Bee Branch Consultant Selection_MSAMEMORANDUM
October 16, 2002
TO:The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM:Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT:Consultant Selection for the Bee Branch Drainage Basin Master Plan
A Proposal Review Committee, consisting of North End Neighborhood Association
President Wayne Klostermann, Washington Neighborhood Council President Dan
Shireman, Long-Range Planning Advisory Commission Member Dr. Charles
Winterwood, Assistant City Manager Cindy Steinhauser, Finance Director Ken TeKippe,
Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens, Housing and Community Development
Director David Harris, Assistant City Engineer Gus Psihoyos, Neighborhood
Development Specialist Jerelyn O'Connor, and Civil Engineer Deron Muehring, was
formed to determine the engineering firm suited best suited to perform the second study
of the Bee Branch Drainage Basin.
After reviewing the proposals, the selection committee short-listed CDM, McClure, MSA,
and Stanley for interviews. Following the interviews, the committee carefully deliberated
each firm's strengths and weaknesses. The committee decided that a second interview
was necessary and asked CDM, McClure, and MSA to interview a second time to
address lingering questions.
By a vote of 4 to 3 to 3, the committee arrived at the recommendation of MSA
Professional Services. While MSA was not everyone's first choice, all committee
members agreed that MSA demonstrated that they have the technical background and
understanding of the public involvement process required to make the study a success.
The Proposal Review Committee recommends that the City Council approve the
selection of MSA Professional Services as the engineering consulting firm to conduct a
second study of the Bee Branch Drainage Basin.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM/jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Gus Psihoyos, Assistant City Engineer
Mike Koch, Public Works Director
CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
MEMORANDUM
October 15, 2002
TO:Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Gus Psihoyos, Assistant City Engineer
SUBJECT: Consultant Selection for the Bee Branch Drainage Basin Master Plan
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memorandum is to request that the City Council approve the
selection of MSA Professional Services (MSA) as the Engineering Consulting Firm to
conduct a second study of the Bee Branch Drainage Basin.
BACKGROUND
In December of 2001, the City Council formally adopted the Drainage Basin Master Plan
(DBMP) prepared by HDR Engineering (Omaha, NE). The DBMP established the 100-
year flood plain for the Bee Branch watershed basin. HDR identified over 1,150 homes
and businesses as being within the 100-year floodplain limits and at risk of flood
damage. The DBMP recommended several capital improvements that would reduce
the threat of flood damage. Table I lists the recommended improvements for the Bee
Branch watershed basin and it reveals the impact each improvement has on the homes
and businesses in the floodplain.
Following HDR's recommendations, City staff prepared a Fiscal Year 2003 budget that
included capital improvement projects recommended by HDR. In addition, staff
recommended the establishment of funds to conduct a study to determine the alignment
of the proposed channel from 24th and Elm to 16th and Sycamore. Such a study would
identify where the channel would be built and identify what properties would be
impacted.
In February 2002, City staff presented the DBMP at a Washington Neighborhood
Council meeting. Many of the approximately 150 residents in attendance voiced
opposition to the portion of the DBMP that cut through the neighborhood and would
result in the removal of 70 homes.
Because of the opposition voiced by residents at this meeting, the portion of the
proposed channel that was to extend from Garfield Avenue to 24th and Elm Street was
not included in the Fiscal Year 2003 budget. Instead, the City Council budgeted
$250,000 to hire an engineering firm to work with the impacted residents to try and find
an alternative solution that would not have such a significant impact on the
neighborhood.
Table 1. Bee Branch Drainage Basin Improvements Recommended by HDR Engineering.
Homes &
Businesses
Improvement Description Est. Cost Remaining Homes &
In the Businesses
Floodplain Purchased
Upper Carter Build an earthen berm to create
Detention $875,000 NA
Basin 182 acre-feet of storage.
Purchase 15 homes surrounding
W.32"d Street the existing basin and excavate
Detention within the basin to increase the $4,023,000 990(4) 15
Basin available storage 100% to 94 acre-
feet.
