Council approves $8,000 engineering increase to include new bulkhead in Pecan Watershed project

The City Council approved a change order adding $8,000 to the Jade Consulting contract for the Pecan Watershed drainage project to fund design work for a replacement bulkhead at a Pecan Avenue outfall. Public works staff and engineers said coordination between the drainage design and a beach restoration project revealed the existing bulkhead near Pier Avenue was in poor condition and that an outfall discharge onto the beach presented complications for the coastal project. The contract amendment will add bulkhead design to the drainage project so the outfall can be rerouted to discharge against the rebuilt bulkhead, removing the unsightly discharge point from the beach and resolving an infrastructure need. Public works staff told the council Jade can complete the additional design quickly; staff expect to advertise the project for bid in August with construction targeted for October and November. The council voted to authorize the change order and increase the contract not to exceed $60,000 in total for Jade Consulting's work on the watershed design. Councilors and staff framed the amendment as a timely "betterment" that prevents a future, larger expense by addressing the bulkhead as part of the current coordinated projects. The action was approved by council in a standard resolution form.