The City Council on June 3 unanimously approved an increase to the Crescent Hillside Stabilization Project contract. This was necessary because an additional scope of work was added to the project, according to the staff report. The final total cost of the contract was $878,300.70.
“This item deals with what we consider the close out of the Crescent Hillside project. You previously authorized $600,000 to fund that construction,” said CIP Director Bob Greenlaw.
“You previously authorized $600,000 to fund that construction contract with Arizona Drilling and Blasting,” he said.
“There was some additional cost right at the end,” he said. “We tracked down where the drainage was coming out of the hillside. Had to excavate considerably in there, put in that sub surface drainage and then recompact the hillside. Um so we needed another $278,300.70 to close out this contract,” Greenlaw said.
Councilmember Lisa Lavelle said she was excited that it was going to be a closed out project.
Background
“On March 1, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency in 13 California Counties due to winter storm conditions. In 2023, due to a series of natural phenomena called ‘Atmospheric Rivers,’ the City received an unprecedented amount of precipitation and an increased number of wind events,” according to the staff report by Greenlaw and Senior Management Analyst Devin Hart.
“The weather conditions led to flooding, infrastructure failures, increase rock falls and mud slides, the appearance of sink holes along the roadways, and damage to City parks and facilities,” Greenlaw and Hart wrote.
“The weather conditions led to flooding, infrastructure failures, increase rock falls and mud slides, the appearance of sink holes along the roadways, and damage to City parks and facilities,” Greenlaw and Hart wrote.
“Of specific concern, a landslide began to develop below the Crescent Avenue Stairway, at a location above the Catalina Island Yacht Club,” Greenlaw and Hart wrote.
“Approximately 100 cubic yards of earthen material below the wall rotated and slipped approximately six feet in elevation,” Greenlaw and Hart wrote.
“Since the initial event, anytime a significant rain event occurred additional material slipped downward in a slow progression, with the amount of material movement relative to the amount and intensity of the rainfall,” Greenlaw and Hart wrote.
On March 1, 2023, the council voted unanimously to award a contract for a maximum of $300,000 to finish the work, according to the report.
The limited footprint for the project made it difficult to engage a qualified contractor, according to the report.
“Additionally, the Atmospheric River conditions of 2023 were experienced throughout the State causing significant storm damage in much of California ,” Greenlaw and Hart wrote.
“The increased need for qualified contractors in other regions further inhibited the City’s ability to identify and engage an appropriate vendor to perform the necessary mitigation work,” Greenlaw and Hart wrote.
“In April2024, City Staff became aware of a contractor with the availability and ability to perform the necessary work to stabilize the hillside,” Greenlaw and Hart wrote.
“The City received an initial proposal from Arizona Drilling & Blasting on May 1, 2024. The proposal includes a preliminary defined scope of work estimated at $282,000; however, due to general complications of the project, the contractor recommended, and City Staff have agreed, for work to be performed on a time and material basis (T&M),” Greenlaw and Hart wrote.
“On May 3, 2024 the City entered into an agreement with Arizona Drilling & Blasting to perform the necessary scope of work on a T&M basis for a not to exceed sum of $300,000,” Greenlaw and Hart wrote.
“The project began on May 5, 2024. Arizona Drilling & Blasting and other vendors worked to provide project mobilization of personnel and equipment to the island and up the hillside to the limited access project site, excavated an area to perform the work, drilled and placed 17 tieback anchors to depths of 40 feet into bedrock anchorage, installed 17 walers (horizontal steel beams) to transfer wall loads to tieback anchors, drilled and installed eight underdrains to depths of 20 feet into the hillside, manufactured and installed 30 concrete laggings (horizontal beams) to retain the wall backfill where the slipout exposed unrestrained soil, installed an underdrainage system over and down the hillside to direct excess subterrain drainage to the road below, and restored the hillside area with an engineered backfill/ erosion control,” Greenlaw and Hart wrote.
“Due to the complexity of the scope, difficulty associated with the location and the discovery of various concealed conditions, the project budget was expanded,” Greenlaw and Hart wrote.
“Anticipating cost overruns due to additional engineering costs, the City Manager exerting his authority granted by the City’s adopted budget policy, authorized a transfer of $100,000 from the City’s Maintenance Yard Upgrade Project – Project #205017 – to the Crescent Hillside Project on November 22, 2024,” Greenlaw and Hart wrote.
“To complete the project, a final additional scope of work was added to Arizona Drilling & Blasting’s scope of work – development and installation of a drainage system to mitigate future erosion,” Greenlaw and Hart wrote.
“In February 2025, the City received the final, negotiated bill from Arizona Drilling & Blasting,” Greenlaw and Hart wrote.
The total cost of the project, according to the report, was $1,304,455.63.
