Council orders competitive bids for Marquitas Slope work after debate over emergency contract

The San Clemente City Council on June 3 directed staff to put the Marquitas Slope interim reconstruction project out to competitive bid on an accelerated schedule after a lengthy discussion of risk, cost and permitting.

The work is intended to protect a city sewer pump station and the downstream sewer system from slope movement that staff described as "at its limit." Public Works Director David Ravenstorf told the council the existing temporary wall had reached the end of its effective life and the slope had continued to advance, creating a risk that another rainy season could damage the pump station and threaten sewer operations.

City staff had brought a resolution to award an emergency construction contract to a single contractor to install caissons and tiebacks, and to appropriate supplemental funds. After extended council questions and public comment, council members agreed to seek competitive proposals while preserving the city's emergency coastal-development permit and speeding the specification and procurement process.

Key technical and fiscal points discussed: - Cost and contract: Staff presented a contractor estimate in the low $2 million…