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Oversight panel hears EASR bond update: fire-station completions, water-pipeline upgrades, and a $17M shortfall on a major police forensics project
Summary
Staff and department liaisons reported several completed fire-station projects and pipeline upgrades under the 2010/2014 earthquake and emergency response bonds, but officials flagged a roughly $17 million funding deficit on the Traffic Company & Forensic Services consolidation and ongoing coordination problems with PG&E.
The committee received a detailed progress report on the 2010 and 2014 earthquake safety and emergency response (EASR) bond programs, including completed fire-station replacements, water-system upgrades for firefighting resilience and a notable funding shortfall on a large police forensic consolidation project.
Charles (project manager for EASR programs) told the committee that much of the 2010 program is near completion and that two major replacement fire stations (Stations 5 and 16) are complete and in service. He said Fire Station 35 (the fire-boat/boat station) has secured a Bay conservation permit and the project is moving toward a Port of San Francisco permit and construction. Dave Meyerson of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission described pipeline upgrades — including upsizing an Irving Street pipe from 12 inches to 20 inches and an Ashbury bypass — intended to preserve water flow for firefighting should key facilities fail.
John Goldberg, the police liaison on the program, reported progress on police facility improvements (MEP work, structural strengthening and generators) and said projects are advancing despite weather and unforeseen conditions. But Charles flagged a substantial funding gap for the Traffic Company & Forensic Services consolidation project — roughly $17,000,000 — and said staff are pursuing mitigation sources while acknowledging the bidding market is “superheated.” He described the project as having gone through extensive value-engineering and warned that PG&E’s slow cooperation on site infrastructure has been a persistent challenge: “PG&E has been a very reluctant participant,” he said, noting long-running conflicts between proposed project security barriers and PG&E infrastructure that must be resolved.
Assistant Deputy Chief Tony Rivera said the fire department is satisfied overall with progress on station replacements and ongoing work such as generator and apparatus-bay-door upgrades, but confirmed the construction market and weather have caused delays. Commissioners asked which smaller projects might be deferred to cover project shortfalls; Charles said capital planning directed suspension of four identified projects (two fire, two police) totaling about $9,000,000 pending the outcome of the Traffic Company & Forensic Services bid results.
Members pressed for clearer documentation of scope changes and budget deltas for projects that showed substantial variances in baseline vs. projected costs. Charles and staff explained several cases: one completed station required supplemental cooling that was not anticipated and thus increased late-stage costs; others experienced delays and added costs tied to weather and unforeseen site conditions. The committee discussed options to elevate pressure on PG&E, and members suggested sending letters to PG&E, the mayor and the governor to spur cooperation.
Staff said they will provide more granular annotations in future reports, and commissioners asked the City Services Auditor’s office to consider a focused financial audit of PG&E-related impacts on bond project costs.
