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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019_02_07 - Special MINUTES Special meeting of the City Council of the City of Redlands held in the Council Chambers, Civic Center, 35 Cajon Street, on February 7,2019 at 6 00 P M Present Mayor Paul Foster Mayor Pro Tempore Denise Davis Council Member Paul Barich Council Member Eddie Tejeda Council Member Tom Momberger Staff Janice McConnell,Acting City Manager,Dan McHugh, City Attorney, Jeanne Donaldson, City Clerk, Carl Baker,Public Information Officer, Danielle Garcia,Management Services/Finance Director,Paul Toor,Municipal Utilities and Engineering Director,Jason Montgomery, Senior Civil Engineer Mayor Foster called the meeting to order and offered those present the opportunity to provide public comment on any subject within the jurisdiction of the City Council which is not already scheduled on this agenda PUBLIC COMMENT None forthcoming Wastewater Treatment Plant Municipal Utilities and Engineering Director Toor presented a detailed overview of the City's Wastewater Treatment Plant(WWTP), including, a chronology of the facility's expansion, modifications and capacity Built in 1962,the WWTP has undergone numerous expansions and upgrades over the past 56 years as required either by growth or by mandated regulatory requirements from the California Regional Water Quality Control Board The WWTP utilizes a wide spectrum of technologies and treatment techniques and many of these techniques are reaching the end of their useful life The majority of the treatment processes currently in service today have exceeded 45 years of use,well beyond the anticipated lifespan for the infrastructure Operating a plant of this age is an ongoing challenge for the maintenance staff The Membrane Bioreactor(MBR) system is operating at 67%of the original capacity and MBR technology has advanced during the last decade which has rendered the City's current processes obsolete To ensure efficient operations and to stay in compliance with the regulatory requirements,WWTP treatment processes and infrastructure upgrades must be addressed Jason Montgomery, of Municipal Utilities and Engineering,recapped the efforts to develop alternatives for rehabilitation Staff prepared a Request for Proposals for professional engineering services to initiate a wastewater treatment plant design and four proposals were received,reviewed and analyzed From this analysis, staff evaluated options for Council to consider for the ongoing operations of the WWTP They include rehabilitation of existing WWTP with a comprehensive phased timeline improvement project,rehabilitation of the existing WWTP with a comprehensive condensed timeline improvement project, or construction of a new WWTP Director Toor summarized the three options for Council's consideration, listing projected costs, timelines for completion and lifespan Based on staff s assessment, it is recommended to proceed with Speciall CC—February 7,2019 Page 1 the engineering design for the rehabilitation of the WWTP,which will take at least two to three years to develop, depending on the option selected Next steps,as presented by staff, include a presentation to Municipal Utilities/Public Works Commission, award of design contract,peer evaluation, engagement of financial consulting services, and accepting applications for the Utilities Advisory Committee(UAC) As public comment,Daniel Adland asked whether the plant was secure in the event of major flooding Steve Stockton stated high peak flows in the river will be substantially reduced because of Seven Oaks Dam Dennis Bell pointed out an increase in electricity rates would likely eliminate any energy savings experienced and he expressed concern the financial burden of the rehabilitation will fall on the ratepayers Council Members questioned staff concerning several topics including,the importance of the MBR system as it relates to the overall process, code requirements and possible violations,the value of establishing an ongoing maintenance plan,potential for obsolescence,peer evaluation costs,possible energy savings with an upgraded system, flood vulnerability, and a review of the costs and timelines associated with each of the three options presented Mayor Foster announced the City will find an efficient and cost effective way to move forward with the project that will be acceptable to the public He encouraged his colleagues to use these next few weeks to consider everything they have heard tonight Staff plans to present a design contract and financial consulting services either on February 19 or on March 5, 2019, for City Council's consideration ADJOURNMENT There being no further action required the special meeting adjourned at 6 52 P M The next regular meeting of the City of Redlands City Council will be held on February 19,2019 Speciall CC—February 7,2019 Page 2