Consideration and Approval of Ratifying Contract:  Ratify and Approve the Construction Contract with Tiffany Construction Co. for the Spruce Wash - Cedar Avenue to Dortha Avenue Channel and Inlet Improvements in the amount of $2,554,520.13.

1. Ratify and approve the Construction Contract with Tiffany Construction Co. in the amount of $2,554,520.13, and allow a contract time of 116 calendar days; and 
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute the necessary documents.

The Cedar Avenue to Dortha Avenue Channel and Inlet Improvements Project (Project) is a response to the 2019 Museum Fire and subsequent flooding in 2021. Excessive flooding impacted the Paradise/Grandview and Sunnyside neighborhoods during monsoons from runoff from the burn scar. This Project was identified by the cooperative City and County Flood Control District response team as one of the first efforts to improve conveyance through the neighborhood and reduce the risk to life safety and structure damage. Due to risk and impending monsoon season, Tiffany Construction Co. was contracted under an emergency procurement per City of Flagstaff Procurement Code, Article 19. Staff is recommending that Council ratify and adopt the executed contract.

The project will be funded by account 206-08-385-3479-0-4442.

Priority Based Budget Key Community Priorities and Objectives

July 15, 2021: City Council declared an emergency for the Spruce Wash flooding as part of efforts to obtain relief funding.

December 7, 2021: City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2021-24 authorizing the acquisition of drainage easements, temporary construction easements, and any other necessary property rights for drainage and flood control improvement to the Spruce Avenue Wash.

1. Ratify and Approve the Construction Contract award as recommended. Approval will allow work to continue on the drainage improvements; or
2. Reject approval of the contract award. This action would delay the Project.

The Spruce Avenue Wash is located in the Sunnyside neighborhood in central Flagstaff and serves as the primary drainage for the watershed located to the north in the Dry Lake/Elden Hills. In 2019, the Museum Fire burned a portion of the Coconino National Forest and left a burn scar north of the neighborhood. After the fire in 2019, Coconino County and the City established a flood response team, began mapping the modified watershed, and crews installed barricades and sandbags for protective measures along Paradise Road, Grandview Drive, and the greater Sunnyside neighborhood to the south.

After several dry monsoon seasons, in 2021 Flagstaff experienced a heavy monsoon which sent a large amount of runoff through the neighborhood and caused unprecedented flooding and property damage. The flood response team was then able to see the impacts of the modified watershed and began planning and designing improvements for the channel to increase the capacity.

One of the first projects slated for construction is the section of the Spruce Avenue Wash open channel from Cedar Avenue to Dortha Avenue; this project also includes the inlet and undercrossing of Dortha. The improvements will include adding a shotcrete lined channel from Cedar to Dortha and an upsized culvert under Dortha Avenue.

Purchasing Director has reviewed the project urgency and has authorized and approved an Emergency Procurement.

Upon recommendation from staff and concurrence with City Procurement and Legal counsel, the City Manager executed the Construction Contract with Tiffany Construction Co. so that work could begin on March 21, 2022. This Construction Contract was executed under an emergency procurement per the City's Procurement Code Article 19. Due to the impending monsoon season and the damage that was witnessed during monsoons 2021, this Project has been expedited to provide increased capacity for the Spruce Wash drainage conveyance and reduce the risk of flooding.

The Project will be funded by account 206-08-385-3479-0-4442.

This Project will provide channel stabilization from Cedar Avenue to Dortha Avenue and increased drainage capacity of the Dortha inlet and storm drain under Dortha. Although fully predicting rain events and subsequent stormwater flows is not possible, these improvements are intended to help reduce adjacent flooding impacts. This Project is one of the first steps in permanently mitigating how the overall neighborhood storm drainage has been altered due to the Museum Fire. 

During 2019, there was extensive flood mitigation effort conducted with the County and the City, which included placement of sandbags, barriers, and closure of a vulnerable road crossing. During flooding in 2021, the City and County formed an emergency response team and clean up effort to fortify mitigations, remove debris and sediment, and track and model flows altered by the burn scar. There have been numerous public meetings, development of a website and monthly public City Council presentations.