, which has a completion date of May 22, 2023, to the new anticipated project completion date of September 29, 2024. The Amendment will close the contract gap and relieve the contractor of potential liquidated damages that they otherwise may be subject to.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Aaron Gest, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on July 12, 2024; Purchasing (Michael Candelaria, Lead Buyer, 387-0321) on July 17, 2024; Finance (Jessica Trillo, Administrative Analyst, 387-4222) on July 17, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Paloma Hernandez-Barker, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on July 22, 2024.