WATER UPDATE

Water Quality

• Water quality during October met or exceeded State and Federal drinking water standards.

• The Valley Pumping Plant (VPP) blend ratio for the month of October was 51.35% MWD and 48.65% BOU.

Financial and Operations Update

• The deferred revenues in the Water Cost Adjustment Charge (WCAC) account had a balance of $2,315,107.89 as of October 31, 2006.

• Fiscal Year-To-Date 2006-07 Water Fund Financial results as of October 31, 2006:

Fiscal Year 2006-07 Water Fund Financial Reserve balances as of October 31, 2006 are summarized in the following table:

BOU Water Production

BOU production was at 76.26% of plant capacity for October. This is an average flow rate (24/7) of 6,863 gallons per minute (gpm). All of the Liquid Phase Granulated Activated Carbon filters and all of the Vapor Phase Granulated Activated Carbon (VPGAC) filters were available for service.  All water wells were available for service and the water table is still higher than the last few years.  Higher water levels may be attributable to a significant reduction in groundwater pumping by the City of Los Angeles through much of this year.  Los Angeles has begun to increase their pumping and it�s not clear at this time if the higher production rates from our wells will be sustained for an indefinite period. The upcoming VPGAC screen project will significantly improve the mechanical reliability of the plant to process and treat water at the full nameplate capacity.     

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The EPA has granted conceptual approval of the design for the reconfigured VPGAC filter screens and issued the VPGAC discharge requirements in mid-February. The Calgon subsidiary that has worked on the BOU VPGAC project was sold to MEGTEC in a realignment of Calgon�s business interests.  MEGTEC has a significant segment of the groundwater treatment business.  MEGTEC and ECO Resources, Inc., our BOU O&M Contractor, are drafting a contract for the design of the VPGAC project.  This is taking more time than was anticipated.  MEGTEC was on-site at the BOU on November 15-16, 2006 to review the current configuration of the VPGAC units and update the design services proposal.  The final design package will include an updated construction cost estimate for the project.  The last step in the design process is the EPA�s review and approval.  The EPA�s approval is the controlling feature in proceeding with the project.  We are working to get an expedited review and approval from EPA.  Construction is projected to take three months.  It will begin after the EPA approves the final design and after the materials are ordered and received. Some long lead materials have already been purchased. Construction will likely take place during the winter. The Treatment Plant will experience reduced operating capacity during project construction. Consequently, there will be an increased need for purchased water from the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) during construction. These additional water purchases from MWD will significantly impact WCAC expenses and may result in use of a significant portion of the WCAC balance.

San Fernando Basin Groundwater Credits

Burbank, Glendale and Los Angeles are discussing the issue of an over statement of Import Return Groundwater Credits in the San Fernando Basin.  The discussion is centered on the calculation of the credits within the context of the 1979 Judgment that adjudicated the basin and is under the administration of the Upper Los Angeles River Area Watermaster.  Another meeting is scheduled with the Watermaster in late November.

Chromium Contamination in the Groundwater

Drinking water in Burbank does not exceed 5 parts per billion (ppb) chromium  by direction of the City Council.  This is achieved by blending the BOU produced water with MWD water to obtain the 5 ppb concentration.  Current Federal and State limits are 100 ppb and 50 ppb, respectively.  Work has been underway for the last four years to develop a new limit for chromium.  The work is being done by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) within the EPA.  Results are expected within the year.  Any limit above 5 ppb will be positive for Burbank.  A new limit lower than 5 ppb would limit Burbank�s current operations and increase reliance on imported MWD water, or require additional treatment for removal of Chromium.  Either alternative would significantly increase Burbank�s water costs. 

Capital Projects

• Construction was completed on 615 lf of new 12-inch water main in Cordova St., from Warner Blvd. to Olive Ave. Transmission Mainline valves were replaced at Hollywood Way and Winona, and at Pacific and Lincoln.

• The interior painting of one of the Wildwood water storage tanks was completed.     

