To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Mark Marlowe, P.E., Director of Castle Rock Water
Title
Resolution Approving the First Amendment to the Participation Agreement between the Town of Castle Rock and the Cherry Creek Basin Water Quality Authority for Design of Stream Reclamation Improvements for McMurdo Gulch
Body
________________________________________________________________________________
Executive Summary
The purpose of this memo is to request Town Council authorization of a Resolution approving the First Amendment to the Participation Agreement between the Cherry Creek Basin Water Quality Authority (Authority) and the Town of Castle Rock (Town), for the Design of Stream Reclamation Improvements for McMurdo Gulch (Attachment A). In 2016, through a Services Agreement with Muller Engineering, Inc. (MEC), the Town performed a stream assessment of McMurdo Gulch. The “McMurdo Gulch 2016 Reach Assessment Report” (Report) identified four high priority areas where McMurdo Gulch was experiencing degradation. In 2017, the Town requested project funding participation in the amount of $34,000 from the Authority for design of the project. The Authority’s mission is to preserve and protect water quality in the Cherry Creek Reservoir and the Cherry Creek Watershed. Stream reclamation efforts such as these support that mission. Therefore, the Authority approved funding of the project as part of their 2018 Capital Improvement Project budget, to contribute design phase funding for this project in the amount of $34,000.
In 2018, the Town requested additional project funding participation in the amount of $386,000 from the Authority for construction of the project. The Authority approved funding of the project as part of their 2019 Capital Improvement Project budget to contribute construction phase funding for this Project, in the amount of $386,000.
Below is a breakdown of total projected project budgets by funding partner. Design funding was included in the Participation Agreement dated June 16, 2018 (Attachment B). Construction funding is included in the First Amendment to the Participation Agreement.
|
Funding Partner |
Design (2018) |
Construction (2019/2020) |
Total Participation |
|
Castle Rock |
$136,000 |
$1,121,000 |
$1,257,000 |
|
Authority |
$ 34,000 |
$ 386,000 |
$ 420,000 |
|
Total |
$170,000 |
$1,507,000 |
$1,677,000 |
History of Past Town Council, Boards & Commissions, or Other Discussions
This amendment (Exhibit 1) was approved by the Authority at their regularly scheduled board meeting on April 18, 2019.
This amendment was presented to the Castle Rock Water Commission on May 22, 2019, and the Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval to Town Council.
Discussion
McMurdo Gulch is a western tributary to Cherry Creek, extending along the eastern edge of the Town. The entire McMurdo Gulch channel is approximately 6.7 miles long, from the headwaters to the confluence with Cherry Creek, and encompasses a tributary area of approximately 6.5 square miles. A reclamation plan was implemented in 2011 on McMurdo Gulch by the Town, stabilizing nine improvement reaches along the channel totaling a combined channel improvement length of approximately four thousand lineal feet. These nine improvement reaches were separated by healthy and stable segments of stream that had not experienced degradation yet. The Authority was a funding partner with the Town for the design and construction of the 2011 project. The project cost totaled approximately $1.5 million, of which the Authority contributed $630,000. The project has shown tremendous success and has demonstrated a measurable improvement to nutrient concentrations through the Authorities’ annual monitoring program.
As part of the 2011 project, the Town and the Authority identified a need to assess stream conditions on a regular basis to determine when future improvements would be needed. The Town conducted a stream assessment in 2017, following significant growth in the upper headwaters of McMurdo Gulch. The Report has identified four locations where the channel is currently experiencing stream degradation associated with head-cutting, failing berms with minimal vegetation, steep banks, and incised channel areas. A project location map has been provided (Attachment C). The total length of these four areas is approximately two thousand lineal feet.
Based on the Report summary, the Stormwater Division prioritized design of the recommended stream improvements in 2018, with construction of the improvements proposed in 2019 and 2020, based on funding availability. Under this amendment, the Town will receive funds following the execution of the Agreement, and apply those to the construction cost scheduled for bidding and construction in the fall of 2019.
Budget Impact
The Town’s budget for the McMurdo Gulch project construction totals $1,121,000 in 2019. The Authority agreed to contribute an additional twenty-five percent of the Town’s construction budget in the amount of $386,000, for a total construction budget of $1,507,000. Funds will be credited to the Stormwater Capital Revenue Account No. 212-4475-332.20-00.
|
Construction Funding Participation |
Amount |
|
Town of Castle Rock Budget |
$1,121,000 |
|
Authority Contribution |
$ 386,000 |
|
Total Construction Budget |
$1,507,000 |
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends executing the First Amendment of the Participation Agreement (Exhibit 1) between the Town and the Authority, for the McMurdo Gulch Stream Reclamation Project for the Authority’s fund contribution of $386,000.
Proposed Motion
“I move to approve the Resolution as introduced by title.”
Attachments
Attachment A: Resolution
Exhibit 1: Agreement
Attachment B: June 16, 2018 Agreement
Attachment C: Map