05-10-06 Newsletter.indd - Bureau of Engineering

No. 06-23
May 10, 2006
Engineering Wins 4 Productivity Awards
BOE Employees Recognized at Productivity Awards Luncheon
Bureau of Engineering employees were recognized for their innovative efforts at the 2005 Quality and Productivity Awards luncheon
held on May 8, 2006 at the Biltmore Hotel. Four of Bureau of Engineering projects received awards out of 27 total awards given. The
theme of the luncheon was “Celebrating the creativity, dedication,
and hard work of the Los Angeles City Employee!”
The winners were selected by the Quality and Productivity Commission, who had to review 125 applications before deciding on the
finalists. Their comment on the selected entries was, “Each of the
winning projects has made a significant contribution to improving
City operations, enhancing City processes, and creating cost-savings.
You keep our City running smoothly and efficiently each and every
day. Through hard work and dedication, you have taken ideas from
concept through to completion. Through your creativity and innovation, you have enhanced programs that were not broken, but had
room for improvement. Through your spirit of collaboration, you
have proven that City departments can indeed work well together.
Thank you for your dedication, innovation and teamwork!”
Displays explaining the different projects were set up for review
prior to the luncheon. The following is a brief description of each
project from the luncheon program.
Project Cost Estimator, l to r: Elia Sun, Clark Robins, JacQuie Rodriguez,
Jim Treadaway, Y. C. Wang, Gary Lee Moore and William Tseng.
Project Cost Estimator
Public Works, Bureau of Engineering
Customized Estimates in Minutes: Engineering staff can now acquire up-to-date cost estimates for Public Works projects in minutes
instead of weeks. Before the Project Cost Estimator, staff used an
outdated, labor intensive system to identify and calculate the City
project construction cost estimates. This manual method required
searches through various websites that often provided conflicting
information that did not reflect price changes. The Bureau’s cost
estimates often differed significantly from actual vendor pricing.
Now, the Project Cost Estimator not only provides truly accurate
pricing information, it also compiles and calculates project-specific
cost estimates based on staff-provided information (overhead, profit
and escalation percentages). Designed for growth, the Project Cost
Estimator also accepts other departments’ information. The projected
five-year staff time cost savings exceeds $2 million!
Team Members: Benjamin Baysic, Rufino Fajardo, Nestor Leyco,
Essam Amarragy, Gary Lee Moore, Clark Robins, Zahoor Malik,
Marcelo Mendoza, JacQuie Rodriguez, Elia Sun, Beth Slick, Jim
Treadaway, William Tseng, Y.C. Wang.
Web-Based Cash Reporting, l to r: Richard Chung, Salvador Martinez,
Essam Amarragy, Gary Lee Moore, Gregg Vandergriff, Christi Guymon,
Craig Bloomquist, Joy Huang.
Web-Based Cash Reporting Project
Public Works, Bureau of Engineering
Board of Public Works, Office of Accounting
Accounting Reports in Record Time: The Bureau of Engineering
collects fees for over 200 complex permits from City of Los Angeles’
continued on page 6
limited spare time, she enjoys baking, reading, fishing, trying to cook all the vegetables
Ted grows in the garden, and teaching Kyra
the UCLA 8-clap (Noah already knows it
of course).
Julie’s office is located at 200 N. Spring
St., Suite 1400 and her phone number is
(213) 978-1911.
Save Energy
The Department of General Services asks
that all City employees take personal responsibility for ensuring that lights and electrical
equipment are turned off when not in use.
Though these might sound like small things,
they do add up. If everyone does their share,
we all benefit.
Central Records Unit Holds Open House
On April 27, 2006, the staff of Central Records, Indexing, Municipal Plans Indexing, Plan
Processing and Photoreproduction groups, Administrative Services Division, held an Open
House to show their appreciation to their customers who were understanding of the need
for the extended closure of the public counters to allow staff time to pack all the records
and move of specialized equipment to the new location in the Basement level of the Public
Works Building. Word quickly spread there was a party happening and lines of people
streamed out the door. Customers were especially happy that they now could come back
for services.
Julie Allen
Julie Allen has been appointed as Senior
Construction Engineer in the Construction
Management Division.
Julie began her career at the Department
of Water and Power in 1992 after receiving
her Civil Engineering degree from UCLA.
While at DWP, Julie worked on a variety of
assignments including developing environmental compliance programs, performing
hydraulic studies, and designing various water system facilities. Her most notable accomplishment was managing the Department’s
first slip-lined pipe rehabilitation project on
a large diameter water trunkline. This innovative design reduced construction costs by
50% (about $2M) and greatly reduced traffic
impacts to the community.
In 2001, Julie promoted to the Bureau
of Engineering as a Civil Engineer in the
Privately Financed Program, where she
worked as Case Manager helping developers
navigate through the City’s building permit
processes. While in this position, Julie was
also asked to obtain political support for
a controversial right-of-way management
ordinance. After numerous meetings and
Committee hearings, the ordinance was
unanimously adopted by City Council, and
became a template for many other cities
nationwide. As a result, Julie was asked to
join APWA’s Right-of-Way Management
Committee, first as a member, and ultimately
as the Chairperson. In addition, Julie was
appointed to be the Bureau’s Council/Board
Liaison, where she continued to work closely
with legislative staff to expedite BOE items
through the political process.
