HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 06052001 - C.5 l V -
TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
FROM: MAURICE M. SHIU, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
DATE: June 5, 2001
SUBJECT: RESCIND Public Works Department Metric Units Requirements
Specific Request(s) or Recommendation(s) & Background &Justification
I. RECOMMENDED ACTION:
RESCIND Board Order"Public Works Department Converting to Metric Units" dated February 5, 1996.
II. FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact to the County General Fund.
Continued on Attachment: X SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
_ RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S):
ACTION OF BOARD ON June 5 , 2001 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED x OTHER
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy
of an action taken and entered on the minutes of
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
x UNANIMOUS (ABSENT None )
AYES: NOES:
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ATTESTED: June 5 , 2001
G:\GrpData\Design\Board Orders\BO 2001\Rescind Metric.doc John Sweeten, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
Orig.Div: Public Works(Design Division) and County Administrator
Contact: Bob Faraone (925)313-2390
cc: County Administrator
Building Inspection
Community Development By
Construction Deput
Engineering Services
SUBJECT: RESCIND Public Works Department Metric Units Requirements
DATE: June 5, 2001
PAGE: 2
III. REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION/BACKGROUND:
By rescinding the February 6, 1996 metric units requirements:
A. Public Works will:
1. Rescind adoption of SI Metric Units as the standard for the Public Works Department.
2. No longer require Road, Subdivision and Flood Control Improvements Plans, all engineering
reports, Parcel and Final Maps, right of way drawings and documents, and all
correspondence be in metric units.
3. No longer require Road and Flood Control Encroachment Permits, and FEMA Flood Plain
Permits be in metric units.
B. Community Development Director is no longer to require that all tentative maps be in dual units
(inch-pound and Metric); and
C. Director of Building Inspection is no longer to require all grading plans be in metric units.
In 1991 President Bush ordered all federally funded highway projects and all projects on Federal and State
Highways systems to use metric units by October 1, 1996. By July 1995, the California Department of
Transportation (Caltrans) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) had fully converted to the
metric system. In November 1995 Congress extended the National metric conversion mandate to October
2000. In 1996 the County Public Works Department decided to follow Caltrans lead and go entirely metric
since all Caltrans project design and reference materials would use in metric units.
In 1998 Congress passed Section 1211(d) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21 st Century (TEA-21)
(Pub. L. 105-178, 112 Stat. 107) which removed the target date for metric conversion thus removing the
mandates that all States convert to metric by September 30, 2000. Since 1998 many state departments
of transportation and local public works agencies have reverted back to English (inch-pound) units for the
benefit of their constituencies. As of today Caltrans is only one of 15 State Transportation Agencies that
continue to use metric units.
The public in general, is not familiar with metric units, and metric dimensions sometimes created confusion.
The construction community has not embraced metric units. They routinely converted designs and survey
data to inch-pound units, increasing potential for conversion errors. Therefore the Public Works
Department has been frequently asked by the construction and the development communities to allow
improvement plans and record maps to be processed in inch-pound units. Caltrans is in process of issuing
new standards with inch-pound measurement. Until the new Caltrans inch-pound standards are available
Public Works proposes to use the current Caltrans 1999 design standard specifications and plans, and
convert them to inch-pounds units using "soft" conversions. Public Works also proposes to immediately
allow developers, engineers and surveyors to use "inch-pound" units.
IV. CONSEQUENCES OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
There will be very little direct consequence at this time if the Board does not approve this Board Order.