Agenda Packets - 2011/11/28 - Laserfiche WebLink

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.Item No: 7G Meeting Date: November 28, 2011 Type of Business: Council Business Administrator Review: ____ City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: Nick DeBar, Public Works Director Item Title/Subject: Resolution 7862, Authorizing Badger State Coating Specialists to Remove Abandoned Telecom Equipment from the Elevated Water Tower Background: The City’s 500,000-gallon elevated, fluted-column water tower was constructed in 1992. At that time, Mounds View had two water towers and dismantled both after constructing the current one. The water tower paint coating was inspected and had spot repairs done in 2003. Properly installed paint coatings should provide 15 to 20 years of service life. The tower is nearly 20 years old and is scheduled to be reconditioned (repainted) next year. A public bid is planned to occur in early 2012. The City has leases with a number of telecommunication companies that allow these companies to install their equipment on the water tower. This telecom equipment has to be removed and relocated prior to the commencement of work by the contractor that will be hired by the City. Each telecom company is responsible to remove, relocate, and reinstall their equipment as part of the reconditioning project. However, there exists abandoned telecom equipment installed on and inside the water tower that the City no longer has lease agreements. Most of this abandoned equipment is associated with MetroCom Wireless – a company no longer in business. Metricom Wireless went bankrupt around 2002 and the City received a $3,500 settlement outside of the bankruptcy proceedings that was accepted by the City Council on March 10, 2003. Their equipment on the tower was abandoned and never removed. Discussion: The City is stuck with the task of removing any abandoned telecom equipment not belonging to current lessees from the tower prior to reconditioning activities. Public Works has been working with Badger State Coating Specialists to identify this abandoned equipment and obtained the following scope of work and associated costs from them: 1. Remove and dispose 15 abandoned antennas and associated brackets, coax cables, ground wires, and stud welds. Cost: $5,500 2. Remove and dispose approximately 40 stud-welded “Z”-brackets, including cutting and grinding the stud welds flush with the surface and removing any abandoned ground wires, busses, and other unused associated antenna equipment. Cost: $3,000 3. Remove and dispose 5 abandoned coax cables that are cut off near ground level and routed to the tower roof. Cost: $1,000 Total Combined Cost: $9,500 Recommendation: Staff recommends that the City Council consider adopting the attached resolution authorizing Badger State Coating Specialists to remove the abandoned telecom equipment from the water tower. A 10% contingency ($950) is further recommended in the event that other abandoned equipment is found during removal operations, for a budget amount not to exceed $10,450. Respectfully submitted, Nick DeBar - Public Works Director