Editor's note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city's expenditures appearing on upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agendas. Consent agenda items are routinely passed by the City Council with little or no discussion from elected officials or the public. However, many of the items have been part of public discussion in the past.
CITY HALL — The City Council is expected to extend a contract with a monitoring and evaluation firm to stay on top of groundwater quality and cleaning in Santa Monica at its meeting Tuesday.
WorleyParsons provided technical oversight and support to redesign the Arcadia Water Treatment Plant, a state-of-the-art facility meant to clean local groundwater of a dangerous chemical.
That original contract was worth $900,000, and city officials propose to expand that by $369,336 to include an extra year of monitoring as well as an evaluation of sites for a new treatment plant and report on the effectiveness of the system used to clean the water.
The company would also be in charge of getting permits from the Department of Public Health and reviewing reports written by companies that may bear some responsibility for contaminating the groundwater with methyl tert-butyl ether, a chemical often found in gasoline.
The contract extension comprises the majority of the $547,336 consent agenda.
Wage monitoring
Laws guaranteeing wage levels don't mean much unless there's someone to ensure adherence.
The City Council will consider an $88,000 contract extension with a firm to look over its shoulder and attest to wages paid on taxpayer-funded affordable housing projects to meet state and federal requirements.
The approval would mean the fifth contract change with Comprehensive Housing Services, Inc., a California-based company that has provided monitoring services for 10 affordable housing developments totaling 459 apartments in various stages of construction.
Losing track of prevailing wage requirements can cause problems, like fines and withdrawal of project funding.
Santa Monica will have spent $513,000 with the firm, if the contract extension is approved.
Replacement parts
City officials recommend a three-year, $180,000 contract with a Wisconsin-based company for water meters and replacement parts needed to monitor water usage throughout the city.
Badger Meter, Inc. would be the sole source of the replacement pieces for 6,300 of the 17,000 water meters in Santa Monica, which are used to keep track of water consumption and generate revenue from water and wastewater sales.
Roughly 37 percent of the meters in town are made by Badger Meter, and the Water Division has been using the company for more than three decades.
Although the full contract costs $180,000, only $60,000 can be approved on Tuesday. Future funding is contingent upon council approval.
Consultants
There really is a consultant for everything.
City Hall plans to extend a contract with IJM Enterprises to negotiate with operators for a new movie theater in Downtown.
AMC Entertainment Inc. and Metropolitan Pacific Capital recently backed out of a deal to develop a 70,000-square-foot multiplex at 1320 Fourth St., and officials would like to tap back into IJM Enterprises' experience in identifying and reaching out to companies actively expanding and building new theaters.
Officials also expect to receive several proposals this spring from theater operators for the now-open site.
The new contract extension would cost $60,000 for a grand total of $180,000 since the company was first hired in 2004. The first $30,000 can be paid upon approval, and the remaining money will be requested as part of the 2013-15 budget.
ashley@www.smdp.com