• Segments of the MWD San Fernando Tunnel were inspected on June 8, 2006 and August 22, 2006.  BWP�s Assistant General Manager of Water Systems participated in the inspection.  The tunnel appears fit for service.  An inspection report, including the results of the laboratory analysis of water and mineral samples taken inside the tunnel, has been completed.  A meeting with MWD management to discuss the plan and schedule for the Pacoima B-6 connection project was held October 17, 2006.  MWD is revising their estimate to clean the Tunnel Segment and reviewing the current budget for funds to accomplish the work.  Schedules for the cleanup and construction of the B-6 connection will then be set. 

Legislative Update

Refer to the attached legislative reports.

ELECTRIC UPDATE

Electric Reliability

 There were three, 4 kV feeder outages in October. These outages interrupted service to 1240 customers for a total of 99 minutes.

• On October 11, 2006, at 12:11 a.m., a scheduled outage was performed disrupting service to 4 kV Feeder Naomi N-15. A phase regulator was stuck and needed to be removed from service.  The feeder was placed on the transfer bus and re-energized three minutes later. A total of 773 customers (67 commercial and 706 residential) lost power for three minutes.

• On October 12, 2006, at 11:59 a.m., a scheduled outage was performed disrupting service to 4 kV Feeder Flower F-7.  A phase regulator was stuck and needed to be removed from service.  The feeder was placed on the transfer bus and re-energized one minute later.  A total of 131 customers (131 commercial, 0 residential) lost power for one minute.

• On October 18, 2006 at 6:46 a.m., winds caused a tree branch to contact B and C phases disrupting service to 4 kV Feeder McCambridge M-11 for 95 minutes.  A total of 336 customers (20 commercial, 316 residential) lost power for 95 minutes.

Despite the power outages in October, BWP�s overall reliability continues to be strong. As of October 31, 2006, the system-wide average is 0.1229 outages per year, compared to an industry average of 1.2 outages per year. As of October 31 2006, the average service availability is 99.9952%, exceeding the City goal of 99.99%. The average outage length is 69.78 minutes, compared with the industry average of 80 minutes.

The following table shows the system-wide reliability statistics for Fiscal Year 2006-07 through October 31 2006, as compared to the same time period for Fiscal Year 2005-06:

Financial and Operations Update

• Fiscal Year-To-Date 2006-07 Electric Fund Financial results as of October 31, 2006:

( ) = Unfavorable

(A)           Higher than planned purchased power costs correspond with higher than planned sales.

(B)           To date no Aid-in-Construction, Work for Others or misc. revenues have been recorded. 

Fiscal Year 2006-07 Power Fund Financial Reserve balances as of October 31, 2006 are summarized in the following table:

Local Generation Operations Update

Unit Status

• Olive 1 was placed in wet lay-up on November 2, 2006.

• Olive 2 is in wet lay-up.

• Lake One is available for normal service.

• The Landfill Micro-Turbine Facility is operating normally and producing approximately 109,000 kilowatts of energy per month.  BWP received payment in the amount of $3,784.00 from the Renewable Energy Production Incentive Program (REPI) which is sponsored by the Department of Energy for our use of landfill gas during Fiscal Year 2004-05. 

• As of October 12, 2006, MPP is on-line and available for normal service.  A three week outage is scheduled to begin on December 1, 2006 for planned maintenance activities.

October 2006 Unit Data

Magnolia Operations Update

Workforce Safety Statistics:

• No loss time accidents for October, zero year-to-date.

• One reportable accident for October, one year-to-date.

Performance Information:

• Availability:  68.3% for October, 84.4% year-to-date.

• Maximum Generation Capacity:  290 MW

• Fired Factored Hours:  510.8 Hours

Actions Taken by Operating Agent:

• A �Planned Outage� occurred during this reporting period on October 3, 2006.  The R0 �P cut� blade inspection was performed by G.E.  Out of thirty-two blades, one was found to be cracked.  G.E. replaced all of the blades; not with the �P cut� but with an older style blade.  The unit was returned to service on October 12, 2006.

• WECC testing was performed and completed on October 25, 2006.

• On October 26, 2006, the unit was de-rated to a fixed energy load of 170 MW net output due to fuel control issues.

