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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Bill 5.A-Attch4 08/16/2004`` �� �� '� EXHIBIT D CIT Y OF PETALLTMA, {CALIFORNIA M EM, OR, A LTM , P 707 p 437' E -ina c 778 - 14103.,& S' &vi7D7De,O �ment, jS - - " 1, '' . ll•`Blvr�, Petaluma CA' 94954 ( ). l• pubfacilities@cipetalumaxmus DATE: May 1 TO Rick Skladzien, Director of PF &S FROM: Susan Lackie Associate: Engineer' SUBJECT: Underground Utility - Districts Underground District Summary Underground Utility ( ) projects are essentially for-:aesthetic and safety improvements. p tili U These pro eets involve the Dist,ct; Rule ZOA ..removal,ofoverhead wires', their supporting poles and the service drops to individual propertie.si,,.'To facilitate'; this goal,�the Underground Utility District- Committee, composed of representatives, from PG' &E, SBC Pacific Bell (telephone company); AT &T',, along. with a City Council me_ tuber, the City Manager, Director of Public Facilities and Services, Director of Water Resources„ Director of Community Development, City Attorney, and Public Works Superintendent, meet to discuss the undergrounding needs of the City,, set tentative district boundaries andprioritize the. districts. The recommendations of the Committee are then.bro ught back to. the .Council for discussion, and final determination on the priority underground district projects. h:. In order to p roceed with any hew ,or °existing Underground Utility District the Mayor will need ber of the Council to the;; nde ground Utility District'Committee. to appoint a mem As of April 11, 2003, the City had accumulated aotaf Rule 20A allocation credits of M605 The last underground,. district:was Blvd. completed m 1'990. History 1 When the Underground Utility, District' Committee 1a'st::met on December 7, 1992, they recommended that Magnolia Ave. from'Petaluma Blvd. North to Keokuk,Street (2,300 feet) be priority number. 1. Lakeville ,Street from, Caulfield, westerly towards Jefferson, and Caulfield from Lakeville to U.S. •101 were recd mrrieiided.as priority number 2. WatenStreet, both north and south, were recommended as priority, number 3' (Exhibits A, B and Q. However, on March 22, 1999; City Council determined that there.would be greater aesthetic and safety benefits in undergrouri'ding�the West View Estates Subdivision•and'the,Bodega Ave. 2 Improvement Project',rather than Magnolia Ave., so Ave. was designated the number 1 priority project (Ekhibit D), Since atypical Underground District (planning; design, construction and pole removal) takes approximately 3 years; and Bodega Ave. was scheduled to ego oiitto bid in January.2000 the C'ounci'l decided to "have the utility companies relocate the poles and overheadvires'rather than delay theproject. Empty utility ducts were�installe.d during the construction accommodate future undergrounding. In cases, where poles -and overhead wires are relocated rather than :undergrounded those projects are not. considered for undergrounding by the Utility-Companies for 5 years from, the date the project is' accepted by the City The reason for.,,the moratorium.is "because the cost involved in the relocation ofthe poles and overhead wires is absorbed solely by' the utility companies. Bodega Ave. will notbe considered.for undergroundrig:lutil the year 2007. Underground Utility District Procedure The-City's Municipal Code, Chapter 14.36, (Exhibit E) contains a section describing the formation of underground districts,. setting out the procedure for public hearings; fixing boundaries, time of completion, property" owners responsibility, etc. When a district is; formed, the utility companies t are responsible for the cost of undergrounding overhead - transmission responsible only for the cost of under o"undin .the overhead service li a district are facilities and pole�rernoval , The property owners, fronting the under gr g e line and the, conversion of the connection to their building. The first ,step inAhe;process involves a detailed walk= through of the proposed underground district by the utility companies and City, staff. This Walk-through consists oft 1 Establishing the underground district boundary. This bound ary °may vary slightly from the one determined by the Underground.Utility.Committee due to ;field conditions; 2. Identifying suitable riser pole locations; 3. Reviewing the different property service requirements, including costs and unusual'. conditions; 4. Discussing proposed and existing public improvements and their effects; 5. Determining street lighting requirements; 6. Identifying right =of: way requirements (the City must own or a ff cquire s cient right -of- way necessary° for the utility companies to place the overhead facilities underground) 7. ,Reviewing ithe original budget estimate for the. Rule: 2OA,funds and the necessary—City funds needed`to proceed withAhe Underground District Project S. Considering and recommending the use >,of Rule 20A funds for the undergroundmg: of servicesandservicepanels on private- ;property;. • 3 merit on a tentative engine g pp .val schedule; 9: Reachingran agree erin and a ro 10. Appointing SBC Pacific-Bell as the trenching:agent on,thi''sproject. In past districts, the utility .companies and staff: recommended, as an incentive to the property owners within the underground district, that Rule 20A funds be utilized` to underground the first 100 feet