City Council Approves $6 Million For Street Resurfacing

As part of Monday’s consent calendar, the Pasadena City Council on Monday approved an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2024 Capital Improvement Program appropriating $6 million to the annual citywide street resurfacing and ADA improvement program.

A consent calendar is a tool used by government bodies to streamline meeting procedures by grouping routine, non-controversial items into a single agenda item that can be approved in one vote.

The funding will be used to resurface streets throughout the city, including those with high pedestrian and bicycle traffic. 

A comprehensive assessment of pavement condition was conducted citywide in 2019 to generate a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) rating for each street segment. 

The network-wide average PCI was calculated at a score of 58, and the 2019 analysis identified an annual funding need of approximately $11 million to maintain the City’s average PCI score. 

The City has a network of approximately 360 centerline miles of asphalt-paved streets estimated to have a value of $500 million. 

Since Fiscal Year 2019, the budget appropriation for the Annual Street Resurfacing and ADA Improvement Program has averaged $4.5 million, resulting in a decline in the average PCI score from 58 to 53. The condition of the City’s roadway network scores lowest among its neighboring cities.

This one-time appropriation of an additional $6 million, in conjunction with the annual CIP appropriation, will maintain a network-wide average PCI value of 53 for another year and mitigate the exponentially greater cost of deferred maintenance on the streets to be addressed. 

This $6 million investment would rehabilitate approximately eight center line miles, which if deferred, would cost the City over $13 million to rehabilitate in five years and over $39 million if deferred for 15 years. If approved, staff will utilize $3 million to slurry seal and/or micro-surface of streets that are in good condition (PCI > 60) to prevent these streets from further deterioration and needing a grind and overlay treatment, which would cost approximately three times as much. The remaining $3 million will be utilized to rehabilitate streets that are in poor or very poor condition (PCI < 40) and part of the City’s backlog of streets in need of thick overlays or pavement reconstruction. 

Here are the other items that passed on Monday’s consent calendar: 

•  A resolution summarily vacating an eight-foot wide portion of land from an existing easement along the frontage of property located at 1880 E. Walnut St. The property located at 1880 East Walnut St. is being developed into a new 58-unit multi-family residential project with one level of subterranean parking. The proposed vacation area consists of an 8-foot wide portion of land along the property’s Walnut frontage and an irregular portion of Parkwood Avenue at the southeast corner of Walnut Street and Parkwood Avenue. As part of the Conditions of Approval for a Conditional Use Permit, the City is requiring the project to provide a 12-foot wide sidewalk along its Walnut Street frontage and to maintain the 10-foot wide. As a condition of a Zoning Use Permit issued in 1975, a 10-foot wide strip of land on the south side of Walnut Street was dedicated to the City as public easement for future street widening purposes. 

• A $282,901 purchase order contract with Sherman + Riley, Inc. for a trailer-mounted underground cable puller. The Pasadena Water and Power Department (“PWP”) performs maintenance, construction, and emergency operations on the City’s electrical transmission and distribution systems. Power Delivery crews require specialized equipment and construction material essential to completing activities critical to electric system reliability, resilience, and safety. A new trailer-mounted underground cable puller is required for the installation of underground cable. An underground cable puller is a tool used to install or replace electrical cables in conduits that are buried underground. It is commonly used in the construction and maintenance of power transmission and distribution systems, telecommunications networks, and other underground infrastructure. 

• An amendment to a $179,280 contract with Public Risk Innovation Solutions Management (PRISM) for employee assistance program behavioral wellness.  As part of the City employee wellness initiative, the City of Pasadena provides an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to eligible employees and their immediate family members. The EAP is a voluntary, confidential program that helps employees and their families work through various life challenges that may adversely affect health and personal well-being as well as overall job performance by providing services that include assessments, counseling, and referrals for additional services.

• An amendment to a contract with St. George’s Medical Clinic by $500,000, increasing the total not-to-exceed amount to $1.1 million and to extend the contract term for two years to continue to provide medical services. The Department of Human Resources conducts pre-employment physicals during the background process for hiring new employees. All candidates are sent to an offsite medical clinic to receive medical screening to determine their ability to meet job requirements. Services requested in the scope of work included: Pre-employment medical review and physicals for all classifications of employment (general office, physical labor, Public Health (new), Police Officer, Fire Fighter, pesticide exposure and respirator fit/asbestos); OSHA-mandated physicals and medical monitoring; Occupational Therapy; and other medical services such as drug screening and TB testing.

• A $625,000 contract with Galls, LLC to provide fire personnel uniforms as required. Historically, the Fire Department has partnered with multiple vendors to meet uniform needs for all staff members within the organization. The partnerships have been based on specific uniform requirements for each division, as well as competitive pricing, customer service, and accessibility of the vendors. Personnel uniforms are required across, fire operations, the fire prevention bureau, the paramedic intern program, the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reserve program, the EMS Explorers program, the EMS Bike Team, and for all new hires. Based upon the total annual expenditures made by the Fire Department for all uniform needs, the Department would like to initiate a multi-year contract. 

• A $85,000 five-year contract with Calox Inc. The Fire Department owns 51 (H) sized oxygen bottles filled with Medical Grade Oxygen A (99.0% minimum), which are used on fire engines and rescue ambulances for patients during emergency medical responses. All bottles are routinely filled as used, and also need inspection for hydrostatic testing to ensure the integrity of each bottle and that the cylinder can safely hold the maximum fill pressure. 

•  A $175,000 five-year contract with Empire Cleaning Supply to furnish and deliver janitorial supplies and equipment as required. The Fire, Department manages janitorial and cleaning supplies for its eight fire stations, which have a minimum of 51 fire personnel who operate and live within the facilities 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Department purchases a broad range of items to ensure proper daily maintenance in facilities including restrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms. Based upon total annual expenditures made for all fire station janitorial supply needs, the Department would like to initiate a formal multi-year contract. 

• A $295,380 contract to Altec Industries, Inc. for the purchase of a 41′ Digger Derrick. The Pasadena Water and Power Department (“PWP”) performs maintenance, construction, and emergency operations on the City’s electrical transmission and distribution systems. Power Delivery crews require specialized vehicles to transport technical staff, heavy equipment, specialty tools, and construction material essential to completing activities critical to electric system reliability, resilience, and safety. A new Digger Derrick is required for continued maintenance and construction. Digger Derricks are used to install poles, transformers, and other equipment for both overhead and underground distribution assets. The fiscal year 2023 operating budget approved by the City Council includes funds to replace one Digger Derrick Truck, specifically vehicle number 1060, which is over 23 years old with approximately 46,400 miles and has incurred over $125,000 of operating costs to date.

•  A $175,000 contract with Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker, LLC for consulting services to conduct a department-wide electronic health record system needs assessment. Over the last decade, use of electronic health record systems by medical providers and other local health jurisdictions have demonstrated significant benefits to clinical, programmatic, and administrative operations. The Pasadena Public Health Department does not currently use an EHR and instead has relied on paper-based processes to maintain client and clinical data. With support from the State of California Immunization Supplemental grant program, staff intends to pursue an EHR system to support Department goals for improving operational effectiveness; using data to respond to existing and emerging health needs; and assuring continuous quality improvement. The key to implementing an EHR system successfully is a comprehensive needs assessment of Department operations, clinical workflows, business processes, and reporting requirements. The assessment will help the Department understand what features and characteristics of an EHR system would provide the most benefit.