HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-05-18; 2023 American Public Works Association Awards (Districts - All); Gomez, PazTo the members of the:
CITY COUN CIL
Date ~CA / CC /
CM~L DCM (3) ✓
May 18, 2023
Council Memorandum
{city of
Carlsbad
Memo ID# 2023046
To:
From:
Honorable Mayor Blackburn and Members of the City Council
Paz Gomez, Deputy City Manager, Public Works
Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager ~ Via:
Re : 2023 American Public Works Associat~ Awards (Districts -All)
This memorandum provides information on awards that the City of Carlsbad received as part of
the American Public Works Association (APWA) San Diego and Imperial Counties Chapter 2023
Awards Program.
Background
APWA established its awards program to promote excellence in Public Works projects by
recognizing the partnership between the managing agency, consultant/architect/engineer
team, and construction contractor, all of whom work together to successfully complete Public
Works projects. Awards are given for Project of the Year, as well as individual and team awards,
to recognize exemplary service in the Public Works field.
Discussion
This year, we are pleased to announce that the City of Carlsbad received a total of five APWA
awards: one team award and four project awards, which were presented to staff on
May 11, 2023. The awards are summarized below:
Outstanding Operations and Maintenance Personnel Award -City of Carlsbad Streets
Maintenance Team
This is the second consecutive year the Streets Maintenance Division has been honored with
this team award. The award recognized the immediate actions taken by the city's 15-member
Streets Maintenance Division in decreasing the number of traffic incidents within a 90-day
period, following the City Council's declaration of a local emergency for traffic safety. Twelve
message boards were deployed citywide, with staff updating messages weekly to remind
everyone to stay alert to all modes of travel. Staff created templates in-house to install 18
green bike lane treatments in high-conflict areas. The city's striper truck was used to refresh
bike lanes and double lines in all 24 school areas within Carlsbad's jurisdiction, as well as
throughout the city, totaling 470,811 feet and 200+ street segments of new striping.
The result of this collective effort, alongside departments across the city, resulted in a decrease
of traffic incidents by 20% from the previous quarter. Additionally, compared to 2020, the city
experienced a 40% decrease in traffic incidents. While the local emergency remains ongoing,
Public Works Branch
Public Works Administration
1635 Faraday Avenue I Carlsbad, CA 92008 I 442-339-2730 t
Council Memo -2023 American Public Works Association Awards (Districts -All)
May 18, 2023 -~.
Page 2
this recognition from APWA further evidences the ability of Public Works maintenance crews to
serve as emergency responders.
Project of the Year Award (Structures under $2 million) -El Camino Real Bridge Improvements
The El Camino Real Bridge project provided mobility improvements to vehicles, bicyclists and
pedestrians on El Camino Real and across the Agua Hedionda Creek Bridge at the intersection of
El Camino Real and Cannon Road. An additional lane was provided in the northbound direction
to improve vehicle operations with improved bike lanes. These bike lanes now include buffers
and green paint for enhanced visibility of bicyclists.
In addition to a widened sidewalk over the Agua Hedionda Creek, a new bridge was provided on
the north side to provide pedestrian access where none existed before. This new pedestrian
bridge spanning over the Agua Hedionda Creek created much needed safe pedestrian crossing.
Previously, safe pedestrian access was not available, particularly to the adjacent neighbors
within a retirement community. The bridge, along with associated improvements and the
widened sidewalk to the south, now provide safe pedestrian mobility in this corridor.
Honor Award (Structures $6-$25 million) -Fire Station 2 and Temporary Fire Station 2 at Dove
Library
Fire Station 2 now accommodates a larger crew of five full-time firefighters responding to more
than 4,000 calls a year. The station can accommodate five emergency vehicles, including a 60-
foot ladder truck, fire engine and an ambulance to meet the community's public safety needs.
The station's design reflects the city's commitment to environmental sustainability, with
energy-efficient electric, heating and cooling systems, rooftop solar voltaic panels for power
that produces over 26,179 kilowatt-hour (kWh)/year, a solar hot water heating system, low-
energy light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, and two electric vehicle (EV) charging stations that
the public can use, as well as drought-tolerant landscaping.
As a design-build project, collaboration and teamwork on Fire Station 2 were critical to the
process, allowing for new operational ideas and innovative construction methods, techniques
and materials to be integrated. To build Fire Station 2, fire operations were relocated to
Temporary Fire Station 2 at the City Library near Dove Lane, which added a layer of complexity
to the project since avoiding service interruptions was a priority during construction of the new
station, requiring close coordination between Public Works and the Fire Department.
Project of the Year Award (Utilities under $2 million) -Magnolia Avenue Storm Drain
Improvements
The city's Drainage Master Plan calls for construction of storm drain facilities in the
neighborhood surrounding Magnolia Avenue, one of Carlsbad's original neighborhoods with
some of the city's oldest infrastructure. The project provided much-needed flood relief along
this busy school corridor, where the conditions were often unsafe during periods of heavy rain.
Council Memo -2023 American Public Works Association Awards (Districts -All)
May 18, 2023
Page 3
Ensuring the safety of hundreds of school children and families frequenting the area meant
increased signage, safety measures and community outreach.
Partnering with the Carlsbad Unified School District, the project team organized the Magnolia
Avenue Storm Drain Project Construction Enrichment Day, which was attended by over 200
students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Students were taught the importance of safety in
and around construction sites, learned about stormwater systems, participated in a coloring
activity on full-scale plan sheets and took photos with construction equipment. Strong
partnerships were critical to completing this project within the school's 10-week summer break.
Project of the Year Award (Parks under $2 million) -Poinsettia Park Community Dog Park
The most recent phase of improvements to the 42-acre Poinsettia Community Park focused on
a 34,400-square foot natural grass dog park, new restroom facilities, additional parking facilities
for in-demand pickleball courts (including EV charging stations), stormwater bio-filtration
management, and vibrant native landscaping designed and constructed to serve the
environment and community far into future.
With more than 10 months of construction and 20,000 manhours, there was no lost
construction time, accidents, safety incidents or near-misses. Thanks to effective teamwork and
community outreach, the project continued without interruption to public park services
throughout the summer, and without interference to the Mitchell Thorp Foundation SK
run/walk, Friday Night Lights Youth Football and the TGIF Concerts in the Park. All public park
functions remained open and operational during the entirety of the project duration.
In addition to accepting these awards alongside staff, Deputy City Manager, Public Works, Paz
Gomez also presented all the APWA awards to other agencies in her role as the APWA San
Diego and Imperial Counties Chapter President.
Next Steps
Staff will continue to deliver award-worthy Public Works projects for the city.
cc: Scott Chadwick, City Manager
Cindie McMahon, City Attorney
Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services
Laura Rocha, Deputy City Manager, Administrative Services
Michael Calderwood, Fire Chief
Mickey Williams, Police Chief
David Graham, Chief Innovation Officer
Tom Frank, Transportation Director/City Engineer
Zach Korach, Finance Director
Kyle Lancaster, Parks & Recreation Director
Kristina Ray, Communication & Engagement Director
Council Memo -2023 American Public Works Association Awards (Districts -All)
May 18, 2023
Page 4
Suzanne Smithson, Library & Cultural Arts Director
Gina Herrera, Deputy City Attorney
John Maashoff, Public Works Manager
Babaq Taj, Engineering Manager
Michael O'Brien, Public Works Superintendent