Adopt Resolution #23-237 Approving Plans and Specifications and Authorizing Advertisements for Bids for Improvement Project #21-08, Water Treatment Plant Trunk Watermain Improvements

Purpose:
The purpose of this case is to adopt Resolution #23-237 approving plans and specifications and authorizing advertisements for bids for Improvement Project #21-08, Water Treatment Plant Trunk Watermain Improvements.
 
Background:
On March 9, 2021, the Ramsey City Council adopted Resolution #21-061 awarding a contract to SEH Inc. to prepare plans and specifications for Improvement Project #21-08, Water Treatment Plant Trunk Watermain Improvements.
 
On October 26, 2021, the Ramsey City Council adopted Resolution #21-303 approving final plans and specifications and authorizing advertisements for bids using a base bid and an alternate bid as follows;

• Base bid – The base bid specified a combination of construction techniques whereby open trenching of watermain is specified along the south side of Bunker Lake Boulevard and the north side of 143^rd Avenue, while directional drilling of watermain is specified at intersections, through Cottonwood Park, under Sunwood Drive, and under the stormwater pond between Hoya and Anderson Dahlen north of 143^rd Avenue.
• Alternate bid – The alternate bid specified directional drilling of watermain across as much of the project area as feasible.

 
On January 25, 2022, the Ramsey City Council adopted Resolution #22-003 rejecting all bids and authorizing Staff to work with SEH, Inc. to revise the approved plans to reduce project costs and to monitor the bidding environment to identify the most favorable time to bid the project again.
 
On July 25, 2023, the Ramsey City Council adopted Resolution #23-168 executing a new Professional Services Agreement with SEH, Inc. to revise the previously approved plans and to re-bid said improvements for 2024 construction in advance of the Water Treatment Plant commissioning in the Spring of 2025.
 
The plan revisions from the 2021 bid set are the result of staff additions to the water system and contractor feedback from the previous bids. These changes consist of the following elements:
 

1. Adding an underground meter vault near well #8 on the existing water main in the park, including associated instrumentation for operation ease.

 

2. Adding a new water main between Bunker Lake Boulevard and 147th Terrace to complete the loop. The water main is anticipated to be installed on City owned property where Well No. 3 is located. Also, a new 1-inch service line is proposed to be installed off this line to the existing well house for priming the Well No. 3 pumps.

 

3. Re-design the water main in Town Center Drive south of Bunker Lake Boulevard and remove the water main in the open space easement to open this parcel up for future development.

 

4. Install a new 1-inch service line off Town Center Drive to the wellhouse building at Well No. 5 for pump priming purposes.

 

5. Modify the plans for the 24-inch raw water main on the trail north of Sunwood Drive to use open cut installation rather than Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), with the exception of under Sunwood Drive, which will still be HDD to avoid impacting the recently reconstructed street.

 

6. Include trenchless installation of the water main crossing Bunker Lake Boulevard at 143rd Avenue to avoid impacts to the recent improvements to Bunker Lake Boulevard.

 

7. The trunk water main under 143rd Avenue will now be fully installed via open cut trench installation followed up with full depth bituminous pavement replacement due to the age and condition of the existing pavement, and to avoid reconstructing one side of the street and overlaying the other, putting the two sides of the street on different maintenance schedules.  Due to construction traffic using this route for the WTP construction and maintaining access to adjacent commercial properties, phased pavement removal is anticipated to maintain a hard driving surface to the greatest extent possible.

 
Final construction plans and specifications have been completed and are ready for City authorization to bid the project.
 
A copy of the title sheet is attached for reference. A full set of plans are not attached to prevent bidders from using those plans to bid the project, which can result in bids that do not reflect plan revisions that are issued through addenda only to plan holders that purchase plans through QuestCDN. 

Bids will be advertised in Finance and Commerce and in the Anoka Union Herald on Friday, September 29, and on Friday, October 6, 2023.  Bids will also be advertised and managed online on QuestCDN.  

Observations:
Bids are proposed to be opened at 10 AM on November 1, 2023.  Staff then proposes to request City Council approval of a construction contract to the lowest responsible bidder on November 14, 2023.
 
The current bidding environment for utility projects is very competitive. Material shortages have eased recently but Staff and SEH recommend bidding this project this Fall to allow the awarded contractor the Winter months to order their materials so the materials are available when the contractor is ready to start work in the Spring of 2024, and so the best bid prices can be obtained due to the long lead time for ordering materials.  
 
Alternatives:
Alternative #1 – Motion to adopt Resolution #23-237 approving plans and specifications and authorizing advertisements for bids for Improvement Project #21-08, Water Treatment Plant Trunk Watermain Improvements.  

The engineer’s construction cost estimate for the base bid is $7,500,000.  A 10% contingency was added to the estimated unit prices to address any changes that may result during construction.
 
An alternate bid is proposed to include prevailing wages in case state grant funding is utilized. In talking to contractors, this alternate bid will add an additional 5-10% to the unit prices.
 
Funding for this project is proposed to come from water enterprise funds, and potentially from state grant funding if legislatively appropriated in the future.
 
For almost two decades, municipal water users have been contributing to a future water treatment plant, which includes off-site trunk watermain improvements required to provide the plant with raw water, and to transport treated (finished) water out to the distribution mains.  

Staff recommends approving alternative #1 to make sure that the new Water Treatment Plant can be served by the six municipal wells in The COR when the plant is ready to be commissioned in the Spring of 2025.   

Adopt Resolution #23-237 approving plans and specifications and authorizing advertisements for bids for Improvement Project #21-08, Water Treatment Plant Trunk Watermain Improvements.