• A planned outage occurred on October 30, 2006.  A calibration of the combustion turbine fuel control valves was performed.  A calibration and inspection of the �B� gas compressor and the gas compressor pressure control valve was performed. The unit was returned to service the same day with no load constraints.

• The power augmentation system was commissioned and tested on October 31, 2006.

Renewable Energy Procurement Update for October 2006

During the month of October, negotiating sessions continued with a wind developer for a project located in Utah.  Considerable time was spent determining a mechanism and pricing that would enable contract holders to buy the project from the developer at some time in the future.  Crafting language that gives buyers surety regarding the future price, and is consistent with IRS regulations, continues to be challenging.  The developer has agreed to meet the requirements of the National Energy Policy Act rather then just complying with the local County�s permitting process.  SCCPA remains optimistic that a definitive agreement can be worked out in the next several months based on an arrangement where the buyers would prepay for a specified amount of energy each year with the right to purchase the project outright from the developer after ten years.

Work continued on a potential solar development.  The developer is reviewing a counter-proposal by the participants and a follow-up meeting is being scheduled for early November.  Apart for concern over the cost of energy from this project, this developer is unwilling to ultimately sell the project to the participants.  Having such a right is one of the deal points that we are insisting on so if this developer ultimate does give on this point, SCPPA will not proceed with this project.

As indicated last month, SCPPA received responses to its new RFP on October 16, 2006.  There were about 30 responses primarily from various wind developers.  Most pricing for projects has increased over the last year with wind continuing to be the most attractive.  (Albeit for a non-firm product.)  In summary, it doesn�t appear that the RFP produced any significant new leads on viable new projects. 

For the next several months it is BWP�s plan to continue working with the Utah developer on the wind project, with the solar developer, and to commence negotiations with a developer in the Pacific Northwest for a wind resource from that region that has been under consideration for some time.   Additionally, the Cities of Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Riverside, Anaheim, and Colton have agreed to fund a feasibility study on whether there is potential for a green-waste to energy facility in the LA Basin.  A $48,000 contract for the study has been awarded through SCPPA to URS Consulting with Burbank�s share being $8,000.  It is expected the study will be completed by the spring of next year.

SCADA/EMS

BWP engineering staff continues to work with Siemens New Energy to implement the New Energy Scheduling software that is being used for Magnolia.

Telecom

Engineering developed a fiber optic service proposal for Disney to connect Disney ABC, 2300 Riverside Dr. to the Business Art Plaza at 3601 W. Olive Ave.

Engineering developed a fiber optic service proposal for Chase Company, 1150 W. Olive Ave. to 201 S. Victory Blvd.

Engineering personnel released, and BWP Field personnel completed, a fiber optic job for LADWP to connect LADWP Receiving Station �E� to the Glendale Electrical Western Station through BWP fiber ring.

Engineering personnel released a fiber optic job for Craig Murray Production to connect 2717 W. Olive Ave. to 2911 W. Olive Ave.

Engineering personnel released, and BWP Field personnel completed, a fiber optic job for re-routing the Buena Vista Library to City Hall.

Engineering personnel released a fiber optic job for Marshall Media to connect 3721 W. Burbank Blvd. to Universal Studios at 3801 Barham Blvd.

Engineering personnel released, and BWP Field personnel completed, a fiber optic job for Warrenwood Sound Studios, 3825 W. Burbank Blvd., to the Warner Triangle Building at 4000 Warner Dr.

BWP Field personnel completed a fiber optic job for SohoNet to connect the Magnolia Co-Locate Room to FotoKem at 2801 W. Alameda Ave.

BWP Field personnel completed a fiber optic job for SohoNet to connect the Magnolia Co-Locate Room to Universal Studios at 3801 Barham Blvd.

BWP Field personnel completed a fiber optic job for Warner Brothers to connect the Warner Ranch to Pinnacle #2 at 3300 W. Olive Ave.

