...Title
Adopt a Resolution to Approve and Authorize the City Manager to Execute a Fully Grant-Funded Consulting Services Agreement with Terraphase Engineering in the Amount of $161,000 to Develop a Sea Level Rise Master Plan
...Staffreport
COUNCIL PRIORITY
• Infrastructure
• Sustainability & Resiliency
SUMMARY
California Resilience Challenge has awarded the City of San Leandro grant funds in the amount of $161,000 for the development of a Sea Level Rise Master Plan to address sea level rise.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council approve and authorize the City Manager execute a consulting services agreement in the amount of $161,000 for Terraphase Engineering and its subconsultants to develop the Sea Level Rise Master Plan, anticipated to take place from May 2023 to December 2024. The grant is effective February 1, 2023 to January 1, 2025.
BACKGROUND
Development of sea level rise strategies was identified as an action item in the City’s adopted 2021 Climate Action Plan, as an adaption strategy for improving community-wide public health, maintaining robust and resilient infrastructure, and increasing resilience of vulnerable populations against the hazards of flooding.
The City of San Leandro was awarded a California Resilience Challenge grant of $161,000 to cover the compilation of sea level rise data, development of adaptation strategies, and development of the Sea Level Rise Master Plan. The project will result in a complete master plan, with the intent that a second future phase of developing engineering designs for green infrastructure and other future construction could be pursued. City staff will provide in-kind labor for the public outreach and engagement, as well as grant administration. Terraphase Engineering and its subconsultants Raimi + Associates were chosen to be the consultants on the project following a competitive RFP process.
Analysis
The San Leandro Sea Level Rise Master Plan will provide a framework for resilience to prepare for sea level rise and flooding. The primary goals of the project are to create a resilient shoreline environment for people and ecology, enhance the shoreline environment to reduce risk to critical infrastructure and built assets, build social resilience in the community, build capacity for future generations to adapt to climate change, and engage frontline communities with multi-lingual and culturally relevant strategies.
San Leandro’s 2017 Climate Vulnerability Assessment determined significant economic, transportation, and public health impacts that could result from neighborhoods, schools, and businesses being flooded due to climate change. Invasive plant species, up-shore groins and installation of riprap have interfered with the natural sand shore process, in addition to successive winter storm events, which now potentially threaten several hundred homes if the adjacent levee were to breach. These issues overlay with the findings from the City’s 2017 Human Services Gap Analysis, which identified a number of frontline communities facing socioeconomic and racial disparities, particularly concentrated in the City’s southwestern neighborhoods along the shoreline.
The City will partner with local community-based organizations and leverage existing communications channels as part of community outreach for the project. The City will also collaborate with regional agencies, as well as internally across City departments to determine the most effective course of action. The program will not require the use of any City General Fund money since all the costs will be reimbursed from the California Resilience Challenge grant.
Previous Actions
Terraphase Engineering is an existing vendor with the City with two contracts totaling $948,529 with the Public Works Department for environmental design and permitting services for the Treatment Wetlands as well as developing a climate vulnerability assessment for the Tony Lema landfill. Since those existing projects are distinct from the proposed efforts outlined in this report and funded using different sources, staff proposes to establish an individualized agreement for this particular project.
Fiscal Impacts and Budget Authority
Sufficient funds are included in the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 General Fund budget for the California Resilience Challenge grant work for development of the Sea Level Rise Master Plan:
• Special Grant Fund, Account 150-57-204-5120: $161,000
• Total: $161,000
This Council action will not impact fund balance because there are sufficient funds available in the FY2022-2023 adopted budget (Revenue Account 150-3607), which are derived from the third-party granting entity.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Resolution
Attachment B: CSA Scope of Work and Compensation Schedule
PREPARED BY: Hoi-Fei Mok, Sustainability Manager, City Manager’s Office