Most recently, Julie was a Project Manager
in the Fire Facilities Bond Program, where
she was responsible for managing the design
and construction of four new fire stations
with a total budget of approximately $87
million.
Julie and her husband Ted have two
young children, Noah (6) and Kyra (2-1/2)
that keep them both very busy. In Julie’s
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There’s always service with a smile at Central Records, l to r: Roberta Martinez, Bettye Blevins,
Delia Velazquez, Terrie Reed, Fatima Robinson, Ivory Hudson, Shelley Stallworth, Pio Paraiso and
Cynthia Silva.
Customers lined up at the public counter.
Engineering Newsletter - 5/10/06
In Memory of
Jackson Lin
l to r: Councilmember Ed Reyes, Senator Barbara Boxer, Recreation & Parks General Manager
Jon Mukri, Council President Eric Garcetti, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Engineer Gary Lee
Moore, State Park Director Ruth Coleman, and Lt. Colonel Mark Blackburn.
Funds for L.A. River Revitalization
Council District 1 Press release:
LOS ANGELES (April 20, 2006) - Standing
with Councilmember Ed P. Reyes, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) announced today that
she will be introducing a bill that authorizes
$79 million for the revitalization of the Los
Angeles River.
“(The L.A. River revitalization) is a project that focuses on our future, on hope for
our children and our families,” said Boxer
at Taylor Yard, an old rail yard that is being
transformed into a 40-acre City-State park as
part of the L.A. River revitalization plan.
“We are excited to know that Sen. Boxer, a
well-known environmentalist, and supporter
of families and children, will continue to actively support the City’s efforts to renew the
Los Angeles River,” said Reyes, who chairs
the Los Angeles River Ad Hoc Committee.
“The funding furthers our goals to convert
our backyard--the river corridor-- into a
front yard, with restored wetlands, parks
and trails, flood protection and economic
development.”
Boxer’s announcement followed a tour
of Taylor Yard by Reyes that included State
Park Director Ruth Coleman, Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa and City Council President Eric
Garcetti.
Boxer’s bill, which could be introduced
as early as next week, calls for $79 million,
to be secured for the following:
• $4 million for the Army Corps of Engineers to develop a plan to restore river
water flows, recreate wetlands and other
river habitat. It will also include recreational opportunities, economic development and improved flood control.
• $35 million for pilot projects for graffiti
Engineering Newsletter - 5/10/06
removal, wetland restoration, installation of flood control system and other
immediate revitalization needs.
• $40 million for a “water reuse” project
to help improve water flow and habitat
restoration.
Sunset Blvd. Improvements
Public Works Public Affairs Office press release:
LOS ANGELES (April 25, 2006)-A portion of
Sunset will be widened and reconstructed
to provide left turn pockets and a right turn
pocket at Mandeville Canyon Road and a left
turn pocket at Riviera Ranch Road. Sunset
Boulevard carries heavy traffic generated
to and from the San Diego Freeway in the
Brentwood area.
“The eastbound traffic on Sunset Boulevard is often reduced from two lanes to one
lane because of motorists making left turns
at Mandeville Canyon and Riviera Ranch
roads,” explained City Engineer Gary Lee
Moore when making the announcement.
“This causes unsafe conditions and significant delays for through traffic at these two
intersections.” The two left turn pockets are
expected to mitigate this problem.
The Board of Public Works has approved
the awarding of the low-bid contract,
amounting to $1,888,844, for the work to
Excel Paving Company. The contract calls
construction to be completed in 180 working days.
The work to be done is located in Council
District 11, represented by Councilmember
Bill Rosendahl.
In the April 12, 2006
Newsletter, the passing
of Jackson Lin was announced. On April 18,
2006, the City Council
adjourned in his memory. Councilmember Bill
Rosendahl read the following:
Jackson Lin, a Civil Engineering Associate
with the Bureau of Engineering for over 16 years,
passed away at his home on Saturday, April 8,
2006 at the age of 41.
Jackson joined the City in August 1989 and
worked in the Bureau of Engineering’s Wastewater Program his entire city career. He was a
talented and resourceful engineer and made great
contributions to a number of major wastewater
projects throughout his career with the City.
He possessed a vast knowledge of engineering
principles and was relied upon by his peers as
an expert in the field of wastewater systems
design.
Jackson was also an avid artist who in his
spare time did freelance animation work for a
number of studios around town, including the
famous Teenage Ninja Turtles.
Jackson was very well-read and well-informed
about world affairs. He had a great and unique
sense of humor and was a great joy to be around.
He had a deep spiritual side to him and was
always searching for answers to life’s mysteries
and riddles.
He will be deeply missed by the Bureau of
Engineering, especially by his co-workers in the
Wastewater Conveyance Engineering Division
where he will be remembered for his smiles and
friendly conversations.
Jackson loved his family very much and was
very close to them. He is survived by his parents
Steven and Chui Mai Lin, brother Calvin, and
sister Teresa.
Highland Ave. Widening
Public Works Public Affairs Office press release:
LOS ANGELES (April 25, 2006)-Highland
Avenue will be widened at Franklin Avenue
to ease the flow of traffic for commuters traveling between Hollywood and San Fernando
Valley by way of the Cahuenga Pass.
“This project will widen the reverse-curve
section of Highland Avenue and will provide
right turn lanes at the Franklin Avenue intersections to increase safety and facilitate
the flow of high traffic volumes in the area,”
stated City Engineer Gary Lee Moore.
