TITLE
Recommendation to find that excavations are immediately required for the general health, safety, and welfare of the City and cannot be delayed; that alternatives to excavating, such as alternative routing, boring or excavation of the parkway, are not possible; and approve a discretionary permit to excavate Locust Avenue between 8th Street and 9th Street, a street that has been reconstructed within the previous 60 months, in accordance with Section 14.08.060 of the Long Beach Municipal Code. (District 1)
DISCUSSION
Asplundh Construction Corp. (Asplundh), has filed for a discretionary permit to excavate and install electrical conduit and cables to Renaissance High School on Locust Avenue between 8th Street and 9th Street (Exhibit A). Asplundh is under contract by Linik Corp. the Project Manager representing Long Beach Unified School District, to install new electrical service to the high school.
This portion of Locust Avenue was resurfaced on December 1, 2012, and is under an excavation moratorium until December 1, 2017. Long Beach Municipal Code (LBMC) Section 14.08.060, Public Works permit-issuance, requires that a permit for an excavation in a City street that has undergone slurry sealing within the previous 24 months, or reconstruction within the previous 60 months, and is not for an emergency repair or for a new utility service connection, be deemed discretionary and subject to the approval of the City Council.
Asplundh states that the proposed excavation is necessary for the general health, safety, and welfare of the City and cannot be delayed until after the moratorium has expired because the Renaissance High School students are currently being housed at Mary Butler School and are unable to return to Renaissance High School until electrical service has been installed.
Alternatives to excavating the street, such as routing through adjacent streets, has been considered and rejected because the adjacent streets are under the same excavation moratorium. The Southern California Edison vault providing the point of connection for the new electrical service is underground and across the street from the school. Excavating directly across the street is the only practical method to gain access. After the completion of the permitted work, as a permit requirement, Asplundh is required to slurry seal Locust Avenue, from curb-to-curb, and repair any street degradation caused by, or related to, the
excavation during the remaining period of the street moratorium to the satisfaction of the City Engineer.
The Public Works Department has reviewed the application and found the proposed excavation to be compatible with existing installations and not an obstacle to any street use or any known proposed developments. Traffic control requirements, stipulated by the Traffic Engineering Division, will be made a part of the special conditions for the discretionary excavation permit. City-approved liability insurance for the discretionary permit is on file.
Staff will work with Asplundh to ensure appropriate information about the project is mailed to residents within a 500-foot radius.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Linda T. Vu on April 24, 2017 and by Budget Analysis Officer Julissa José-Murray on April 26, 2017.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on May 23, 2017, to allow commencement of this work.
FISCAL IMPACT
If the discretionary permit is approved, a permit fee of approximately $1,781 will be deposited in the General Fund (GF) in the Public Works Department (PW). There is no local job impact associated with this recommendation.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
CRAIG A. BECK
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS
APPROVED:
PATRICK H. WEST
CITY MANAGER