PROJECT NO. CIP 97-182 MYRTLE AVENUE UNDERGROUNDING AND
PROJECT NO. CIP 97-183 LOMA DRIVE UNDERGROUNDING –
STATUS REPORT

 

Recommendation:

It is recommended that the City Council receive and file this report.

Summary:

With the exception of the guy pole at the corner of 25th Street and Silverstrand Avenue, the undergrounding of the Myrtle District is substantially complete. Edison has proposed that the pole can be removed or relocated – either option would be at City expense. All but two of the streetlights have been installed. The remaining streetlights will be installed before October 12, 2001.

Edison has completed installation of the primary and secondary wires in the Loma District as well as completing installation of the necessary components in all twelve vaults. Edison left the District September 10, 2001, and indicated that they do not plan to return until both Verizon and Adelphia have finished their work. City Staff and Edison personnel met on September 25, 2001, wherein it was noted that Edison’s absence might push the project completion date to March 2002.

Verizon and Adelphia are utilizing the same work schedule. They both expect to complete their work in the Loma District by the end of November. At that time Edison will activate the underground system and begin conversion at each property. They anticipate that all poles will be removed by mid-March 2002.

Work Completed :

The substructure installation of ducts for electricity, telephone and cable has been completed per the original design plans. The placement of vaults, pull boxes, hand-holes and laterals to residents, as indicated in the initially drawn plans, have also been completed. Pavement repairs, striping, and final clean up of the reconstructed areas within the districts have been completed as well. The City has accepted the work by Irish Construction Company for both projects.

All utilities in the Myrtle District have been undergrounded. All the utility poles within the Myrtle District have been removed.

The installation of primary and secondary Edison wires on the public right-of-way within the Loma District has been completed.

Work in Progress:

Verizon and Adelphia, along with their subcontractors SECC and L& G, are making conversions in the Loma District. The first two are placing the main wires while the last two companies provide splicing and make the final connections at each property. Staff is assisting both utilities to resolve any of their problems with the components installed by the City contractor, Irish Construction Company, and with the work done at each property within the District by each individual property owner.

Edison is installing two missing streetlights in the Myrtle District, one at 2451 Silverstrand and one at the corner of 26th Street and Ozone Drive.

Edison is working on their proposal to remove the utility pole on the corner of 11th Street and Loma Drive in the Loma District and the proposal to either relocate or remove the guy pole at the corner of 25th Street and Silverstrand Avenue.

Work Remaining:

Verizon and Adelphia need to complete their conversions in the Loma District. Staff has yet to approve Edison’s upcoming plans for removal or relocation of the utility pole at the corner of Loma Drive and 11th Street and the guy pole located next to the School at the corner of 25th Street and Silverstrand Avenue. Edison has to return to the Loma District to complete their conversion work and to remove all the poles within the area. As the CDBG funds have been reinstated to provide financial assistance to the qualified homeowners in the District, the two pre-approved homeowners at 745 Loma Drive and 1016 Loma Drive will have their conversions completed through the utilization of these funds.

Conclusions:

Staff’s plans to see the completion of the Loma District by the end of November 2001, has been altered drastically by the sudden pull out of Edison’s crew from the District. Edison has stated that they are not going to provide temporary streetlights to the District as they did in the Myrtle District and were not reimbursed for the incurred cost. They, however, had missed that item in their own original plans. Staff’s latest attempt to change that decision did not succeed. As a result, the poles in the Loma District will not be removed until March 2002.

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