Travis County Commissioners Court
October 20, 2009,
Item 24
24 is to consider and take appropriate action on request to authorize the purchasing office to negotiate a modification to contract number ps 070371 jw with.
spey consultants, inc, for the multi-phase clean up of hamilton creek and pool and to determine a funding source for phase 1 of the clean up-.
was our intention to take this item up before our discussion of 32?
we can go ahead and discuss it now.
>> this is the financing portion of it?
>> right.
>> thank you.
>> so this is the -- marvin is handing out an updated cost estimate on the cleanup cost of hamilton creek and pool provided to us by the consultant, espey consultants, that have assisted us all along the way in this process.
it is very close to the estimate they had given us prior, but because of the recent rains, they want to go back out and visit the -- actually walk the creek, visited the pool just to make sure that they knew what the current conditions were and how they might affect the cleanup and the techniques that they would use to clean up the area.
so marvin has been in discussion with espey and can probably lay out what all is entailed.
>> thank you.
judge, Commissioners, marvin bryce, assistant purchasing agent.
what we've been discussing with them, we have an existing contract with espey for the cleanup and we hope to modify that existing contract because of funding we've determined that the best method to approach this is a two-phase approach.
phase 1 would be the creek cleanup, and then phase 2 would be the actual cleanup of the pool.
and reason being, and joe can speak to this better, number 1 is funding, also because of -- I think it's the nesting season for the golden cheeked warbler.
six months for phase 1, another six and a half months for phase 2, 60 days for phase 2, we don't feel we can get all the cleanup done in a timely manner not to interfere with the nesting season, plus the funding requirements.
if you look at page 3 of the backup, we asked the actual ant to give us a -- consultant to give us a breakdown by phase for the creek and then phase 2 for the pool.
they are estimating approximately 1.4 million for the cleanup of the creek and approximately 700, a little over 700, 760,000 for the cleanup of the pool total of 2.2.
we have about $790,000 of disposal cost.
so roughly around $2.4 million total.
i think what we're looking for today want to identify a funding source for phase 1 1 and have the court authorize the purchasing office to go ahead and negotiate the costs.
these prices are fairly firm, but there are some estimated costs because coffee contingency included in both costs due to the fact we don't know what they are going to find.
there may be unforeseen conditions so we have contingency.
>> you really need to clean up the creek before you clean up the pool.
if you don't do that, any sedimentation is going to end up in hamilton pool.
want to make sure you have everything cleaned up upstream and finally get to the pool.
because that takes six months, we probably won't hit the window of opportunity with regard to the nesting season in hamilton pool park -- in hamilton pool park.
so we'll probably have to defer the cleanup of the pool itself until the birds have left.
which would be sometime in August.
>> but we think we have the -- an opportunity to clean up the creek?
>> yes.
>> the nesting season notwithstanding.
>> that's right.
there's no problem with proceeding up and down the creek with regard to the endangered species habitat.
>> okay.
what source of funding has been identified as the most probable?
most feasible?
>> judge, Commissioners, we had talked with the auditor's office, the county attorney's office, risk management, met last Friday on this, and have agreed that the risk management fund would be the appropriate funding source for phase 1, with the understanding that any subrogation would go back to the risk fund once -- once things have been resolved there.
and what we would ask the court to do is allow us to do an automatic transfer once the -- or automatic budget adjustment once the contract negotiations have been done by purchasing.
>> what if we just put on the agenda to approve the minute the contract comes back.
>> we could do it either way.
>> have to approve the contract, right?
>> right.
>> that way the paper trail is a whole lot better.
i'm already choked up over the 1.4 million and the automatic transfer is choking me up even more.
>> this estimate is extremely close to the estimate that the same company gave us, what was it, eight months ago?
>> back in '08.
>> even further.
november of '80 was it?
>> very close.
>> good morning.
>> good morning.
in order for joe to be able to encumber the funds and be able to have it ready when the court comes and for us to verify funds, we need to have a line item for that money.
so that is the reason we thought if we could have the automatic in the risk fund coming into the line item, the claim for line item.
>> let's just approve the amount then and next week have a -- have it on the agenda to do it, to approve it.
>> second.
>> you really need to go?
>> not quite automatic, but where there's a paper trail where we transfer this amount into an appropriate line item.
>> is the contract going next week too or after that?
>> it will probably be later.
>> that will be fine.
as long as the money is in the line item so that joe can encumber.
>> right.
>> move approval of the source of funning being the risk fund.
>> second.
>> the understanding we'll reimburse that fund once we receive the check that we have negotiated and agreed on.
okay?
>> very good.
>> and I guess to let the public really understand, and I think you probably mentioned that, is the nesting season, things like that with the -- you probably did, as far as why we're phasing this in is because of the nesting season of the endangered species and things like that.
so I still would like to get an assessment of what the creek looks like now.
and I guess that will be done pretty soon.
and you know, the creek and, of course, the pool itself, but what is -- you know, since the recent rains, what is the status of the creek.
i don't know if anybody has ventured out there.
>> espey certainly has and I can put them in touch with you to give them a description of what they saw.
>> that would be good.
thank you.
>> let's clarify part this motion too is authorize purchasing to negotiate with the espey consultants, inc, to modify the contract to get phase one worked on.
okay?
seconded by Commissioner Huber.
was that my motion?
>>
>> [inaudible].
>> second.
>> we have more than enough seconds, don't we?
any more discussion?
all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
>> thank you.
>> thank you all.
>> move we recess until 1:30.
>> second.
>> all in favor?
that carries unanimously.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 1:40 PM
