Title
Approval of Task Order No. 4, AGR20-48c with Wilson & Company in the Amount of $394,655.78 and a Contingency Amount of $25,000.00 for a Total of $419,655.78 for the Purpose of Engineering Services for the Jemez Mountain Regional Fire Protection System
Recommended Action
I move that Council approve Task Order No. 4, AGR20-48c with Wilson & Company for the purpose of engineering services for the Jemez Mountain Regional Fire Protection System in the amount of $394,655.78 and a contingency amount of $25,000.00 for a total of $419,655.78, plus applicable gross receipts tax.
Utilities Manager Recommendation
The Utilities Manager recommends that Council approve as presented.
Board, Commission or Committee Recommendation
The BPU reviewed this task order at their regular meeting of October 18, 2023 and recommends that Council approve as presented.
Body
The Jemez Mountain Regional Fire Protection Project has been planned for years and progressed slowly through various jurisdictional approvals. The project will convey water from the existing potable water system in Los Alamos to Pajarito Mountain to provide domestic water to the Pajarito Mountain ski facilities, Camp May campground and provide a reliable water supply for regional fire protection and snow making. The existing 240,000 gallon non-potable water tank located in the vicinity of the Ski Lodge will be re-purposed to a potable water tank and will be able to be refilled as needed to provide fire protection to the Pajarito Mountain ski facilities. The existing water tank is now filled once per year from snowmelt runoff. In addition, the existing 10 million-gallon snow making pond located at the top of Pajarito Mountain will remain full year-round as a water resource for fire-fighting for the Jemez Mountain region. This will be a valuable fire-fighting resource, as opposed to Cochiti lake and Abiquiu lake that are much further away. The new water system will also provide a reliable water source for the Pajarito Ski hill snow making operation. This will allow the ski hill to have a consistent snowmaking and offer a scheduled opening date for operation every year. The community will benefit from the thousands of skiers contributing to the local economy.
The project will include a new 500,000 gallon water tank, four water booster stations and 23,000 feet of 10" waterline that will be constructed along Camp May Road. The existing overhead power line will be replaced with a new underground system that will eliminate the risk of fires resulting from downed power lines, the cause of a number of recent forest fires in the west. The new underground power line will be upgraded to support planned ski hill upgrades which include new quad lifts and other expansion projects. The project design is 75% complete, the easements on DOE property are finalized and the environmental clearance is complete on U.S. Forest Service property. The special use permit from the U.S. Forest Service is the last outstanding authorization, and it is in review. The project will be bid for construction in early 2024 in multiple bid packages to speed up the construction by having the resources of multiple contractors working and allow flexibility since the project is not yet fully funded.
Wilson & Company was initially hired by the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) to design the system in 2016, then hired by Pajarito Recreation LP in 2021 to modify the design as a private system. Currently the system will be owned and operated by DPU and the engineering can now be finalized for construction. Wilson &Company will complete the construction drawings and specifications, provide engineering support during bidding and construction, and provide closeout certifications and as-built drawings as required by the funding agencies. Finalizing the engineering drawings and specifications will begin immediately with a goal bidding the first bid package in early 2024.
Alternatives
If the task order is not approved the project will be delayed and options to perform the engineering will be evaluated.
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Unplanned Item
The total project cost is estimated at $15-18 million. The 2023 New Mexico Legislature awarded $7,000,000 to Los Alamos County for construction of the Jemez Mountain Fire Protection Project. Los Alamos County and Pajarito Recreation LP have mutually agreed through a term sheet to funding $2 million dollars each towards the construction of the system. DPU is actively pursuing additional grant opportunities to fund the remaining balance of $4 - $6 million.
Attachments
A - Task Order No. 4 AGR20-48c
B - Jemez Fire Protection Vicinity Map
C - Wilson & Company Proposal