REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 10/19/2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Public Works Department
SUBJECT:
Title
Approve the Amended and Restated Cooperative Agreement with the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District for the East Grand Boulevard Storm Drain Project.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks for the City Council to approve the Amended and Restated Cooperative Agreement with the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (District) to fully fund the design and construction of the East Grand Boulevard Storm Drain Project located between 3rd and 7th Street. This project is part of several projects that will mitigate drainage deficiencies in the downtown areas by connecting to a recently completed storm drain system, Line 52, that outfalls to the Temescal Creek Channel.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Approve the Amended and Restated Cooperative Agreement with the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District for the East Grand Boulevard Storm Drain Project, Project No 2022-16, in the amount of $1,880,000.
b. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the Amended and Restated Cooperative Agreement with the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District to memorialize the mutual understandings by and between the District and City of Corona with respect to funding, design, construction, inspection, ownership, operation, and maintenance of the East Grand Boulevard Storm Drain Project.
c. Authorize an appropriation and an offsetting estimated revenue increase in the amount of $1,430,000 from the Public Works Grants/Agreement Fund (243) to the East Grand Boulevard Storm Drain, Project No. 2022-16.
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BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
In June 2019, the City completed Line 52, a storm drain system constructed along Joy Street and a portion of East Grand Boulevard that releases stormwater into the Temescal Creek Channel. In November 2021, Corona staff met with District staff to begin discussion of the East Grand Boulevard Storm Drain Project that would extend the storm drain system further south into the downtown area on East Grand Boulevard between 3rd and 7th Street. Corona staff diligently collaborated with District staff to amend and restate the original agreement to update costs to today’s value and include project activities that were not eligible in the original agreement.
Staff has negotiated an increased funding agreement from the amount of $450,000 in the original agreement to $1,880,000 in the Amended and Restated Cooperative Agreement that will be provided to the City from the District. This new amount includes construction administration and permit fees that were not eligible in the original agreement and will completely fund the entire project costs.
ANALYSIS:
The East Grand Boulevard Storm Drain Project will connect to the City’s storm drain system known as Line 52, as shown on Exhibit 1. Line 52 was completed in June 2019 and conveys stormwater along a portion of Grand Boulevard to Joy Street, delivering stormwater to the Temescal Creek Channel which connects to the Santa Ana River and the Prado Reservoir.
Approval of the Restated and Amended Cooperative Agreement with the District will allow the City to fund and extend a storm drain section along East Grand Boulevard from 3rd to 7th Street. The project will install approximately 1,600 linear feet of storm drain system and expand a section of the master-planned storm drain that will render a well-designed roadway drainage system and provide several benefits, such as street user safety and mitigate flooding.
Furthermore, the project and staff’s efforts to have the District fully fund the project aligns with the City’s following strategic goals:
• Financial Stability: ensure the City has adequate and sustainable funding to deliver high-quality services to residents. Staff negotiated and worked with the District, and it was agreeable to funding 100% of the project costs.
• Sound Infrastructure: sustain high-quality service delivery by investing in public infrastructure, including parks, buildings, equipment, roads, and technology. The storm drain project will enhance the roadway system and remove stormwater from the roadway and minimize excessive ponding of water in the streets, thereby, reducing the risk and delay to vehicular traffic flow and pedestrian accessibility.
• Safe Community: protect our quality of life by ensuring the community is safe and clean. The storm drain system will allow for proper drainage and mitigate flooding and damage to local residences and businesses.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Should the City Council approve the Amended and Restated Cooperative Agreement and appropriate the additional $1,430,000 from the District, staff will utilize the funds provided by the District for design, construction, and inspection of the East Grand Boulevard Storm Drain Project. The Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District will reimburse the City effectively for all costs, including the City’s administrative expenses.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. The requested actions are to approve a funding agreement and appropriate those funds for the Project, and there is no possibility that these actions will have a significant effect on the environment. When the project begins, there will also be no environmental analysis required since the project will involve only minor street improvements; a “Notice of Exemption” from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) will be filed with the County of Riverside.
PREPARED BY: GERARDO SANABRIA, ASSOCIATE ENGINEER
REVIEWED BY: SAVAT KHAMPHOU, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Project Map
2. Exhibit 2 - Amended and Restated Cooperative Agreement