Title
a. Approve and authorize the Resource Management Agency - Director of Public Works to sign an electric agreement, Contract ID: 1193332: Las Lomas Street Light Project, with Pacific Gas & Electric Company in the amount of $18,973.56 for installation of three new streetlights in the Community of Las Lomas (Phase 3-A of three phases);
b. Authorize the payment of $18,973.56 to Pacific Gas & Electric Company as part of the project costs within the Las Lomas Lighting Project, Project 1722 appropriated within the FY 2015-16 Adopted Budget for Fund 404-3000-8174-RMA015; and
c. Authorize the payment of monthly utility bills generated from this Project against the Utilities Unit 001-3000-8182-RMA098.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve and authorize the Resource Management Agency - Director of Public Works to sign an electric agreement, Contract ID: 1193332: Las Lomas Street Light Project, with Pacific Gas & Electric Company in the amount of $18,973.56 for installation of three new streetlights in the Community of Las Lomas (Phase 3-A of three phases);
b. Authorize the payment of $18,973.56 to Pacific Gas & Electric Company as part of the project costs within the Las Lomas Lighting Project, Project 1722 appropriated within the FY 2015-16 Adopted Budget for Fund 404-3000-8174-RMA015; and
c. Authorize the payment of monthly utility bills generated from this Project against the Utilities Unit 001-3000-8182-RMA098.
SUMMARY:
The recommended actions will enable Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) to implement the third phase of a four-phase project to ultimately install 112 new street lights where no lights previously existed in the unincorporated Community of Las Lomas in northern Monterey County. Electric Agreement No. 1193332 in the amount of $18,973.56 will install three new street lights at 330C Berry Road, 61 Thomas Road, and 78 Live Oak Road in the community of Las Lomas. The new light at 61 Thomas Road will require installation of a new pole and 168 feet of trenching, conduit, and conductor. The other two lights will be installed on existing power poles.
DISCUSSION:
The County has funded and PG&E is nearing completion of the installation a total of 112 new street lights on existing power poles located in the public right-of-way of County roads within the Community of Las Lomas.
Prior agreements with PG&E for this project include:
• On July 25, 2013 an Application for Street Light Service was submitted to PG&E to initiate the design and implementation of the proposed project.
• On October 30, 2013 an advance payment of $10,000 was made to PG&E to initiate the engineering design of the project.
• On June 3, 2014 the Board of Supervisors approved Electric Agreement No. 1167198 in the amount of $7,017.91 to convert five existing street lights from HPS to LED, and Electric Agreement No. 1168827 in the amount of $9,814.51 for installation of thirty nine new streetlights (Phase 1).
• On September 23, 2014, the Board of Supervisors approved Electric Agreement No. 1178063 in the amount of $11,803.25 for installation of the next sixty street lights in the project (Phase 2), bringing the total number of new street lights installed to 104.
The project was determined to be categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because the installation of streetlights on existing utility poles within the existing public right-of-way of County roads constitutes minor alteration to existing public utilities, which is exempted by CEQA Section 15301(b), and the installation of streetlights on new poles within the existing public right-of-way of developed areas is exempted by CEQA Section 15303(d). The project was further determined to be exempt from the California Coastal Act because the installation of streetlights within the existing public right-of-way of County roads falls under Section 20.70.120(R) of Title 20 (Exemptions from Coastal Development Permits) as a safety improvement on a public road.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
PG&E is installing the street lights. PG&E will own, operate, and maintain the street lights, and will bill the County for the monthly cost.
FINANCING:
There is an impact to the General Fund as a result of installing street lights. While there is a desire to form a County Service Area for Las Lomas, which would include the PG&E expense for street lights, no such Service Area is in existence to date. At this time there is not a Service Area established for Las Lomas and staff is recommending that the ongoing utility bills be paid out of the Fund 001-3000-8182-6881-RMA098 assigned to project 1722 until a CSA or alternate source of funding is determined. On June 5, 2013 the Board of Supervisors approved adding the Las Lomas Lighting Project, Project 1722, to the Facilities Master Plan Implementation Project Fund 404 during the FY 2013-14 Budget Hearings and allocated $800,000 from Fund 404. On June 23, 2015 the Board approved appropriations of $54,800 in Fund 404 assigned to the Las Lomas Lighting Project, Project 1722 as part of the FY 2015-16 Budget Adoption.
There are sufficient funds available to pay the PG&E the $18,973.56 for the installation of the three new lights in Phase 3 of the project.
The service cost to operate and maintain the street lights is approximately $3.50 per month ($42.00 per year) per light. 104 lights were installed during FY13-14 and FY14-15. The annual operating cost for these lights is $4,368 per year. The recommended agreement will install three additional new lights, which will add $126.00 per year to the overall operational cost. A further five lights are scheduled for installation on Sill Road in the near future, which will add a further $210.00 per year to the overall operational cost bringing the total annual operational cost of the proposed 112 street lights in Las Lomas to $4,704 per year. This continuing cost will be paid from general funds out of the Utilities Unit 8182 FY 2015-16 Adopted Budget Fund 001-3000-8182-RMA098 until such time when a County Service Area is established for Las Lomas.
Prepared by: G.H. Nichols, P.E., Special Projects Engineer, (831) 755-5386
Reviewed by: Robert K. Murdoch, P.E., Director of Public Works
Approved by: Carl P. Holm, AICP, RMA Director
Attachments: Location Map; Contract ID 1193332: Las Lomas Street Light Project (Attachments on file with Clerk of the Board)