Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Utilities Department

TO:	David L. Corliss – City Manager Cynthia Wagner - Assistant City Manager Diane Stoddard - Assistant City Manager
FROM:	Philip Ciesielski – Assistant Director of Utilities
CC:	Dave Wagner – Director of Utilities Mike Lawless – Deputy Director of Utilities Beth Krishtalka – Assistant to Director John Shutak – Utilities Engineer Mark Hegeman – Utilities Operations Superintendent Dave King – Utilities Maintenance Superintendent
Date:	January 2, 2014
RE:	Agenda Item – Authorize Execution of Engineering Services Agreements with HDR Engineering Inc. for Project UT1307 Oread Water Storage Tanks and Booster Pump Station Replacement, and Project UT1310 Booster Pumping Improvements

Please include the following items on the City Commission Agenda for consideration at the January 7, 2014 meeting:

Authorize the City Manager to Execute an Engineering Services Agreement in the amount of $78,265.00 with HDR Engineering Inc. for Engineering Services for Project UT1307 Oread Water Storage Tanks and Booster Pump Station Replacement.

Authorize the City Manager to Execute an Engineering Services Agreement in the amount of $54,185.00 with HDR Engineering Inc. for Engineering Services for Project UT1310 Booster Pumping Improvements.

Project Descriptions

Project UT1307 addresses the replacement of the south 1931 and north 1954 Oread water storage tanks. These facilities are located in the 1200 block of Oread Avenue as shown on the attached location map. The 1931 tank stores 1,000,000 gallons, and the 1954 tank stores 1,300,000 gallons. There is a booster pump station with a firm capacity of 1.8 million gallons per day (mgd) that pumps from the Oread tanks to the West Hills Service area.

As indicated in the attached inspection report from October 2012 both tanks are exhibiting severe corrosion, loss of structural members, holes in the exteriors, deteriorated foundations and failing interior and exterior coatings. In addition the tanks do not meet several current safety and AWWA standards. Based on the condition of the tanks both the 2003 Water Master Plan and the Water Integrated Utilities Plan 2012 have recommended the replacement of these facilities.

Project UT1310 addresses the replacement of existing booster pumping facilities at the 19^th and Kasold water tower, and the possible addition of booster pumping facilities to the Harper, and 6^th and Kasold elevated storage tanks.

Booster pumping facilities are currently in service and installed below grade at the 19^th and Kasold water tower. Since the original installation was completed in 2001, department staff have had significant issues performing routine maintenance on the pumps as they are installed below grade within a 13 foot diameter steel cylinder with limited access through a manway in the steel lid. Access to the below grade steel cylinder requires a confined space entry, and all maintenance on the pumps must be performed in place. The original design also provided for the acquisition and installation of a single variable frequency (VFD) drive to control both pumps; with a single VFD installed, there is no redundancy to allow the station to operate when the VFD must be taken out of service for routine or emergency maintenance. This project will include relocation of the booster pumping facility to an above ground location within a free-standing structure as well as the installation of new variable frequency drives (VFD’s) providing control for each pump as well as operational redundancy, modifications to the electrical service, and installation of appurtenant monitoring and communications/control equipment.

Booster pumping facilities do not currently exist at the Harper and 6^th and Kasold elevated storage tanks. This phase of the project will evaluate the need for additional booster pumping facilities at these sites to facilitate water turnover within the tanks as well as to provide consistent water pressures in these portions of the system.

Project Status

Staff were originally authorized by the City Commission to negotiate Engineering Services Agreements with HDR Engineering, Inc. on May 7, 2013 for UT1307 Oread Tanks, and on November 5, 2013 for UT1310 Booster Pumping Improvements.

Since the City Commission’s authorization in May City staff, HDR and officials from KU have been discussing, and evaluating, options related to the siting of the Oread Tanks to determine the appropriate scope of work for this phase of the project. HDR has provided support in the evaluation and budgetary estimating of 12 sites and configuration options. Of these the proposed scope of work will fully evaluate the replacement of the tanks and pumping facility on the existing site, and on KU’s open tract on the west side of Oread Avenue.

With the November authorization to negotiate engineering services with HDR related to UT1310 Booster Pumping Improvements City staff have negotiated a coordinated scope of services between the two projects taking advantage of common task items related to hydraulic modeling, geotechnical services, pump station construction types, and mechanical and electrical equipment preferences.

The current scope of services fall outside the basic services outlined in the Design Fee Guidelines and a comparison of the proposed fee to the adopted Fee Curve is not provided. Staff and HDR have worked to define an appropriate scope and fee for the current project phase which takes advantage of efficiencies due to the interrelated aspects of the projects noted above.

Project Funding

The project is included in the Department of Utilities proposed 2013 Rate Plan and Capital Improvement Program.

Action Request

Thank you for your assistance. Please advise if you have any questions.