The Board of Public Works approved the
awarding of the low bid contract, for $2,
754,889, to the Excel Paving Company. The
contract provides for the completion of the
work in 120 working days.
The project is located in Council Districts
4 and 13, which are represented by Councilmembers Tom LaBonge and Eric Garcetti,
respectively.
Page 3
BOE Turns Out for March of Dimes WalkAmerica
On a partly cloudy, partly sunny day at
Griffith Park, on Saturday April 29th, fiftyfour hardy Bureau of Engineering employees walked five miles to raise money and
awareness for the 2006 March of Dimes
WalkAmerica Campaign. They were led by
City Engineer Gary Lee Moore and by the
BOE March of Dimes team leader Kendrick
Okuda, Division Engineer for the Wastewater Conveyance Construction Division.
Approximately 10,000 people from all over
Southern California walked at Griffith Park.
The biggest contingent was City of Los Angeles employees.
Each walker asked co-workers, friends
and relatives to pledge money which will go
to the 2006 March of Dimes Campaign. In addition, the walkers brought some friends and
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relatives and co-workers who also walked or
cheered them on.
The walk is an annual event that is
hosted by the Southern California Chapter
of the March of Dimes Agency. The highly
respected March Of Dimes organization
sponsors research to prevent or eliminate
childhood illnesses and educates and advises
the public concerning birthing issues and
childhood health issues.
The Bureau of Engineering had a booth
at the walk site where BOE walkers were
greeted and where BOE staff sold beanie
babies and sold chance drawing tickets for
a large screen TV and for a cruise around
Baja, California.
After the walk, BOE walkers enjoyed a
free picnic at the walk area. Food included
BBQ chicken, burgers and hot dogs, salads,
fresh fruit, bagels, doughnuts and soft
drinks. Attendance at the BOE picnic, which
included BOE staff, family, co-workers and
friends, topped 100 people. After eating,
picnickers participated in face painting, egg
tossing, watermelon eating, tug of warring,
hula hooping, piniata breaking and pie
throwing. Numerous prizes were awarded
to winners of the various picnic games.
The picnic planners and picnic staff
included: Kendrick Okuda, Hector Lara,
Angela Ung, Mohammad Fakih, Serge
Haddad, and Iftekhar Ahmed from WCCD,
Ivan Gerson, Christine Keushguerian and
Hassan Masoud of WCED, Sharat Batra
of Architecture Division and the entire
BOE MOD Team Captains and committee
members.
Engineering Newsletter - 5/10/06
Food, Fun and Games at the Engineering Picnic
Engineering Newsletter - 5/10/06
Page 5
Productivity Awards - continued from page 1
businesses and residents at seven City offices. Over time, it became
clear that the current manual system could not keep up with the
explosive growth in issued permits.
Fortunately, Bureau staff took the initiative to seek out, develop
and implement the new Web-Based Cash Reporting System to
replace the old labor intensive, error-prone system. This new stateof-the-art integrated cashiering system not only saves staff time, it
produces much more accurate streamlined audit trails, and cost and
fee analyses and accounting reports in record time. In addition, the
staff installed new state-of-the-art cash registers and hardware while
implementing uniform fee collection and reporting procedures. The
new system proved so efficient that two full-time positions were
eliminated saving the Bureau $140,000 annually.
Team Members: Essam Amarragy, Craig Bloomquist, Ben Chiu,
Richard Chung, Brian Gore, Christi Guymon, Joy Huang, Salvador
Martinez, Quyen Nguyen, Gregg Vandergriff.
3-D Animated Video, l to r: John Koo, Kamran Ghotbi-Ravandi, Philip
Richardson, Wenn Chyn, Maria Martin, Larisa Bolosky (LADOT), Gary
Lee Moore.
3-D Animated Video for Street & Bridge
Improvements
Public Works, Bureau of Engineering
Reaching out with 3-D: Large scale City road and bridge construction
projects often elicit concern from impacted neighborhoods, particularly regarding potential traffic problems. In response, Engineering
staff frequently conduct community meetings to address the issues
and educate the public.
Staff recently developed and produced cutting-edge 3-D animation/traffic simulation videos (recorded on mini-DVDs) to enhance
their presentations, and provide more in-depth understanding of
project objectives and traffic impacts. These stunning new 3-D videos describe each project and its effect on the neighborhood with a
clarity unseen before. Amazingly, the videos also depict actual traffic
flow patterns, vehicle numbers, and real traffic speeds. These videos
are distributed to impacted community organizations, where more
people can be reached with more information without increasing
the number of community meetings.
Team Members: Wenn Chyn, Kamran Ghotbi-Ravandi, John Koo,
Maria Martin, Philip Richardson.
Page 6
SEWERS, l to r: Max Nelson, Serge Haddad, Iftekhar Ahmed, Hector
Lara, Leah Mulat, Jeanie Lam, Ba Vu, Angela Ung, Kendrick Okuda,
Mohammad Fakih, Gary Lee Moore.
Super Expedited Wastewater Emergency
Rehabilitation for Sewers
Public Works, Bureau of Engineering
New “Dream Team” Expedites Sewer Repairs: No question, sewer
deficiencies must be repaired quickly to prevent potential sewage
spills and serious public health hazards. In 2003 the late Rory Shaw
developed the “Super Expedited Wastewater Emergency Rehabilitation for Sewers” (SEWERS) Program that produced a simplified
efficient new approach to managing sewer repairs. The SEWERS
group now completes sewer repair projects, from the pre-design
phase through the post-construction stage, in an unprecedented
3-5 week timeframe.
