TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to amend Contract No. 30889 with Bellingham Marine Industries, Inc., for an additional $135,000 for unanticipated costs of the Alamitos Bay Marina rebuild project, related to eelgrass mitigation and mercury disposal issues. (District 3)
DISCUSSION
On August 12, 2008, the City Council authorized Contract No. 30889 with Bellingham Marine Industries, Inc. (Bellingham), for the engineering design of the Alamitos Bay Marina, in an amount not to exceed $1,490,000 (Attachment). During the environmental analysis and review process, it became apparent that, in order to complete the engineering design and meet the requirements of the regulatory agencies, it would be necessary to address the unanticipated issues related to eelgrass mitigation and mercury disposal.
As a result of dredging inherent in the rebuild, the City of Long Beach (City) is required by the United States Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the California Department of Fish and Game, to complete the requirements of the eelgrass mitigation policy. The City identified an eelgrass habitat, which is capable of sustaining these perennial flowering plant meadows, and which, in turn, supports a complex web of interrelated creatures, such as algae, juvenile finfish, and shellfish. An area of approximately 10,000 square feet at the northeast shore of Marine Stadium will be converted into an eelgrass meadow to ensure the viability of the ecosystem in Alamitos Bay Marina.
During the course of the environmental analysis, Bellingham uncovered the existence of elevated levels of mercury in Basin 1. Although mercury imbedded in the sediment poses no health concerns, it will require a disposal plan other than ocean disposal. The source of the mercury was unidentifiable, however, a detailed site sediment sampling revealed that 41,000 cubic yards of sediment will need to be disposed of in a confined site. The Department of P...
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