PURPOSE:

To obtain Council approval of a resolution authorizing the City Manager to accept grant funds from the California Office of Emergency Services (OES) as a sub-grantee of the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) Grant No. 20050011, OES No. 037-08954, Project No. PJ46 in the amount of $1,439,791, and to designate the City Manager or her designees, the Public Works Director and the Assistant Public Works Director- Fleet and Building, as authorized agents to execute documents relating to processing of this grant.

BACKGROUND:

In April 1999, the Council adopted Ordinance No. 3512^[1], which required owners of buildings constructed before 1980 that have reinforced masonry or reinforced concrete walls to evaluate those structures.  If the evaluation indicated that a building did not meet minimum standards for structural seismic resistance, the owner would be required to strengthen it. These mandatory seismic improvements did not preclude an owner undertaking more extensive strengthening; in fact, the City also adopted voluntary guidelines that, if implemented, could further improve a building�s seismic performance. 

Forty-eight City-owned^[2] buildings that were constructed before 1980 were found to have reinforced masonry or reinforced concrete walls, and thus were subject to the mandatory evaluation requirement.  When these 48 structures were evaluated in 2001, it was determined that 20 City-owned buildings require seismic retrofit in order to comply with the mandatory ordinance.  A preliminary multi-year schedule for implementing the work was developed after discussions with the various building users (Fire Department; Police Department, Parks, Recreation and Community Services; various Public Works divisions, etc.), and funds have been accumulating in the Seismic Retrofit Revenue Account to pay for the work.

In February 2005, staff applied for hazard mitigation grant funding from OES (as a sub-grantee of FEMA grant No. 20050011) for nine buildings that had been included in the first phase of work.  Three separate grant applications were submitted for mandatory and voluntary seismic retrofitting of the following facilities:

• Fire Station 16

• Three recreation centers (Verdugo, Olive, and McCambridge)

• Five other buildings

• Refuse Locker Room

• Water Reclamation Plant Administration Building

• Public Works Field Services Administration Building

• Police Pistol Range

• Starlight Amphitheater

In May 2006, staff received notice from OES that FEMA approved the $1,439,791 grant application for the five buildings, and denied the grant applications for Fire Station 16 and the three recreation centers (no explanation for the denial was provided).  As part of the grant approval process, the City is required to designate at least one agent to authorize documents for processing reports, reimbursement requests, and all other matters pertaining to the grant.

ANALYSIS:

The retrofitting of the five buildings for which the grant was received is estimated to cost $2,520,832, as indicated in Table 1.  The grant will reimburse up to 75 percent of these estimated costs.  In order to receive these funds, Council must formally accept the grant and designate at least one agent to act on behalf of the City for matters pertaining to the grant.  Staff recommends that Council designate the City Manager or her designees, the Public Works Director and the Assistant Public Works Director- Fleet and Building, to serve in this capacity.

Table 1

Estimated Construction Costs and Construction Schedule

FISCAL IMPACT:

The proposed resolution accepts the grant funding of $1,439,791. The Seismic Retrofit Project is funded from four separate funds. Upon receipt of the reimbursement money from the OES, the funds will be deposited into the account numbers listed below to reimburse the Funds accordingly.

370 Fund: 370.ND000.48010.1093 (Seismic Retrofit Revenue Account) $383,479

534 Fund: 534.ND000.48010.1093 (Seismic Retrofit Revenue Account) $212,066

494 Fund: 494.ND000.48010.1093 (Seismic Retrofit Revenue Account) $727,183

498 Fund: 498.ND000.48010.1093 (Seismic Retrofit Revenue Account) $117,063

RECOMMENDATION:

Staff recommends Council approve the resolution authorizing the City Manager to accept grant funds from the OES as a sub-grantee of the FEMA Grant No. 20050011, OES No. 037-08954, Project No. PJ46 in the amount of $1,439,791 and to designate the City Manager or her designees, the Public Works Director, and the Assistant Public Works Director as authorized agents to execute documents and all matters relating to this grant.

go to the top