BWP Facility Improvements

BWP Administration Building - Phase III Interior Remodel

Thirty-three contractors attended the mandatory pre-bid job walk conducted on September 13, 2006. The bid opening was held on October 3, 2006. Five contractors submitted bids ranging from $2,765,500 to $2,980,700. Staff drafted a report for presentation at the November 2, 2006, BWP Board meeting which recommends awarding the contract to Icon West, Inc., who submitted the second lowest bid of $2,858,730. Work is anticipated to begin December 18, 2006, in the basement of the Administration Building. The anticipated project completion date is at the end of December, 2007. An updated project schedule is displayed throughout the Administration Building.

BWP Service Center and Warehouse Project

All requested documents (MPP Service and Control Building as-builds, Electric Shop Building as-builds, sub-structure drawings, topographical site survey, etc.) were provided to SGS and KDG. The geotechnical report was completed by Arroyo Geotechnical and sent to KDG. BWP developed a draft Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) which is under review by Purchasing and the City Attorney. This will be used to select the design/build team. The City Council approved the design/build concept. KDG is awaiting the approval from BWP of both the space allocation plan and conceptual design for the Service Center. Construction is scheduled to begin in June of 2007 with an anticipated completion date of July 1, 2008. The next phase will demolish the existing 13,000 square foot Warehouse and the Line Section field offices, lockers and covered storage and parking. This area will be converted to employee vehicle parking.  Following that, BWP will demolish the existing 5,000 square foot, two-level Water Maintenance Building along with the Guard House, and will install extensive landscaping as well as additional employee parking. A new Security Office will be constructed on Lake Street at the intersection of Palm Ave. and will control ingress/egress to the entire BWP yard. A new vehicle wash rack will also be added.  The replacement Burbank Substation will be constructed in the final phase. The state-of-the-art, GIS substation will be built at the southwest corner of the campus on a footprint one-third the size of the existing Burbank Substation. All of the equipment will be removed from the existing substation, the site will be scraped and the area converted into a staff courtyard/park.  

Security Wall Construction

Staff received BWP Board approval for a PSA with McClean & Schultz, Principal Architect, for the structural review and engineering approvals on the drawings prepared by Bibb. Once completed, a bid package will be assembled and submitted to Purchasing for the competitive bid process to hire a contractor. Work is anticipated to begin in March of 2007, and be completed by May of 2007.

Auxiliary Warehouse

The former float shed was disassembled and removed. The remaining concrete support piers and foundations will be demolished by the contractor. The canvas was rolled up and stored for BTORA use. Cargo containers were relocated. New welding circuits and electrical outlets were established. Soil borings were completed for the geotechnical analysis and report. The BWP Board approved awarding a contract to Gonzales Construction for assembling the Auxiliary Warehouse. Purchasing sent the award letter to Gonzales Construction on June 9, 2006. Gonzales submitted all required documents including bonding and insurance back to Purchasing on June 26, 2006. Following a review by the City Attorney�s Office, Risk Management and approval signatures from BWP, a purchase order was issued on July 7, 2006. Butler Buildings completed the design and BWP reviewed and approved it.  The building was fabricated and was delivered October 24, 2006. The site preparation and building erection will take four to six weeks (December 8, 2006) and the fire sprinklers another week (December 15, 2006).  BWP personnel will install the electrical, lighting, bathrooms and kitchen. BTORA will remain in the former Fleet Building until mid-January 2007, with an anticipated move-in date of February 1, 2007.

Communication Shop Relocation

McClean & Schultz submitted 90% completed construction drawings for review by BWP. The document package needs to be finalized and technical specifications developed to begin the competitive bid process. Staff received BWP Board approval for a PSA with McClean & Schultz, Principal Architect, to complete their design. Tenant improvement work is planned to begin in February 2007, with completion scheduled for the end of May 2007. Communication Shop staff can then be relocated, allowing for the construction of the Replacement Service Center/Warehouse. 

Electrical Distribution

Construct a new Olive-Valley #2 Line.  The consultant, ORSA, has completed the design for pads and underground power conduits for the extension of the ring bus at the Valley Switching Station. Bock Company has completed the duct work inside the substation and in the direction of Ralph Foy Park. They also completed all duct work required on Victory Blvd. up to Fairview, except for the underground conduits to the new riser pole.  The final design for ground grid and equipment pads was completed and issued for construction. Construction work for the control and communication conduits is in progress. Pouring the equipment pads, and related civil work, is also in progress and expected to be completed by the end of January 2007. Steel fabrication is underway and will be galvanized before being delivered on-site in January 2007 for installation.