A major program benefit has been the implementation of the
“unit price contract” (SEWERS1) that provides an alternate contracting mechanism that stipulates pre-set pricing for over 580 cost
items encountered during a typical sewer project. Due to stable and
predictable pricing, this new type of contract has saved the City
thousands of dollars compared to the traditional Time & Materials
(T&M) form of compensation. The program has also eliminated the
inspector’s daily detailed timer, material and equipment expenditure reports. The program’s unquestionable success can be seen in
the results. Between 2003 and 2005 the team completed over 185
sewer construction projects in record time, while saving the City
over $1.6 million.
Team Members: Iftekhar Ahmed, Kola Ajibola, Mohamad Fakih,
Bruce Flowers, Serge Haddad, Robert Huning, Jeanie Lam, Hector
Lara, Linda Margaret, Leah Mulat, Max Nelson, Kendrick Okuda,
Somsak Sasnakul, Clive Thomas, Angela Ung, Ba Vu, Maryanne
Yee.
Engineering Newsletter - 5/10/06
Engineering Newsletter - 5/10/06
Page 7
l to r, 1st row: Nick Bustos, Tom Kilmer, Cefe Munoz, Helen Francisco, Barbara Sherfey, Howard Cooper, Marina McKinney (GSD), Susan Sugay.
2nd Row: Mati Laan, Paul Kawazoe, Bert Moklebust, Dennis Bragin, Debbie Engle, Mike Walters, Tina Gomez, Mary Marcus, Cuc Nguyen. 3rd
Row - Nasser Aarabifard, Jon Lin, Javier Gonzalez, Shawn Yavari, Don Khalighi, Carolina Hare, Randa Hanna, Orlando Guinid. 4th Row: Shaun
Yepremian, Julia Moye, Belinda Woodruff, David Nevarez, Jimmy Tangonan, Dynl Miranda, Lionel Gibson. Top Row: Eric Keller, Bill Briggs, Mike
Kantor, Ali Nahass, Mo Irilian, Sal Hassan. Not pictured: Rose Marie (Dee Dee) Smith, Joyce Mierez, Eladio Lopez and An Pham.
Meet the Valley District Office
The Bureau of Engineering Valley District Office staff design streets, sewers, storm drains and allied projects, and check
private designs affecting public improvements within their geographical area. The Valley District Office also maintains
public counters for the issuance of permits for minor street construction, barricades, sewers, utilities and excavations; and
the issuance of standard engineering plans. Their offices are located in the Marvin Braude Building, 6262 Van Nuys Bvd.,
Room 351, Van Nuys, 91401.
St Lighting Moves
Last week the Bureau of Street Lighting
completed their move to the 1st and 2nd
floors of the Public Works Building. Please
be aware that all staff that moved will have
new phone numbers.
Bike to Work Day
City Council has designated Thursday, May
18, 2006 as Bike to Work Day in Los Angeles
to encourage employee transportation coordinators in Los Angeles to develop corporate
bicycle programs to assist employees in incorporating bicycles in all their trip making.
California Bike Commute Week occurs May 15
- 19, 2006 and is held in conjunction with
National Bike to Work Week and the American
Lung Association’s Clean Air Month.
Reduce Paper Use
• Print and copy only the pages you need
from long documents.
• Reduce unwanted mail and eliminate
names from mailing lists.
• Adopt a “duplex” policy for all photocopies.
• Send forms or correspondence electronically, whenever possible.
Page 8
RSVP Spring Boutique
The Recreation & Parks Department Retired
Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) holds its
annual Spring Boutique at the City Hall Mall
on Thursday, May 11, 2006, from 8:30 am to
2:00 pm. Among the items for purchase will
be handcrafted gifts such as aprons, afghans,
sweaters, vests, mufflers, hats, tote bags,
teddy bears, stuffed bunnies, baby bonnets,
gowns and booties, coasters, trivets, pillows
and loaves of the always popular pumpkin
bread. Proceeds from sales will benefit RSVP,
which provides a variety of opportunities
for retired and semi-retired residents age 55
and older to participate in their community
through volunteer services. For more information about RSVP call (323) 461-4363.
Updating CityFone Info
Need to update your phone number, cell
phone number or pager listing on the intranet? CityFone Information can be updated
any time you want. Go into Inside LA, click
on CityFone. Click the Employee file tab, then
click the Self-Update menu item. In order to
update you will be asked for your Social
Security Number and Birth Date.
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Program
The City of Los Angeles City Facilities Recycling Program (CFRP) now uses Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC)
for recycling rechargeable batteries such as
Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cad), Nickel Metal
Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-ion), not
regular Lithium), and Small Sealed Lead*
(Pb) batteries. In accordance with State of
California regulations, batteries may not be
placed in the trash, and this is a convenient
and free program to assist employees in recycling these batteries. A collection box for
used batteries is available in the Administrative Services Division Purchasing Section.
Please drop off or mail all rechargeable
batteries to:
Administrative Services Division
Attn: Sally Moribe
650 S. Spring Street, Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Mail Stop: 311
If you have any questions please contact
Sally Moribe at 6+485-5020 (x55020), or Sunnie Garcia at 6+485-5020 (x55020).
