Oxnard awards Eastern Trunk sewer manhole rehabilitation contract after engineers describe corrosion risk

The City Council on Dec. 17 approved a public‑works contract to rehabilitate manholes along the city’s Eastern Trunk sewer line after staff described accelerated corrosion in several manholes and the risk of failures that could require expensive emergency repairs.

Public‑works staff explained the Eastern Trunk collects wastewater from the city’s east side and that turbulence and hydrogen sulfide in the line can chemically attack concrete in manholes. System Director Tim Beaman described the project as a multi‑phase effort: the city categorized work as lid replacement, structural repairs and internal coatings; staff said phase 1 focuses on manholes with the most advanced deterioration. Beaman said preventative rehabilitation would reduce the risk of future collapses — citing a recent incident where a localized collapse required emergency repairs that cost roughly $600,000.

The staff report recommended awarding a construction contract to Ayala Engineering Inc. and included a project contingency and additional engineering and inspection allocations. During discussion Councilmember Aaron Starr asked why the bid produced only one responsive bidder and pressed staff on procurement outreach. Staff described standard procurement notices and said they sometimes advertise in procurement portals and local newspapers and contact known vendors when policy allows.

Councilmember Starr also questioned the contract’s liquidated‑damages rate, noting the draft contract set a low per‑day amount (reported in the meeting transcript as $2.50/day) and expressing concern that the small amount would not adequately reflect the public cost of delays on a multimillion‑dollar project. City staff said liquidated damages are set based on the city’s estimated actual daily costs of delay and that courts disallow punitive liquidated damages; they explained that some contracts (for example, park construction) carry higher per‑day liquidated damages because the city faces demonstrable direct costs from delay (inspections, lost programmatic use or traffic control), whereas underground pipeline work often has lower measurable daily costs because service continues during construction.

Council approved the Ayala Engineering agreement and related allocations in a 7‑0 vote. Staff will schedule the work, start with the most deteriorated manholes, and use coatings and structural repair measures described in the staff report. The project was presented as phase 1 with additional phases to follow as funding allows.

What was not decided: the meeting did not set a precise rehabilitated service life in years for each repair type; staff described coatings and structural repairs as long‑lived but did not tie them to an exact replacement cycle beyond general statements that similar work can last multiple decades.

Votes and contract amounts: the city approved the contract award and contingency as shown in the staff report; staff noted the emergency repair cost for a prior collapsed manhole and the need to reduce such risks through this capital work.