Consideration and Approval of BNSF Railway Preliminary Engineering Agreement Supplement:  Rio de Flag Flood Control Project Construction Document Review. 

1. Approve the Preliminary Engineering Agreement Supplement (Agreement Supplement) with BNSF Railway (BNSF) in an additional amount of $183,000 for a total expenditure not to exceed $213,000; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute the necessary documents.

• The recommended approval of this Agreement Supplement to BNSF will authorize reimbursement for BNSF engineering services, appraisal services, and review of the Rio de Flag Flood Control construction documents.
• The original agreement was executed in May 2015 in the amount of $30,000.  This amount will have largely been expended in associated cost reimbursements to BNSF by the end of this Fiscal Year.
• Revised estimated costs are now $213,000. It is important to note that the original amount of $30,000 established in May 2015 covered initial costs for the start of design review. As the project design and coordination between BNSF and the City have progressed, additional costs associated with plan reviews, design coordination, and real estate appraisals are currently estimated at a not to exceed $213,000.  If future costs exceed the $213,000 amount an additional agreement supplemental will need to be brought before Council for consideration and action.
• This work is a requirement of the City of Flagstaff as described in the Rio de Flag Project Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with the US Army Corps.

The Agreement Supplement will be funded by the Rio de Flag Flood Control Stormwater Capital Improvements FY 2019-2020 budget of $3,264,134 (Account No. 206-08-385-3236-0).

Connection to Council Goal, Regional Plan and/or Team Flagstaff Strategic Plan:
Council Goal 2017 – 2019 Transportation and Other Public Infrastructure - Deliver quality community assets and continue to advocate and implement a highly performing multi-modal transportation system.
Council Goal 2017 - 2019 Environmental and Natural Resources - Actively manage and protect all environmental and natural resources.
Regional Plan - Policy WR5 - Manage watersheds and stormwater to address flooding concerns, water quality, environmental protections, and rainwater harvesting.
Team Flagstaff Strategic Plan - Foster a Resilient and Economically Prosperous City: Deliver outstanding services through a healthy environment, resources and infrastructure.

The Rio de Flag Flood Control Project has been presented to City Council for various actions and decisions over the course of the project, including the City of Flagstaff/US Army Corps of Engineers PCA, engineering consultant services agreements, approval of fiscal year budgets, and Project updates.   

1. Approve the Agreement Supplement as recommended. Approval will allow project coordination items with BNSF to proceed; or
2. Reject the approval and provide additional direction to staff. This option would delay project design completion.  

The Rio de Flag Flood Control Project has been under development as a cooperative project between the City of Flagstaff and the US Army Corps of Engineers since the early 2000s. The goal of the project is to remove the 100-year floodplain from the center of town, which will reduce flooding impacts in our community and improve citizen's quality of life and safety. The project has undergone extensive design, value engineering, and reporting efforts. Several of the project components have been constructed and are complete, including the Clay Wash Detention Basin, the Thorpe Bridge, and the Butler Tunnel.

The project design is currently going through final completion. One of the items required for the final design is the completion of a Construction and Maintenance Agreement with BNSF. This proposed Agreement Supplement will compensate BNSF for their efforts of review and engineering so the Construction and Maintenance Agreement can be executed.

The City of Flagstaff and the US Army Corps of Engineers executed the joint Project Contruction Agreement (PCA) in 2004. One of the primary responsibilities of the PCA is that the City must provide a construction corridor to the Army Corps' contractor. Approximately 3,000 linear feet of the Lower Reach project area is on BNSF property. The coordination of this construction work with BNSF is critical to the completion of the project.
 

The Agreement Supplement will be funded by the Rio de Flag Flood Control Project Stormwater Capital Improvements FY 2019-2020 budget of $3,264,134 (Account No. 206-08-385-3236-0).

 

This project provides many benefits to the community, including: 

• Reduces the 100-year floodplain associated with the Rio de Flag and the Clay Avenue Wash.
• Removes a considerable portion of the properties adjacent to the Rio de Flag from the floodplain.
• New and improved Flagstaff Urban Trail System along the new Rio de Flag channel north of Route 66.
• Elimination of mandatory flood insurance and restrictive floodplain management regulations.

The Rio de Flag Flood Control Project has been included as a major element of the City’s Capital program and budget since 2004.  The project has also been the subject of numerous Council Work Sessions, Friends of the Rio meetings, Project Public Meetings, Cityscape articles, and Arizona Daily Sun articles.