34,500-Volt Subtransmission System

Field crews upgraded the underground cable, and upgraded the relay protection between the Olive Switching Station and the Burbank Substation to increase the capacity of the Burbank-Olive #2 line. The remaining underground cable work including termination, cable support, cable enclosure, and protection work was started on June 2, 2006 and completed by June 9, 2006. The line was energized by June 16, 2006 along with the A-5 transformer bank at the Olive Switching Station. ABB finished the remaining small bus upgrade related to the A-4 transformer bank at the Olive Switching Station as well as all related drawing as-builds. A Notice of Completion for ABB�s contract in the amount of $3,911,988 was recorded at the L.A. County Offices on August 14, 2006, and a ten-percent retention will be released after September 14, 2006.  All work related to undergrounding the 34,500-volt cable is completed until construction starts on the Replacement Burbank Station Project. 

Replacement Burbank Station Project.

On June 27, 2006 the City Council approved the Request for Proposal (RFP) for Replacement Burbank Station under RFP No. 1216.  After completing all technical specifications, preliminary drawings and terms and conditions, the RFP went out on August 9, 2006.  A pre-bid conference was held on August 30, 2006. The last date to submit proposals was October 10, 2006.  Evaluation of the proposals will be done between October 11, 2006 and November 9, 2006. The oral presentations are scheduled for November 14, 2006, and the contract is expected to be awarded on December 12, or December 19, 2006.

34,500-Volt Distribution System

At the Winona Distributing Station, field crews upgraded relay and control switches for the Winona Industrial Circuit in preparation for reconfiguring the line.

Compliance with NBC Master Plan - Planned Development 96-1

BWP staff provided comments to the Community Development Department regarding the compliance with Planned Development 96-1, expanding the parking under LADWP�s 230 kV high voltage lines near NBC, and the method of service for M. David Paul Development on the Catalina property.  Providing electric service for this development involves an extension of the 34,500-volt line (ducts and cable) from Willow St. along Fredrick St. to Alameda Ave., and along Alameda Ave. from Fredrick St. to Naomi St.  This is in progress now.   It also involves adding a new 34,500-volt line position at Naomi Station as well as a small amount of work at Capon Switching Station. This is also in progress at this time. On the Catalina site, two padmount switches and four padmount transformers will be required to transform power to utilization voltage for the parking structure and both office buildings.  Under the current BWP Rules and Regulations,  M. David Paul will pay 100 percent of the cost of the work directly related to its service as aid-in-construction charges, and will also reimburse BWP its prorated  share of system improvements completed since July 2001 in the amount of $30 million.  The M. David Paul service will not have a negative fiscal impact on BWP customers nor impact reliability of service to existing customers.  

12,470-Volt Distribution System

The engineering and construction work to rebuild the 4 kV feeder areas A-8, A-96, and A-97 is in progress. This will ultimately convert the area to 12 kV service from the new Hollywood Way Station (HW-4 and HW-6).  As a part of this effort, customer stations will be rebuilt to 12 kV.  Alameda Feeders A-8, A-96 and A-97 will be physically removed from the Alameda Distributing Station after the conversion is complete. This goes along with BWP�s plan to transfer load to a new state-of-the-art substation like the Hollywood Way Station, and will eliminate the 50 year old plus substations like Alameda. This work is also required as a part of the Caltrans SR-134 project. Two work orders were issued in September to reconductor 37 spans of feeder conductors in preparation of the 12 kV conversion.

Progress continues on rebuilding deteriorated pole lines and single pole replacements.

The Keystone and Golden State Distributing Stations were included in the under-frequency load shedding scheme to provide better capability to automatically shed load and balance load with generation. This addition will help to stabilize and restore the system much faster in the event of the loss of a big generation source such as the tie with LADWP or MPP.