Engineering Newsletter - 5/10/06
SBG Thanked
Pauline Kamiyama, the Public Art Program
Administrator of Cultural Affairs Department, closely worked with Bridge Improvement Program in implementing aesthetic
and art elements in almost every bridge
project over the last 6 years. She is leaving
the City and accepting a promotional offer
at MTA. Pauline sent the following e-mail to
John Koo, Bridge Group Manager:
4/20/2006 9:08 AM
Dear John,
I wanted to send you a personal thank you for all
your support of the public art program for BIP. I
have learned so much by working with you and
your team and gained an immeasurable amount
of insight and respect for the work, knowledge
and skill of engineers. These BIP projects are
monumental in that they directly impact not
only safety but the aesthetic of the city’s urban
landscape and will further play a major rol in
the revitalization of the City and the River. It’s
exciting times!
Felicia Filer, Director of Public Art will be
handling my projects until further notice. She
may be contacted at 213.202.5544
Thank you for everything and I hope our
paths will cross again...I may need your help in
understanding MTA engineering terms/concepts
and may need to contact you for crash course
lessons!
Best wishes.
PAULINE KAMIYAMA
Cultural Affairs
Central Commended
This e-mail was received by the City Engineer:
4/21/2006 10:14 AM
Hi Gary:
I hope all is well with you!
I wanted to commend the hard work and
professionalism exhibited by three members of
your BOE team -- Lem Paco, Gregg Vandergriff
and Daniel Sue.
At your suggestion, I recently met with Lem,
Gregg and Daniel regarding a residential project
on Marlay Drive in Hollywood. Through their
hard work, we’ve been able to come up with a way
to move forward on this project -- and with a way
to improve the street’s current safety situation.
Once again, please know that Lem, Gregg and
Daniel have been a pleasure to work with.
Take care, and best regards,
RONALD M. STONE
Strategic Government Affairs
Brown Bag Seminars
The Personnel Department is hosting lunchtime seminars at City Hall South, Room 103,
11:30 am - 12:30 pm. No pre-registration is
required.
May 18 - Communicating with your Teenager
- Value Options
June 1 - Dealing with Self Destructive Behavior in Teens - Value Options
Engineering Newsletter - 5/10/06
New Hollenbeck Police
Station Contract Award
Public Works Public Affairs Office press release:
LOS ANGELES (March 29, 2006)-The Board
of Public Works this week approved the
awarding of a contract to FTR International,
Inc. for construction of a replacement Hollenbeck Police Station in East Los Angeles.
The awarded contract, in the amount of
$31,100,000, calls for construction of a new,
larger 54,000 square-foot, two-story facility
that will include a lobby, support areas, a
multi-purpose room, and holding cells. The
project will also include a four-level parking structure, an 8,000 square foot vehicle
maintenance building, fuel station, car wash
and a communications tower.
“The existing 36,550 square-foot facility
does not adequately meet the needs of the
Los Angeles Police Department and cannot
accommodate the expected growth of police
protective services needed by the community,” explained Vincent Jones, Bureau of
Engineering project manager. “Therefore,
the existing station will be removed and
the replacement facility will be constructed
on the existing site and on several adjacent
properties to the north.”
Jones added that the contract also contains a Project Labor Agreement that will
facilitate an orderly settlement of labor
disputes and grievances without strikes,
work stoppages or lockouts to assure timely
completion of the project.
“The PLA also promotes employment for
local residents-up to 30 percent of the labor
force-and provides apprenticeship training
that will enable these workers to go on to
other construction work as it occurs,” Jones
said. The Hollenbeck project is expected to
take approximately 780 calendar days to
complete.
The new station has been designed as a
Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) facility, and includes sustainable design features such as recycled content
materials, locally manufactured materials,
an energy efficient mechanical system and
drought resistant landscaping.
The construction is being financed with
Proposition Q funds, the Citywide security
general obligation bond measure approved
by voters in March 2002. The measure made
available $600 million to replace, expand
and combine the 911 dispatch center, build
six community police stations, replace the
metropolitan jail, build two bomb squad
facilities and renovate other police and fire
facilities throughout the City.
The station will remain located in Council
District 14, which is represented by Councilmember Jose Huizar.
iPod Winner!
Gus Malkoun was the lucky winner of the
March of Dimes iPod drawing. Left of Gus,
Carol Armstrong seller of the winning ticket.
Thanks goes out to Julie Van Wagner, EMG,
for planning the chance drawing.
MOD Golf Tournament
Wednesday, May 31, 2006, 12:00 noon - BOE
is sponsoring the MOD Golf Tournament at
Wilson Golf Course, Griffith Park. The cost
is $60.00, which includes the contribution
to MOD, green fees, trophies and food at
the golf’s restaurant after the round. Please
make checks payable to BOE - March of
Dimes. Please pay to Jun Espiritu at 6+4855938 or Ed Gobaton at 6+485-5935 no later
than Wednesday, May 10, 2006. Please come
and support the MOD and also have fun.
For additional information, please call Jun
Espiritu or Ed Gobaton. Note - this activity
is on your own time, i.e., vacation, etc.
Win a Fishing Trip
Here is your chance to catch a California
Halibut on this personal one-day fishing
charter with Mike Kantor, Valley District.
All fishing gear, bait and food will be provided. All you need is a California fishing
license or a one-day permit. Tickets are $5.
Contact Randa Hanna at (818) 374-4600.
