Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute a Short Term Agreement with the East Bay Municipal Utility District to Provide Services for the City of Alameda’s Potable Water System at Alameda Point. (Public Works 818003)
Okay, so I pulled this one and I gave this Smith from public works very short notice that I was doing this. I'm sorry, but it's. So this one, just for the public is falling. Following along is a recommendation to authorize the city manager to execute a short term agreement with the East Bay Municipal Utility District, our water provider to provide services for the city of Alameda potable water system at Alameda Point. The language in this is a very brief staff report. There's a language that caught my eye. Was that talking about in the first paragraph of the background paragraph on page one that we are looking at a short term agreement for East Bay Med to continue services up to six months while the city and has been met to continue negotiating in terms of an agreement that addresses the phasing of new incremental development in the adaptive reuse area of Alameda Point. That's where our Alameda Point collaborative and historic Alameda Point areas are. And this was the language that I wanted to ask about and explore the possibility of the city transitioning from East Bay Med to an outside contractor for operations and maintenance services of existing water infrastructure, if possible, and if authorized by the State Water Board. Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water City Staff is conducting due diligence on multiple fronts on the water quality and public safety implications of changing from East Bay Med to a private contractor and is not currently recommending this approach. And I think given that, you know, nothing operates in a vacuum and we follow the news from around the Bay Area, around the country, and we've all heard of Flint, Michigan, and the horrendous situation there. So my first question is, why would we even be considering looking at someone besides our water utility to provide this these services operations and maintenance of existing water? And this is apparently drinking water, potable water. And also, who else does this? Are there are there private contractors in and what was the impetus for for this consideration? Thank you both. Really good questions. So we are actively doing our due diligence to better understand what it would look like to have an operator that's not used. Payment is East Bay, mud is the potable water provider for the area. They typically aren't in the business of providing this operation and maintenance services for a system that's not their own. So they have been providing the service for us since late 1990s through this JPA. The JPA expired in this short term agreement and. The JPA would be a. Joint sorry, ours with the. Waters Agreement. This short term agreement essentially extends the services that was in that Joint Powers Agreement for six months. So we can better understand from a legal, regulatory and technical front what that would mean to have an operator that's not East Bay mud. So we don't have the answers that you are seeking now. But this six months should allow us the time to better understand that we're also working with an outside specialist, a special counsel, to assist us in understanding what it would mean. So was the primary consideration for looking at other possible providers. The fact that he's been made doesn't normally do service and maintenance on facilities that aren't their own correct. And we're also in parallel to us doing our due diligence for a possible alternative operator. We are in discussions about what the new development would look like in that reuse area, meaning the replacement of the old, the Navy water infrastructure with East Bay mud. So as we have more clarity on that, the operational piece might be able to piece into that as well. So a lot of moving parts at this point, but hopefully the six months will allow us to get the clarity we need. Right. And so then we will expect to report back to the council. Absolutely. Okay. Great answers, as always. Thank you, Ms.. Smith. Thank you. Any other. Question? Questions then and thank you. Thank you. So then. Thank you. I will move it. A move approval then of this recommendation to authorize the city manager to execute a short term agreement with the East Bay Municipal Utility District to provide services for the city of alameda potable water system in alameda point. We have a second. All those in favor of my motion carries unanimously. Thank you. So now we move on to regular agenda item six. Hey, introduction of ordinance approving a First Amendment to a lease and authorizing the city. Manager to execute. Documents necessary to implement the terms of the First. Amendment to the lease agreement with Advanced Roofing Services. The California Corporation for Building 612. Located at 1450. Viking Street at Alameda Point.