4,160-Volt Distribution System- Impacts of heat wave and follow up action plan

After the July 2006 heat wave, the Energy Control Center (ECC) initially reported 32 distribution circuits showing overloads. BWP Electrical Engineering carefully reviewed the loading of those circuits and identified 11 distribution circuits where corrective measures are required to prevent future outages. It was determined there is a need to upgrade and replace underground cable with a larger size cable, and to replace overhead conductors with a larger size that will increase capacity in neighborhoods where the circuit loads went beyond the emergency rating of the conductors. This may have possibly shortened the life of the conductors. In order to maintain reliability of service and proper voltage, these upgrades must be completed before next summer. Those circuits include Victory-13, Victory-14, Victory-1, Victory-3, Victory-7, Town-19, Town-4, Winona -11 and Flower-3.

In September, a job order was issued to reconductor 124 spans of Victory-13 and Victory-14 feeders and primary conductors. The job order to reconductor 135 spans of Victory-1 and Victory-7 feeders was issued in October, with the remaining to be issued in the winter of 2007.  Replacement of underground cable for Victory-13 and Victory-14 was completed in October 2006. Replacement of the underground cable for Town-19 is in progress and expected to be completed by November 30, 2006. The cable replacement for Winona-11 and Flower-3 is expected to be completed by December 31, 2006. Although necessary, this work will have an impact on the budget and resources. It will have a financial impact of $1.7 million ($1.1 million for labor/overhead and $600,000 for cable and other materials). It will also add approximately 10,800 man-hours of field crew work, 10,000 of which will be the overhead line construction crews. These additional man-hours have a major impact on other planned projects such as pole line rebuilds, 12 kV conversion jobs, and other customer service related work. Staff is reviewing options for the best possible solution. A shortage of resources is not a unique problem for BWP, and the neighboring utilities have the same challenge.

Although our substations are well maintained and loading has been light in the past, some substation loads exceeded the N-1 contingency rating of substation power transformers during the heat wave.  Most of our substations are 50 plus years old, with some as old as 66 years. The age of the transformers is a concern to staff, specifically if we lose one of the substation power transformers.  If that were to happen the remaining two would have to carry the load and would become overloaded. Loss of a station power transformer may have a more serious impact on customer reliability then losing one distribution circuit. It could have a cascading outages impact and cause the whole substation to go down.  Staff has completed an analysis of the loading on the substation power transformers and has considered two consulting firms (ABB Inc. and Doble Engineering Company) to further study the Condition Assessment and Potential Risk of Failure to forecast the remaining life of the power transformers. BWP Staff has determined that although this study may not predict the remaining life and risk of failure of the power transformers with 100 percent accuracy, it will assist in preventing sudden failures as well as the potential for cascading power outages.  Because the cost of this study is more than $120,000 and was not budgeted this fiscal year, BWP Staff is preparing a recommendation to Council that will be presented in the next few weeks.

Secondary Voltage System and Electric Metering

Remote read meters installed in October:

Engineering is working with AT&T on providing services to 127 fiber optic nodes for Project Lightspeed.  By the end of October, 95 excavation permits had been processed by Engineering for this project.

Customer Transformer Stations

Since July, Engineering has responded to 47 requests for review and comments from the Community Development Dept.

New business, and a strong residential real estate market, has created a demand for new customer stations.

Engineering has completed the design for the padmount transformer temporary power for the M. David Paul project at 2900 West Alameda Ave. and the padmount switch and transformer permanent power facilities for the Marriott Hotel. BWP Engineering continues working with the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport and its consultant, KSG, on improving the reliability and back-up of its existing service for the main terminal building located at Empire Ave.  The airport will pay all BWP aid-in-construction charges currently applicable under the Rules and Regulations.

In October, the customer station at Vons Supermarket, 301 Pass Ave., was rebuilt to 12 kV.

