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Community Development Agency, Transportation Division recommending the Board consider the following pursuant to California Public Contract Code Section 22050 and El Dorado County Ordinance Code Section 3.14.060:
1) Find that on December 16, 2016, the presence of a sinkhole on Palmer Drive in Cameron Park constituted a public emergency; repairs to the sinkhole were performed without giving notice for bids to contractors; and work performed by a road and drainage contractor was necessary to respond to the public emergency; and
2) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Agreement for Services 372-C1799 with Doug Veerkamp General Engineering, Inc., retroactive to December 16, 2016 and for a term of 30 calendar days, and for a not-to-exceed in the amount of $150,000, for the repair of a sinkhole located on Palmer Drive in Cameron Park (4/5 vote required).
FUNDING: Tribe Funds (100% - Local)
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DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION
Community Development Agency, Transportation Division (Transportation) recommending the Board consider the following pursuant to California Public Contract Code Section 22050 and El Dorado County Ordinance Code Section 3.14.060:
1) Find that on December 16, 2016, the presence of a sinkhole on Palmer Drive in Cameron Park constituted a public emergency; repairs to the sinkhole were performed without giving notice for bids to let contracts; and work performed by a road and drainage contractor was necessary to respond to the public emergency; and
2) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Agreement for Services 372-C1799 with Doug Veerkamp General Engineering, Inc., retroactive to December 16, 2016 and for a term of 30 calendar days, and for a not-to-exceed amount of $150,000, for the repair of a sinkhole located on Palmer Drive in Cameron Park (4/5 vote required).
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
On Friday, December 16, 2016, at 3:20 p.m., Transportation was notified that there was a traffic hazard on Palmer Drive in Cameron Park. Transportation maintenance staff arrived on site shortly thereafter and found a sinkhole had opened up under westbound Palmer Drive between Plaza Goldorado Circle and Ponte Morino Drive. Staff immediately cordoned off the area and installed traffic controls to divert traffic away from the hazard. Transportation engineering staff arrived on site at approximately 6:15 p.m. to assist with evaluating the hazard and planning for repairs. After investigating the site and seeing that five to ten cubic yards of material had disappeared from under Palmer Drive, staff concluded that the sinkhole was likely caused by an anomaly somewhere in a 60-inch diameter storm drain culvert running 15 feet under the pavement at the location of the sinkhole. Transportation arranged for El Dorado Irrigation District (EID) to bring its pipe inspection robot to the site on Saturday, December 17 to examine the inside of the 60-inch culvert.
Transportation concluded that the location of the sinkhole relative to traffic, the high number of average daily vehicle trips on Palmer Drive, and the fact that the sinkhole occurred during the rainy season all comprised a public emergency that necessitated immediate action. Since a large amount of unusual technical road and culvert repair work would need to be started and completed very quickly, and since the County did not possess the equipment or materials needed to complete the work, Transportation concluded that an outside contractor, with appropriate equipment and the ability to quickly complete the work, would need to be brought in, rather than using in-house maintenance staff to perform the work.
Transportation considered several possible contractors for this work. John Kahling, Deputy Director, Engineering, decided to call Doug Veerkamp General Engineering, Inc. (Veerkamp) to ask if they would be willing to show up the next morning and start work on the emergency repairs. Veerkamp was selected for several reasons, as follows:
1) Transportation is very familiar with Veerkamp's work. Veerkamp had just weeks earlier completed the Alder Drive Bridge Replacement Project and part of the Blair Road Bridge Replacement Project, both of which included large culvert work. This was very similar to the type of work that would be required at Palmer Drive. Both projects were publicly bid and administered by Transportation.
2) The repair work would require an excavator and temporary concrete railing (k-rail), and Transportation knew that Veerkamp had quick access to both.
3) Veerkamp is an emergency contractor for Caltrans and EID, and as such is equipped to mobilize quickly and with little notice.
4) Veerkamp is currently working on several public and private construction projects in El Dorado County and would have quick access to the labor, materials, and equipment required to begin work the following morning.
Veerkamp was reached by phone at 7:03 p.m. on December 16. The owner of the company agreed to perform the work and stated that he would have personnel on site at 8:00 a.m. the following morning. It was mutually agreed that the work would be compensated on a time and materials basis in accordance with Caltrans Standard Specifications for force account work.
On Saturday, December 17, the EID pipe inspection robot showed a significant breach in the 60” storm drain almost directly under the sinkhole. Material adjacent the storm drain under Palmer Drive was likely sucked into this breach during storm events on December 10 and December 15, resulting in the sinkhole. Veerkamp began repair work immediately and concluded the job on Wednesday, December 21.
This is the first time since New Year’s Day 2006 that an emergency County roadway repair could not be addressed by Transportation maintenance staff (not including traffic signal knock-downs). However, because Transportation recognizes that there may be future circumstances that warrant similar emergency road repair work, Transportation will return to the Board in 2017 with a proposed on-call contract for emergency road repair work.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could choose to not approve Transportation’s recommendation. Transportation would take direction from the Board and return to the Board at a later date. This would delay payment to the contractor.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
N/A
CAO RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Board approve this item.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no change to Net County Cost associated with this item. Funding has been identified within the adopted Transportation budget. The Board accepted the Patterson Drive and Missouri Flat Overlays Project (Patterson Project) as complete on October 11, 2016 (Item 28). According to the adopted Interim 2016 Capital Improvement Program (CIP), the Patterson Project realized approximately $244,000 in savings in Direct Construction Costs, which was funded by Tribe Funds. The Patterson Project budget was decreased in the 2016 CIP, adopted on December 6, 2016 (Item 46), to better reflect actual costs and identify reimbursement revenue from EID; however, sufficient funds remain available in the Adopted Fiscal Year 2016/17 Budget for the Tribe Funds to accommodate the cost of the emergency sinkhole repairs.
The repair work at Palmer Drive is within the geographic area in which Tribe funds may be used for road work (see Attachment C). Therefore, Transportation proposes to use the Tribe Fund savings from the Patterson Project to fund this emergency repair work.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
1) The Clerk of the Board will obtain the Board Chair's signature on two (2) originals of the Agreement; and
2) The Clerk of the Board will return one of the signed originals of the Agreement to the Community Development Agency contracts unit for further processing.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Infrastructure
Public Safety
CONTACT
John Kahling, Deputy Director, Engineering
Community Development Agency, Transportation Division, Headington Engineering Unit