Custom Golf Clubs
Enter a chance to win golf clubs custom
made by Chief Deputy City Engineer Brad
Smith, who is a member of the Golf Club
Makers Association.
1st Prize: Ti Driver + Fairway Woods
(Graphite)
2nd Prize: Set of 8 Irons (Steel)
3rd Prize: Sand or Lob Wedge
Tickets are $2 each, 3 for $5, or 7 for $10. Contact Karen Dacres at 6+485-4924 (x54924) or
Anita Moore at 6+485-4922 (x54922).
Win a 32” LCD
Enter a chance to win a Maxent MX-32X3
LCD valued at $1,500. Pixel resolution is
1366 x 768. Tickets are $5. Contact Mohamad
Fakih at 6+485-5841 (x55841) or Iftekhar
Ahmed at 6+485-5875 (x55875). The drawing
will be held June 29, 2006.
Page 9
Soil Grouting Above Major Sewer Line to Prevent Subsidence of
Homes in Playa Del Rey and Westchester
The Lower North Outfall Sewer (LNOS)
Rehabilitation Phase I Project has begun soil
grouting operations above the North Outfall
Sewer (NOS). The LNOS Phase I Project
rehabilitates approximately 5.5 miles of the
existing semi-elliptical, 12 foot wide by 10
foot high, between Hyperion Wastewater
Treatment Plant and the 405 Freeway by
installing a new 12-inch thick arch shape
concrete liner. After the new concrete liner
is constructed in the sewer, grout is being
injected from the existing sewer tunnel to the
soil above the NOS to prevent subsidence of
homes in Playa Del Rey and Westchester.
In 1920’s, two portions of the NOS in Playa Del Rey and Westchester were installed
in tunnels. The tunnels were constructed
using hand mining through the bluffs by
installing wooden supports. Subsidence of
several homes has occurred over the Playa
Soil grout operation in the tunnel.
Soil grout batch facility.
Page 10
Del Rey tunnel portion in 1990’s, and as a
result, the City of Los Angeles has purchased
and repaired six homes. It is suspected that
gradual upward migration of voids and
loose zones at and above the tunnel eventually caused settlement at the ground surface.
A recent geotechnical investigation discovered voids and loose soil above the tunnels.
In order to prevent future ground settlement,
grout injection program has been developed
under this project to increase the density of
the soil and to create a bridge type of support
within the soil. The grout injection is being
done entirely from within the sewer tunnel
and upward into the soil strata to minimize
construction impacts to the residences.
The general soil grout installation sequence is as follows:
First, 2-1/2-inch diameter concrete coring is done through the new and old tunnel
liners at the upper portion of the sewer. A
total of approximately 3,700 cored holes will
be made through out the project. Holes will
be cored perpendicular to the tunnel creating a network that allows soil investigation
and grout injection of large areas above the
tunnels.
Second, through the cored holes, soil
probing takes place to provide a systematic
measurement of soil resistance in the vicinity
of the tunnel. A pseudo Cone Penetration
Test (CPT) will be performed during the
installation of the Sleeve Port Grout Pipes
(SPGP). This process will be calibrated
with actual CPT equipment at various locations throughout the job. The soil probing
advances until at least 5 feet of competent
material is encountered. Competent material
continued on page 7
Grout pipe installation diagram.
Real time monitoring of grout injection and ground surface movement.
Engineering Newsletter - 5/10/06
Soil Grouting continued from page 6
is reached when the CPT tip resistance is 140
tsf (tons per square feet) or as directed by the
Engineer. The probing does not extend to
within 20 feet of the ground surface.
Third, SPGP will be used to inject the
grout into loose soil zones above the sewer
tunnel. This grout injection pipes have flexible rubber sleeves at 2 foot intervals, and
the sleeves expand with pressure and allow
grout injection at various soil strata depths.
Fourth, fracture grout will be injected to
the soil. This grout moves through the soil
strata like a lightning bolt looking for the
path of least resistance (the loosest material).
It is injected under high pressure as determined by the overburden at the location of
grout injection. By pushing its way through
and filling the loose zones, the cement based
grout will increase the density of the soil.
Fifth, permeation grout will be injected
to the soil. This grout does not increase the
density of the soil, however, it moves around
the soil particles and glues them together to
create a sandstone type material. This will
be used at the final stage of the grouting
program.
Before the start of the soil grouting, topographic and pre-construction surveys of the
existing residences located directly above
the sewer tunnels were performed by the
City Survey Division and Morgner Technology, a private survey company. This was to
document existing conditions and to prevent
possible disputes with homeowners on pre
and post grout field conditions.
In addition to the surveys, sophisticated
real-time surface monitoring equipment is
being used to monitor for surface heave during the soil grout injection to minimize possible damage to the existing improvements at
the ground surface. The monitoring system
called Total Station uses laser system to read
elevations of various monitoring points and
transmits the data to the grout operation
control station via wireless. The data are
recorded in a computer and displayed on
its screen at the control station. Using this
graphically displaced information, the grout
pump operator closely monitors any ground
surface movement in real-time during the
grout injection.
Extensive public relations efforts have
been made by Vikki Zales (an associate of
Harris & Company), BOE’s geotechnical
engineer, and the construction management
team. Their efforts includes informing the
public and council district office about the
project, coordinating in-home surveys with
homeowners, and coordinating real time
surface monitoring operations with homeowners at each of the effected houses.
