Loading...
Drainage Basin Master Plan Consultant and PetitionsMEMORANDUM October 16, 2002 TO: FROM: sUBJECT: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager Consultant Selection for the Bee Branch Drainage Basin Master Plan A Proposal Review Committee, consisting of North End Neighborhood Association President Wayne KIostermann, 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 ardved 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 ~,~ 99~ ~t, 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 dsk of flood damage. The DBMP recommended several capital improvements that would reduce the threat of flood damage. Table 1 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 24 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 182 acre-feet of storage. $875,000 NA Basin Purchase 15 homes surrounding W.32® 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~ St. to existing 16t~ 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 ceil, modifications to the existing W32nd Street detention cell, and construction of the channel from 16t~ 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 KIostermann, North End Neighborhood Association President; Dan Shireman, Washington Neighborhood Council President; Dr. Chades Winterwood, Long-Range Planning Advisory Commission Member; Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager; Ken TeKippe, Finance Director;, Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager; David Hards, 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 0Natedoo), 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 amived 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) b) c) Mr. Wayne KIosterman, 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. 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. MSA has proposed several methods to involve and gather citizen input. ii) 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 t0 arnve 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. MSA has identified six meetings with the constituencies of each Bee Branch Citizen Advisory Committee member. The meetings will be 2) 3) 4) 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. 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) b) c) Distribute a questionnaire to the impacted residents requesting their insight into the drainage conditions near their home; Model the 1999 or 2002 rainstorm as well as the hypothetical 100-year rainfall event; and 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. There is a discrepancy between the size of the required solutions repo, rted 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. Approximately 70 homes would need to be relocated/removed to construct the proposed channel from 16th and Sycamore to 24t~ 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 alt 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. Dudng 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 Muehdng, Civil Engineer Dr. Chades Winterwood, Long Range Planning Advisory Commission Member Wayne KIostermann, North End Neighborhood Association President Dan Shireman, Washington Neighborhood Council President We, the under signed, request the Dubuque City Council to restudy the Bee Branch, and to retain MSA Professional Services, to explore cost effective alternatives to the Open Channel Concept to control the drainage problems in the North End of the City of Dubuque. (Petitions with 11 signatures submitted by Wayne Klosterman at beginnig of 11/4/02 Council Meeting) Name Address Phon~ # ( optional ) We, the under signed, request the Dubuque City Council to restudy the Bee Branch, and to retain MSA Professional Services, to explore cost effective alternatives to the Open ~to control the drainage prabtems in the North End ofthe Cit~ of Address~. , Phone # ( optional ) We, the under signed, request the Dubuque City Council to restudy the Bee Branch, and to retain MSA Professional Services, to explore cost effective alternatives to the Open Channel Concept to control the drainage problems in the North End of the City of Name Address Phon~ # ( optiona~ ) We, the under signed, request the Dubuque City Council to restudy the Bee Branch, and to retain MSA Professional Services, to explore cost effective alternative~ to the Open 12hlnmlt~m:~ to control the drainage problems in the North End of the City of Dubuque. Name Address Phone # ( optional ) We, the under signed, request the Dubuque City Council to restudy the Bee Branch, and to retain MSA Professional Services, to explore cost effective alternatives to the Open ~to control the drainage problems in the North End of the City of Dubuque. Address Phone # ( optional ) We, the under sig~ed, request the Dubuque City Council to restudy the Bee Branch, and to retain MSA Professional Services, to explore cost effeetlve alternatives to the O.mr; 12hanng[f_mll:~ to control the drainage problems in the North End of the City of Dubuque. Phone # ( optional ) We, the under signed, request the Dubuque City Council to restudy the Bee Branch, and to retain MSA Professional Services, to explore cost effe~tlve alternatives to the O.r,~ CJl~llla~llt~ to control the drainage problems in the North End of the City of Dubuque.