Grandview &
Kaufmann Build an earthen berm to create 44
Detention acre-feet of storage. $530,000 NA'
Basin
Floodway from 150' wide flood-way from the
16~h St. to existing 16th Street detention cell to $6,900,000 645(2) 17
Garfield Garfield Ave. and Pine Street.
Floodway from 150' wide flood-way from Garfield
Garfield to 24th Ave. and Pine Street to 24th and $10,200,000 < 5(3) 53
Street. Elm Streets
TOTAL $22,528;000 85
1 .After the construction of the Carter Road detention cell and modifications to the existing W32nd Street
detention cell.
2.After the construction of the Carter Road detention cell, modifications to the existing W32nd Street
detention cell, and construction of the channe~ from 16th St. to Garfield.
3.After the construction of the Carter Road detention cell, modifications to the existing W32nd Street
detention cell, and construction of the channel from 16th St. to 24th and Elm.
DISCUSSION
Because it is a hydrologic and hydraulic engineering study, a firm with considerable
engineering (technical) capabilities to solve problems associated with complicated
drainage systems is important. However, the consultant must be able to deal effectively
with the public.
The proposal review committee consisted of Wayne Klostermann, North End
Neighborhood Association President; Dan Shireman, Washington Neighborhood
Council President; Dr. Charles Winterwood, Long-Range Planning Advisory
Commission Member; Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager; Ken TeKippe,
Finance Director; Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager; David Harris, Housing
and Community Development Manager; Gus Psihoyos, Assistant City Engineer; Jerelyn
O'Connor, Neighborhood Development Specialist; and Deron Muehring, Civil Engineer.
The committee's objective was to determine the engineering firm best suited to perform
the study.
Seven firms submitted proposals: AMEC (Nashville) with WHKS (Dubuque), Barr
Engineering (Minneapolis) with WHKS (Dubuque), CDM (Milwaukee) with WHKS
(Dubuque), Earthtech (Waterloo), McClure Engineering (Ankeny), MSA Professional
Services (Dubuque), and Stanley (Muscatine).
After reviewing the proposals, the selection committee short-listed CDM, McClure, MSA,
and Stanley for interviews. Following the interviews, the committee carefully deliberated
each firm's strengths and weaknesses. The committee decided that a second interview
was necessary and asked CDM, McClure, and MSA to interview a second time to
address lingering questions.
By a vote of 4 to 3 to 3, the committee arrived at the recommendation of MSA
Professional Services. While MSA was not everyone's first choice, all committee
members agreed that MSA demonstrated that they have the technical background and
understanding of the public involvement process required to make the study a success.
How will MSA's study be different from HDR's?
Several differences between HDR's study and MSA's study are important to note.
1 ) The first study did not involve impacted residents in the process.
The second Bee Branch Drainage Basin Master Plan will ensure that impacted
residents are able to participate in the creation of the drainage basin master plan
for their neighborhood.
a)Mr. Wayne Klosterman, President of the North End Neighborhood
Association and Mr. Dan Shireman, President of the Washington
Neighborhood Council served as members of the proposal review
committee that recommends the hiring of MSA Professional Services.
b)With insight from the City Council, neighborhood groups, impacted
residents, and City staff, MSA will form the Bee Branch Citizen Advisory
Committee. Assembled in such a manner that it represents a cross-section
of the impacted residents, the purpose of the committee is to ensure that
potential drainage alternatives and improvements are agreeable to the
impacted residents. The committee will work directly with MSA.
c)MSA has proposed several methods to involve and gather citizen input.
i) MSA has identified twelve meetings with the Bee Branch Citizen
Advisory Committee. MSA will work directly with the Bee Branch
Citizen Advisory Committee to facilitate a committee consensus,
enabling the committee to arrive at a plan that the residents of the Bee
Branch basin can support, enabling the committee's recommendation
of the Bee Branch Drainage Basin Master Plan to the City Council.
ii) MSA has identified six meetings with the constituencies of each Bee
Branch Citizen Advisory Committee member. The meetings will be
held in locations that are convenient and comfortable to promote
attendance.
iii)With the help of Loras College's Center for Business and Social
Research, MSA will conduct a statistically significant survey of
residents.
iv) MSA will distribute a questionnaire to the impacted residents
requesting their insight into the drainage conditions near their home,
and allowing residents to express their ideas and concerns.
v) MSA will be a physical presence in neighborhoods, talking to residents,
and gathering information.
vi) MSA will create an interactive website to provide citizens information
pertaining to the project and allowing citizens to submit their ideas and
concerns.