The soil grout operation began in March
2006 and will continue until the end of next
year. At the completion of this work, we
expect to eliminate sewer tunnel related
Engineering Newsletter - 5/10/06
subsidence of the homes in Westchester and
Playa Del Rey.
This Wastewater Program construction
project is managed by the Wastewater Conveyance Construction Division. The project
engineers are Joe Hawkins and Navella
Hutchings. The construction manager is
Yoon Cho and the senior engineer is Somsak
Sasnakul. Alex Reyman and Christopher
Johnson of the Geotechnical Group and URS,
a geotechnical consultant company, provide
technical assistance to the soil grouting
operation. Kendrick Okuda is the Division
Engineer under the direction of Program
Manager Tim Haug.
Business & Writing Skills
A Business and Writing Skills Seminar will
be held on May 17, 2006, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
and May 18, 2006, 8:00 am - 12:00 noon at
EED and again on May 24, 2006, 8:00 am
- 4:00 pm and May 25, 2006, 8:00 am - 12:00
noon in the Computer Training Center, 7th
floor, Public Works Building.
Each day and a half seminar will introduce staff to the principles and practices
of grammar and professional writing and
include effective patterns of organization
used in business settings. The seminar will
develop an applied perspective that will
enable trainees to fulfill on-the-job writing
requirements.
Trainees will learn to analyze audiences,
gather and organize data, hone grammar,
evaluate and synthesize information, draw
conclusions, make recommendations, and
compose, critique, and revise information
presented to technical and non-technical
audiences. Since process and product are
closely related, the seminar will involve
trainees in approaches that include specific
steps to follow and strategies to apply to
written communications on the job. Trainees
will learn to apply business-writing principles to create successful standard written
and electronic messages required in business
and industry.
A one-hour Diagnostic Exam will be
administered prior to the class. Dates and
times will be determined prior to student
selection for the class. If you are interested
in attending, please contact your Training
Coordinator or e-mail Vicki Estelle at vicki.
[email protected] for more information. Please
remember that you need to get the approval
of your supervisor before submitting a
Training Request Form.
Alumni Luncheon
This is a reminder that the annual Bureau
of Engineering Distinguished Alumni Luncheon willl be May 18, 2006 at the Monterey
Hills Restaurant. Many former and present
BOE employees will be attending.
Safety Topics
Reporting Safety Concerns or Suggestion
As part of our Injury Illness Prevention
Program, Bureau employees can report
safety concerns or suggestions in person or
anonymously by completing the Reporting
Safety Concern or Suggestion Form. This
form can be obtained on the Bureau Intranet,
Safety Concerns or Forms Library Application
under Safety.
Confined Space Training
We are planning Confined Space Awareness
and Confined Space Entry Procedures training for the Bureau. Confined Space Awareness
is a 4-hour class, designed to instruct employees how to recognize confined space
conditions and potential hazards associated
with entry. Confined Space Entry Procedures
is an 8-hour class including a hands-on
module, designed to instruct employees
who enter confined spaces, proper set-up;
safe entry and continuous monitoring procedures. Managers are asked to submit a list
of nominees within their division/department/group to the Bureau’s Safety Engineer.
Nominated employees will only be required
to complete one of the Confined Space series
class. We will notify the Bureau when training is ready to proceed.
Construction Safety Awareness
Training
The Bureau is continuing with the Construction Safety Awareness video training. Division/Department/Groups supervisors are
encouraged to plan for video presentation
as identified in Notice # 9 with access to a
video monitor or projector, DVD player and
a location for training. The Training section
is doing a great job in maintaining the distribution schedule. Contact Sheryl Moore
at 6+485-5102 or Ron Daigle at 6+485-5010
if your section has questions about scheduling or make-up sessions. We appreciate
your cooperation. For other related safety
questions, contact Calvin Toy, BOE Safety
Engineer at 6+485-5317 or email at Calvin.
[email protected].
Broadway Sidewalk
Reconstruction
Public Works Public Affairs Office press release:
LOS ANGELES (April 25, 2006)-Los Angeles
Engineering, Inc. has been approved by the
Board of Public Works to receive a low-bid
contract for sidewalk reconstruction work in
the downtown area.
The contract, for $1,402,106, provides
for the reconstruction of sidewalks and the
underlying structural slabs at the southwest
corner of Broadway and 3rd Street. The reconstruction will correct existing inadequate
sidewalk conditions in the busy retail area.
The work is located in Council District
14, which is represented by Councilmember
Jose Huizar.
Page 11
Transfer Opportunities
The following transfer opportunities are
available. If you are interested, contact the
office below by Tuesday, May 16, 2006:
Civil Engineering Associate II
SID - Edeliza Fang
(213) 485-4517
SMD - Edeliza Fang
(213) 485-4517
WCED - Dequita Mfume (213) 485-1093
WCCD - Dequita Mfume (213) 485-1093
Civil Engineering Associate III
Central - Ed Meredith
(213) 482-7057
Civil Engineering Associate IV
WCCD - Dequita Mfume (213) 485-1093
Civil Eng Drafting Technician
WCED - Dequita Mfume (213) 485-1093
Control Systems Eng. Assoc II
EED - Ivy Cook
(310) 648-6123
Management Analyst II
Prop K - Veronica Irinco (213) 978-1856
Senior Clerk Typist
Land Dev - Jackie Calvin (213) 977-8943
Arrivals
Mary Ramirez, Clerk Typist, LDG; Antoinette Barrios, Sr Clerk Typist ,Arch; John
Hamilton, San Eng Assoc III, EED; Luisa
Tan, Mgmt Analyst II, Prop Q.