Undergrounding

BWP has worked with the City Attorney�s Office, the Public Works Dept., and the Community Development Dept. in forming Underground Utility District 1 (UUD1) to underground all overhead lines (power and communications) along Olive Ave. from the I-5 Bridge to Victory Blvd., and along Lake St. from Olive Ave. to Magnolia Blvd. BWP has been successfully working with SBC, Charter Communications, and other affected communication companies as well as the affected customers. On May 30, 2006, the City Council passed a Resolution of Intention.  After a public hearing on June 20, 2006, the City Council voted and approved to establish the first Underground Utility District within the City of Burbank. BWP Engineering proceeded with the final design of the conduit system and went out to solicit bids on July 18, 2006.  The pre-bid meeting was held on August 9, 2006. Nine companies attended the pre-bid meeting but only two submitted bids on the day of the bid opening, September 5, 2006. Both bids were greater than the engineer�s estimate. Most of the major contractors such as Bock Co, W.A. Rasic, Irish Construction and Doty Bros. did not submit bids. On September 15, 2006, BWP requested the City Manager reject both bids with the intention to solicit new bids. The City Manager accepted our request and rejected both bids.  The submitted bids have been re-analyzed and discussed with the Public Works Dept. A few changes have been made including allowing more time for completion, working hours, and the amount of paving required.  Three major contracting companies, Pouk and Steinle Inc, PAR Electrical, and Contra Costa Electric, have shown an interest. The new bids are out and the pre-bid meeting was held on October 31, 2006. Seventeen companies attended the pre-bid meeting. The last date to submit bids is December 5, 2006.  BWP expects to receive more bids with lower prices at the bid opening this time around.

BWP Engineering is working on two projects related to Caltrans. One project involves the Alameda, Hollywood Way and Pass Ave. bridge widening on the SR-134, and a new on-ramp at Hollywood Way. The second project involves the I-5 freeway, Empire Exchange, and San Fernando Realignment. Staff is working with consultants and Caltrans on conceptual design work that requires the relocation of existing underground and overhead facilities as well as a cost estimate.

BWP Engineering is working with the consulting firm of Black and Veatch to place all projects on MS Projects.  This is tentatively scheduled to be completed during Fiscal Year 2006/07, and will help with the assessment of resources and improve the planning process.

In anticipation of the new work order and asset management system, BWP has assigned engineering and field personnel to work with Black and Veatch on construction standards, bills of material, compatible units, and developing tools for quicker and better cost estimates for in-house pole line rebuilds and 12 kV conversion jobs. That concept will be extended to other areas of construction such as underground, customer station installation, streetlight, and substation work.

Streetlighting System

In response to customer requests in October, Engineering issued work orders to install three streetlight standards and seven lights on power poles in alleys. Seven pole mounted lights have been installed by the end of October.

In October, Engineering designed an underground system for Burbank Medical Plaza on Frederic St. and Alameda Ave.  Engineering is also working on a BWP Streetlighting Master Plan, and street/traffic improvement projects with Public Works and the Traffic Signal Division.

Radios

All of the handheld radios have been received, programmed and engraved.  Staff is waiting for chargers and batteries before the radios can be given out. The mobile radios are expected soon.

Burbank was a player in the system-wide ICIS demo. Several Congress people were in attendance as well as Mary Alvord, City Manager and Councilmember Marsha Ramos. It went very well.

Staff ordered 11 new radio batteries for Police to test. So far, the batteries are lasting the entire 12 hour shift. If they continue to perform, staff will replace the remaining batteries.

The radio system continues to operate without problems.

Phones and Miscellaneous

All systems are working.

Customer Service

Native Nights Program Update

On Thursday November 2, 2006, Burbank Water and Power collaborated with the Burbank Recycle Center to host the inaugural �Native Nights� event.  This residential gardening class addressed the use, care and proper watering of California friendly and drought tolerant plants.  Noted speaker Lily Singer was on hand to share information with the 35 attendees.  Customer evaluations were so positive that staff is gearing up to provide additional �Native Nights� classes. 

Drip Irrigation Program Update

In February 2006, BWP rolled out a drip irrigation water efficiency program for Burbank residents.  The program provides drip irrigation kits for free to homeowners attending a short BWP-sponsored workshop on the benefits and proper installation of the kits.  Over the past ten months, BWP has conducted 17 workshops with 426 attendees.  A total of 354 kits have been provided resulting in nearly 900,000 gallons of water saved annually. 

Legislative Update:

Refer to the attached legislative reports.

RED:BL:FCF:WOM:GLS:JLF

Attachments

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