Title
Resolution for Approval of Emergency Amendment No. 1 to the Agreement with the Downtown Development Authority for the Construction of the South University Streetscape Improvements Project ($531,035.84)
Memorandum
Attached for your review and approval is a resolution to authorize an emergency amendment to the agreement with the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority ("DDA") to participate in construction costs for replacement of water main during the DDA's South University Streetscape Improvements Project.
In coordination with the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority's (DDA's) South University Streetscape project, the City was working to abandon an old 1890's 6-inch water main along South University. A previous cost sharing agreement with the DDA was approved in the amount of $310,687.36 under Resolution R-17-113 by City Council on April 17, 2017 to perform that work. While carrying out the water main abandonment work, it was discovered that a separate existing 12-inch water main installed in 1965 from Church Street to South Forest Avenue is in very poor condition.
This section of water main did not have a prior break history and was not previously being discussed for replacement. However, it was exposed in multiple locations, and all of those locations exhibited severe corrosion. The water main is located beneath the north sidewalk area, so future water main breaks would negatively impact the planned streetscape improvements. Although the water main has not yet experienced any water main breaks, observed pipe conditions and the inability to perform work on the pipe indicate the risk of near term failure is extremely high.
The City has determined that the best course of action is to expedite the replacement of the 1965 water main from Church Street to South Forest Avenue, and to complete the work as part of the DDA's project. A design was prepared by Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr and Huber and an expedited permit for water main construction was...
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