Departures
Alfred Palma, Sanitary Eng Assoc II, retired, PAC; David Cheng, Office Eng Tech
III, PAC.
Promotion
Karl Horst, Sr. Arch Drafting Tech, Arch.
Internal Transfers
Brian Kanegawa, Civil Engineer, Zoo to Fire
Bond; Doc Nghiem, Structural Engineer,
SBG to Arch.
In Memoriam
Our sincere condolences go to following
employees:
Lydia Gonzalez, Street Group, whose
father passed away on April 26, 2006.
Mary Orcutt, Administrative Services,
whose father Frank Musick passed away on
May 5, 2006 in Ohio.
Fire Drill
On Thursday, May 25, 2006, there will be a
fire drill in the Public Works Building. After
exiting the building the meeting place will
be at the Southeast corner of 11th and Olive
Streets.
Approval for Submittal of
Papers
This is a reminder that employees must get
the approval of their group manager and
deputy/senior manager prior to submitting
any abstract or paper for presentation at a
professional conference.
Prop K Moves to City Hall
As of April 27, 2006, the Recreational & Cultural Facilities Group has relocated from the
Kajima Bldg. to offices on the 17th and 23rd
floors in City Hall. Staff now on the 23rd floor
have been assigned new telephone numbers
and fax numbers:
Name
Phone #
Fax (Primary)
473-9938
Fax
473-9939
Cathie Santo Domingo
473-9702
Jane Adrian
473-9704
Ofelia Rubio
473-9705
Somsak Poolperm
473-9706
Grace Yuvienco
473-9707
Ann Villena
473-9708
Albert Murillo
473-9709
Willis Yip
473-9710
Vacant
473-9711
Gary Lam
473-9712
Veronica Buenrostro
473-9713
David Takata
473-9714
Susan Avila
473-9715
Peggy Hale
473-9718
Alice Gong
473-5895
Neil Drucker
473-8080
Carmelo Sabatello
978-7762
Note that the fax number for the offices
on the 17th floor remains the same (213)
978-7170.
PDM Questions to be part
of BOE Interviews
At the April 20, 2006 Management Team
Meeting, it was announced that all interviews for Bureau of Engineering positions
involved in the project delivery process
should include questions pertaining to that
process. Since the Bureau’s philosophy for
delivering projects is outlined in the Project
Delivery Manual (PDM), knowledge of
the PDM is essential. So, when preparing
Task Statements and interview questions,
managers and supervisors are to include
tasks and questions based on the PDM. This
information must be submitted to the Bureau
Personnel Liaison Analyst for review before
interviews are conducted.
Since some offices may concentrate more
heavily on certain PDM chapters than others,
and since all of the candidates for interview
may not be employees of the Bureau, the
Personnel Section will have to advise candidates of the PDM chapters that will be
covered during the interviews. Therefore,
the relevant chapter(s) of the PDM are to be
listed on the Request to Fill form, which has
been modified for this purpose. The revised
Request to Fill form is available on the BOE
Intranet website under Distributed Info/Forms
Library Application/Personnel. The PDM is
available on the BOE Intranet under BOE
Internet Applications/Tech Document Center.
Supply Order Deadlines
The end of the fiscal year is fast approaching. To meet Controller and GSD purchasing
deadlines, the dates listed below will apply.
Remember that Training Reimbursements
for your office staff are charged to your division’s budget allocation. You must deduct
pending Training Reimbursements against
the available balance in your division’s
budget allocation before submitting any
requests. All requests must include correct
coding information before submitting them
to Purchasing Support Section (Purchasing
Section), Administrative Services.
• Requests for non-contract items over
$1,000 and under $100,000, must be date
stamped RECEIVED by the Purchasing
Section by Friday, May 26, 2006.
• Orders for office supplies covered under
City contracts (such as Office Depot)
must be date stamped RECEIVED by
the Purchasing Section no later than
Monday, June 12, 2006.
• Year-end encumbrances and disencumbrances of AFE’s, TL’s IDO’s and GEF’s
(GF and WW) need to be RECEIVED by
the Purchasing Section by Monday, June
5, 2006.
• Payment Requests for non-SMS related
transactions (GF and WW), should be
RECEIVED by the Purchasing Unit by
Thursday, June 8, 2006.
Any supply requests failing to meet the criterion noted above, or received after these
dates, will be processed after the deadline
and charged against the divisions’ FY 06-07
Fiscal Year allocation.
Engineering Vision
We envision the Bureau of
Engineering as a competitive,
world class, public service
organization dedicated to
delivering projects, programs, and
services for Los Angeles in a timely
and cost effective manner which
establishes us as the provider of
choice to our customers.
We’d Like to Hear from You
If you have any articles for the Newsletter,
please e-mail them to Winifred Harano ([email protected]), and Terry Aguilar ([email protected]) Admin Services Division, Stop 311 or Fax to 6+485-4965 (x54965).
The deadline for the next issue is Thursday,
May 18, 2006.
Los Angeles City Department of Public Works
Bureau of Engineering
1149 South Broadway, Suite 700
Los Angeles, CA 90015
http://eng.lacity.org
The Engineering Newsletter is published biweekly by
the Administrative Services Division for employees of
the Bureau of Engineering.
Printed on Recycled Paper