2)There is a discrepancy between the problems predicted by HDR's modeling of
the 100-year rainstorm and what impacted residents experienced in 1993, 1999,
and 2002.
To better understand the drainage problem that citizens contend with, MSA will:
a)Distribute a questionnaire to the impacted residents requesting their insight
into the drainage conditions near their home;
b)Model the 1999 or 2002 rainstorm as well as the hypothetical 100-year
rainfall event; and
c)Use a survey crew to physically gather street cross-section data and other
drainage facility data to refine HDR's computer model so that it reflects
flooding depths witnessed by citizens in 1999 or 2002.
3)There is a discrepancy between the size of the required solutions rePorted by
HDR and that of impacted residents. While HDR recommends solutions totaling
more than $24 million and removing 85 homes, some residents contend that
timely maintenance of the existing drainage facilities would be sufficient.
Once MSA builds a model that reflects what people witnessed, the model can be
trusted to reveal the benefit of each drainage improvement.
4)Approximately 70 homes would need to be relocated/removed to construct the
proposed channel from 16t~ and Sycamore to 24th and Elm. However, the study
did not identify the 70 homes. As a result, hundreds of families must live in a
state of uncertainty and unrest because they do not know if their home is one
that would be removed to make way for the channel.
Whether the solution recommended by the Bee Branch Citizen Advisory
Committee is a 150-foot wide, open channel or a single underground storm
sewer, this study will include the location of all improvements.
5)HDR's challenge was to provide drainage improvements to eliminate the threat of
flood damage for 99% of all rainstorms (the 100-year rainfall event). It is possible
that drainage improvements were dismissed by HDR because they were not
effective for the 100-year event when they might be effective for the 25-year
event.
The Bee Branch Citizen Advisory Committee might decide that the cost of
providing protection from the 100-year rainfall event is too great. It might
recommend that protection from the 50- or 25-year rainstorm is sufficient. The
Bee Branch Citizen Advisory Committee will contemplate this item during this
study.
6)There is no consensus among the residents as to what drainage improvements
the City should implement.
Everyone may not be happy with the proposed drainage improvements that
come from the second study, however, a substantial effort will be exerted by
everyone involved with the project to ensure that impacted residents understand
why the City should pursue the improvements developed during the study.
RECOMMENDATION
Based on the extensive review of the proposals, the presentations, and interviews, the
proposal review committee recommends that the City retain MSA Professional Services
to prepare the Bee Branch Drainage Basin Master Plan.
BUDGETIMPACT
MSA's estimate to complete the project is $179,500.
The interview process helped identify additional avenues to solicit involvement and input
from impacted residents. During the project, MSA, the Bee Branch Citizen Advisory
Committee, and City staff will continually monitor the effectiveness of the outreach
program.
The project will be funded from a fiscal year 2003 General Fund appropriation of
$250,000.
ACTION REQUESTED
The City Council is requested to approve the selection of MSA Professional Services as
the consultant to develop a Drainage Basin Master Plan for the Bee Branch watershed
basin and to authorize the City Manager to enter an agreement with MSA Professional
Services for the project.
cc: Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Michael Koch, Public Works Director
Pauline Joyce, Administrative Services Manager
Ken TeKippe, Finance Director
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
David Harris, Housing and Community Development Manager
Jerelyn O'Connor, Neighborhood Development Specialist
Susan Gwiasda, Public Information Officer
Deron Muehring, Civil Engineer
Dr. Charles Winterwood, Long Range Planning Advisory Commission Member
Wayne Klostermann, North End Neighborhood Association President
Dan Shireman, Washington Neighborhood Council President