ITEM TITLE:
Whalen Avenue Construction
SUBMITTED BY: Todd Wegner, Asst. City Manager
FISCAL NOTES:
Expenditure Required: N/A
Unencumbered Balance: $284,258
Funding Source: 310-8165-58000
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive and file
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
Capital Facilities would like to recommend construction of Whalen be postponed until 2018 or beyond.
1. Developing Whalen started as a conversation between the City and Edison Chouest. Perhaps at that time it may have been necessary to develop the road if driveways were connecting to Whalen. However, the final subdivision plans show all driveways entering onto the future cul-de-sac, not onto Whalen.
2. The utility infrastructure that will go beneath Whalen has not yet been thoroughly vetted.
a. The discussion around the future well at the corner of Whalen and Pioneer is still ongoing. A waterline for the well could be installed in anticipation of, but even so the location of the new well has not yet been finalized. That leaves a chance the well waterline may not get used if the well is relocated.
b. The City is currently planning on looping the potable waterline with one stub out to the empty lot owned by Port Valdez on the west side of Whalen. No development of this property is known yet. By postponing the design, it increases the chance a plan might arise in which case the City could stub out accordingly.
3. The current unencumbered balance is far below the engineer’s cost estimate, a difference of $542,192. If the City Council would like to move forward, this is the amount that would be requested. The account to transfer this from is unknown.
4. Whalen is currently designed from Egan to Pioneer. It will remain as a dirt road from Pioneer to Klutina. If the project is postponed until the above issues are resolved it would be recommended to extend the redevelopment of Whalen all the way from Egan to Klutina. In this case, you are connecting a much higher level of residents to the main street and the elementary school, as opposed to a few residents of the new subdivision with just the main street.
a. If half of Whalen is developed, drivers may be tempted to use the entire stretch as a thoroughfare. This can cause safety issues at two intersections, it will increase mud on the roads and in the storm drains, and produce a lot of dust in the proximity of the elementary school.
5. Edison Chouest’s Design-Build contractor was surprised to learn of the Whalen project. This reaffirms the lack of necessity if at once it was the case.
6. Edison’s Chouest plans to use Whalen as a detour route when they will close Egan for utility work. By postponing the project, traffic and construction conflicts are eliminated.
7. At a location just beyond the Whalen project limits is a fire hydrant that has been pulled. The pavement in front of this hydrant is severely compromised and the entire north lane has sunken. It is suspected a waterline failure might be the cause. If the project is postponed and rebudgeted accordingly, this problem could be incorporated and corrected.
8. Several existing streets in the City are in dire need of repair. Although Whalen does present several benefits if constructed, I would like to see the City use it funds to maintain and repair the streets that need it the most.