of the: service to each property along with the cost to adapt the electric panels to receive underground service. and to convert; commercial phone, connections. This recommendation is common for underground districts, but is at the, iscretion ofthe City Council. The cost for a erty is approximately $35. per lineal; foot. The cost to the property. owners l for their electri 'prop commercial ph nd connection conversions is between $1,5.00.00 -and' $2;0.0.0:00. ,-At,the City, "s' option PG &E will reimburse the cost of electric panel conversions, noi'to exceed $1',500:00 per service, drop. This. re that the: City procure a contract for conversion of,all electric panels. If the cost exceeds per service, the residents will be required: to ,pay the .difference "'between that; minimum and whatever aesthetic extras they desired. The resol'ution'forming the district'.must:specify that the Rule 20A funds will be used to pay for the cost of the service lines and.the meter conversions up $.1;500:00 and that the property owner"will be responsible for any /all additional cost. The first formal action in ,each underground utility project is for the City Council to adopt. a Resolution of Intent setting the time, day and place for the;public ,hearing. , After the; adoption of the Resolution of Intent, 4notices'.are sent: out to the owners) of each property affected by..the conversion project A Vismg them ofthe day,- and place of the . public hearing., The .next action is to openythe public hearing and allow "all persons the opportunity to speak. Once the public hearing is, closed, the. City Council determines whether the public- necessity, health, safety or welfare: warrants the proposed Underground Utility District to remove poles, overhead wires and associated, overhead -- structures withinrthe district. Finally, adoption of the resolution. forming" the district by the Council, authorizes the lead trenching agent, (SBC Pacific Bell) to start the initial trench composite plan and typical' trench cross - sections. These are. used by each .of "the other utilities to indicate their own specific re is prepared Coordination occurs b e n the trenchin g o he bid .package requirem All of this info urs betweencluded on the,final �lan from Staff m o' rder to avoid q p s om °which t agent, and conflicts with exfstmg ;and proposed City improvements, should tliere be'', any. . a ` , g ground �Distncts. See attached Exhibit F '.1 and.F 2 for existin , Rule.20A Under Financial Impacts A. PG &E &S BC ;Pacific, Bell The Californa.Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) decided case 8209 in 1967, which established a program - under which. regulated electric "utilities. -are required to .budget funds n annually for'use by the communities they serve to convert, utility overhead. distribution lines to underground. A qualifying conversion project must meet the following criteria: 1, It must. be at least one block or 600 feet long; 2. It must include both sides of the street; and 3. It must remove an unusually heavy concentration of overhead facilities ,or be on a maj'6r street; .or pass through an area of civic or scenic importance. In response to the California Public Utilities Commission's decision, PG &E developed an underground coiiversion.rule and`began din 1968 to, budget conversion funds. This rule, governing the , use of these funds by the communities to which they' are allocated, is Rule No. 20, Section "A, hereafter referred to as Rule. 20A. The equivalent rule govern ing Pacific Bell's underground coriversion`program is Rule 32, Category;'17. Every'yeat PG &E issues each community ,it serves, a letter summarizing that community's unexpendedRule 20A allocations from prior.calendar`years, plus the allocation. for the current calendar `year (see Exhibit G). As of April `l 1,'2002, the City' had .accumulated $2 ; 605;006. B. Cable TV As mentioned ;above, once the utilities and City Council agree ona.Rule 20A conversion project, the local cable TV (AT &T) company will underground" their facilities at their ' ekpense as required by.their franchise agreement with the City. C. ` Property Owner Undergrounding the service lateral' and service conversion on_each private property may be paid from the City's Rule 20A allocation (up to, 100 feet), ,or,by-the: prop_ erty.owners directly. D. , C ity Project administration, street lighting poles, and conduit undergrounding; and po "ssible,, right -of way acquisition. (_depending on district location) are funded by the City. PG &E's standard equipment "installation is ,pad mount equipment (transformers, switches, etc .'). If the property owner or-the City want subsurface equipment, they must pay a "special facilities fee equal t 'o the cost difference between the above and below installation costs. and a fee for the increased maintenance cost on subsurface installations. Special facilities fees canrange, from. $3,500 to $25,000 per °installation, depending_ on'the size and type of equipment installed (see Exhibit H 1 and H 2,; FY 03=04 Budget): • 5 Attachments: Exhibits A & B — ; Maps of Priority and Proposed Underground Districts Exhibits C — City, Council Minutes Exhibit''D * Proposed Bodega Ave. Underground District Exhibit E — PMC Section 14.36 Exhibits F 1 and F 2 — Existing Underground Districts Exhibit G —Letter from PG &E Rule 20A Allocations Exhibit H 1 and H 2 - Proposed Project Budget for FY 03 -04