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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 10122010 - C.06RECOMMENDATION(S): ACCEPT status report on Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) coordination efforts for street light maintenance with Cities and County of Contra Costa (County), as recommended by the Public Works Director. FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact to the County General Fund. BACKGROUND: The Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee (TWIC), on November 16, 2009, asked staff to report back to the Committee in 2010, on the status of street light coordination efforts with PG&E. Staff reported to the Committee on September 20, 2010, and was instructed to share this information with the Board of Supervisors and give an annual update to TWIC in 2011. The Letter of Understanding (LOU), dated February 2008 between PG&E and County confirms the commitment of PG&E to ensure open communication, continuous responsive service levels and action in resolving new or unresolved APPROVE OTHER RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE Action of Board On: 10/12/2010 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER Clerks Notes: VOTE OF SUPERVISORS AYE:John Gioia, District I Supervisor Gayle B. Uilkema, District II Supervisor Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor Susan A. Bonilla, District IV Supervisor Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor Contact: Susan Cohen, 313-2160 I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown. ATTESTED: October 12, 2010 David J. Twa, County Administrator and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors By: EMY L. SHARP, Deputy cc: D. Twa, County Administrator's Office, S. Ybarra, Auditor-Controller, R. Sommovilla, County Counsel, J. Bueren, PW Director, B. Balbas, PW Deputy, J. Duffy, Special Districts, S. Goetz, DCD, T. Guarino, PG&E, J. Abraham, General Services, S. Cohen, Special Districts, N. Chuhak, Special Districts, C. Leuders, PW Administration, C. Lueders C. 6 To:Board of Supervisors From:Julia R. Bueren, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer Date:October 12, 2010 Contra Costa County Subject:ACCEPT status report on Pacific Gas and Electric coordination efforts for street light maintenance with Cities and County of Contra Costa. BACKGROUND: (CONT'D) issues related to street light issues. Since reporting on November 16, 2009, the County Public Works Department and Cities continue to meet on a quarterly basis with PG&E. Initially, meetings focused on daily street light maintenance issues related to completion of calls for service. Discussions evolved to subjects such as Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology, PG&E’s Lights Off program, PG&E’s LED Turnkey program and policy issues. The quarterly coordination meetings successfully address issues related to street light maintenance and operations and increased efficiencies. Recent meetings have addressed topics pertinent to maintenance cost saving measures due to the current fiscal hardships facing governmental agencies in the County. Topics discussed included: • Street light monthly outage reports (14- and 90-day category cases). The overall coordination of Cities and County with PG&E continues to be progressively successful. o 14-day cases: Response time for most routine repairs continues to be within 14 days as stated in the LOU. When an outage repair will take longer, PG&E has been consistent with e-mail notification. o Electric Corrective (EC) 90-day cases: PG&E continues to provide monthly outage reports with outstanding and completed repairs for the EC 90-day cases. Agencies can track outages and repairs and also be informed of outages of which they were previously unaware which allows them to follow up, as needed. PG&E is working to assure that these repairs are completed within the 90-day period. Some improvement has been demonstrated by a reduction in the number of EC cases that extend beyond 90 days. Currently, the County has two EC-90 cases dating back to May 2010. Therefore, additional improvement is necessary in this area. • Vandalism on street lights (copper wire theft). Thefts of copper wire from street lights in several Cities and unincorporated County areas continue. PG&E has been in continued contact with the agencies and has suggested several ways to implement and protect street lights from future thefts including the usage of o McCain boxes or metal boxes installed covering the pull boxes. o Metal plates with pad locks to protect wiring at street lights County General Services street light maintenance crews are aware of these suggestions and have implemented protective measures in areas where such thefts are occurring more frequently. • Cost-effective measures for street light usage. In these times of economic hardship, governmental agencies are looking for ways to save financial resources. In response to inquiries, PG&E suggested the consideration of the usage of timers to turn street lights on and off at certain times of the day/night in specific locations. PG&E says these measures will not only help economize the cost of street lights but will help maintain safety in areas. PG&E continues to assist agencies on strategies to achieve economic savings on street light usage. • Centerbore Wood Pole Replacement Program 2010. The replacement of Centerbore Wood Poles throughout the County was part of the LOU between the County and PG&E. Through their Appropriations Officer, PG&E has assured that the funding for these replacements is still in place. Centerbore wood poles replacements are addressed through testing and prioritizing pole conditions and replacing in order of priority. PG&E will be asked to report on the status of the Centerbore Wood Poles replacements in the County at a future quarterly Street Light Coordination meeting. • Group Lamp Replacement Program (5-year plan). As stated in the LOU, PG&E committed to replace all of the LS1-A (PG&E owned) lamps within the County with new, same style fixtures over a 5-year period starting in 2008. Photo controls are scheduled on a 10-year basis. PG&E will be asked to give an update on the status of the group lamp replacements at a future quarterly Street Light Coordination meeting. • LED replacement program (PG&E Turnkey program). In 2009 PG&E introduced a Turnkey program to expedite the upgrading of the street lights including rebates and reduced rates. Agencies are now able to get quotes and feedback pertinent to their Energy Efficient and American Recovery and Redevelopment Act (ARRA) grant applications. In October 2009, the Public Works Department was awarded federal funding through the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) for the Light Emitting Diode (LED) street light replacement project. PG&E has been identified as the desired LED replacement service provider and Public Works is currently preparing a contract in conjunction with the Department of Conservation Development. A number of Cities have successfully replaced their High Pressure Sodium Vapor street lights with LED street lights and used PG&E as their service provider. For example, in October 2009, the Town of Danville completed a major retrofit with the installation of 276 LED lights along Camino Tassajara. In summary: Staff from the County, participating Cities, and PG&E are committed to continue the well organized and efficient system for street lights and appreciate the ongoing continual efforts. The PG&E Street Light Coordination meetings should continue on a quarterly basis. This enables staff and the Cities to collaborate on street light issues and to work together to develop improvements for timely repairs and innovations. Cities continue to implement LED replacement and similar projects to increase energy efficiency and reduce costs and gain from the interactions at the quarterly meetings. CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION: No consequences. Informational only. CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT: Not Applicable.