The June 20, 2010, thunderstorm runoff damaged Senator's Blvd where Alkali Creek crosses the street and Nutter Blvd. where the Castlerock Park drainage exits the park.  The extent of the damage is unknown and staff believes that it is essential to quickly hire construction firms to excavate and repair the damage in order to ensure public safety.  Montana Code Annotated 7-5-4303 allows cities to avoid the competitive bidding process for work that exceeds $50,000 if the governing body declares an emergency.  This action is separate from the disaster declarations which the Mayor, County Commissioners and the Governor issued.  Staff requests that the Council adopt a resolution that declares the June 20 storm damage as an emergency and authorize staff to proceed with repairs on Senators and Nutter, plus other undiscovered storm damage. 

The City Council may choose to adopt the resolution or to not adopt the resolution.  If the Council does not approve the resolution, staff will have to use the competitive bidding process to secure a contractor to repair the storm damage.  Competitive bidding is a several week process and the damage may get worse with subsequent storms or the sidewalks or streets may collapse before they can be repaired.

The financial impacts are unknown at this time.  Public Works intends to quickly hire contractors to excavate the damaged areas, determine the extent of damage and to repair them.  Costs will be controlled by careful monitoring and inspections.

Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached resolution that declares the June 20, 2010, storm to be an emergency that requires immediate action to preserve public safety and allows the staff to avoid competitive bidding for the repair work.