The City Council this week authorized the emergency repair of the wall at the Crescent Avenue stairway.
Approval required a minimum of four votes to pass.
The vote was unanimous.
According to the staff report by Public Works Director Bob Greenlaw, the Public Contracts Code authorizes the council to pass an emergency resolution to repair or replace a public facility without giving prior notice for bids.
“Prior to taking any action, the Council shall make a finding, based on substantial evidence, that the emergency will not permit a delay resulting from a competitive solicitation for bids, and that the action is necessary to respond to the emergency,” Greenlaw wrote.
“The information set forth herein, as well as presented during this meeting, constitutes substantial evidence that the emergency will not permit a delay which would result from engaging in competitive bidding and that immediate repairs are necessary to respond to the emergency,” Greenlaw wrote.
“In 2019 a landslide began to develop below the Crescent Avenue Stairway, at a location above the Catalina Island Yacht Club,” Greenlaw wrote.
“Approximately 100 cubic yards of earthen material below the wall rotated and slipped approximately six feet in elevation,” Greenlaw wrote.
“Since that event, anytime a significant rain event occurs additional material slips downward in a slow progression, with the amount of material movement relative to the amount and intensity of the rainfall. Staff consulted on-site with the City’s on-call engineering consultants and determined that the material needs to be removed, but the wall that provides the foundation for the stairway was still competent,” Greenlaw wrote.
“The conditions remained the same until rain events late in 2019 where additional earthen material slipped and exposed the lower wall embedment. Staff again consulted with its on-call consultant, and the contractor that originally constructed the wall,” Greenlaw wrote.
“It was determined that a corrective action needed to be pursued to protect the integrity of the wall. City Staff solicited proposals from qualified firms to determine the best course of action. The City received two proposals; however, the conditions stabilized and no action was taken,” Greenlaw wrote.
“During the recent Atmospheric River Incidents, the hillside beneath the Crescent Avenue Stairway began to further erode,” Greenlaw wrote.
An assessment has determined that corrective action must be taken immediately. With proposals from qualified firms in hand, City Staff request authorization for the City Manager or his designee to negotiate and award a contract for a not to exceed $300,000 to make repairs,” Greenlaw wrote.
