05-02-12 Newsletter.indd - Bureau of Engineering

No. 12-11
May 2, 2012
Grand Opening of Fire Station 21 in South LA
BOE Delivers 17th Fire Station in the Prop F Program
The dedication for Regional Fire Station 21,
located at 1187 East 51st Street in South Los
Angeles, was held April 21, 2012. Speakers
at the event were Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa,
Councilmember Jan Perry, Fire Chief Brian
L. Cummings, and City Engineer Gary Lee
Moore.
The facility was designed to accommodate
the present and future needs of the community’s growing population in addition to meeting
the Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design Criteria, known as LEED, the certifying
organization that sets the standards for green
building design.
Fire Station 21 serves a 2.07 square-mile
area that is highly populated and includes
industrial areas as well as the Metro Blue Line
and the Alameda Corridor to the Port of Los
Angeles. Funding for the new fire station was
provided by Proposition F, approved by the
Los Angeles voters in 2000 to provide $532.6
million for construction and rehabilitation of
fire stations and animal shelters throughout
the city.
The project was advertised as two Phases.
Phase I consisted of constructing a new,
15,200-square foot two-story regional fire/
paramedic station, and a 5,250-square foot
apparatus storage building, on the adjacent
site acquired by the City. The station would
Ribbon cutting, l to r: Inspector of Public Works John Reamer, Councilmember Jan Perry, Fire
Commissioners Genethia Hudley Hayes & Casimiro Tolentino, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Fire
Chief Brian L. Cummings, and City Engineer Gary Lee Moore.
also feature a drive-through heavy apparatus
bay designed so that the fire engines enter on
52nd Street, utilizing a drive-through configuration, thus eliminating the need for backing
the vehicles in. Phase II consisted of an interior
renovation of the existing fire station which
would serve as the multi-purpose room for
the new facility.
The project was designed by GKK Dommer
and construction was by R.J. Daum Construction Company. City Officials broke ground
on April 3, 2006. Upon completion of Phase
I, the Fire Department moved into their new
quarters on November 18, 2008.
As the interior renovation work of Phase II
progressed, BOE discovered during the construction submittals that the City had declared
the existing fire station a Historical Monument
No. 787 while Phase I was under construction. BOE, Building and Safety and the design
team were unaware of the change and as such
required the group to quickly address the issue. The unanticipated disclosure resulted in
a change of scope from a tenant improvement
(including demolishing the majority of the
interior walls while maintaining the exterior
of the existing facility) to an addition of a 26
feet x 40 feet, 1,040 square feet space to the
existing fire station. The current permitted
set of plans required adjustments due to the
new designation of the building. Several
continued on page 2
Fire Station 21 - continued from page 1
meetings were held between Cultural Affairs, BOE, CAO, CLA and
LAFD regarding the required changes to accommodate the building’s
status as a Historical Monument. A mutual resolution was reached
which allowed an addition to the existing Fire Station, the creation
of compliant restrooms within the existing space, and maintaining
the interior walls untouched. The construction material used for the
addition was not to match the existing, as exterior metal siding and
exposed structural steel members were used in the design.
On October 8, 2008 the City Planning Office of Historic Resources
approved the revised plans and GKK Dommer was issued an approval
for the re-design to comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and the requirements of the LAFD. Building
and Safety approved the permits on March 11, 2009. The Phase II
construction began in July 2009 and Certificate of Occupancy was
issued in March 2010.
This project would not have come to fruition without the collaborated efforts of the numerous City departments and staff that assisted
during the Phase II construction. BOE would like to acknowledge
and thank the Administrative Oversight Committee, Cultural Affairs,
Building and Safety, CAO, CLA, LAFD Congratulations go to Project
Manager, Joyce Mar, and Fire Bond Program Manager Allan Kawaguchi and everyyone else involved with the project.
l to r: Inspector of Public Works John Reamer, Project Manager Joyce
Mar, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Engineer Gary Lee Moore, and
Fire Chief Brian L. Cummings.
View of Fire Station 21 from East 51st Street.
l to r: Gary Lee Moore, Jan Perry, Brian L. Cummings, and Antonio
Villaraigosa using a ceremonial fire axe to cut the cake.
Page 2
The new entry foyer tile work by artist Andrew Reid conveys the
imagery of the activities of the fire station and its relationship with
the community.
Engineering Newsletter - 5/2/12
Free Waste Tires Drop-Off
Public Works Public Affairs Office press release:
LOS ANGELES (April 24, 2012) - The Department of Public Works Bureau of Sanitation
(BOS) announced that the City of Los Angeles
will host BOS Waste Tire Drop-off Collection Events that will allow city residents to
cleanup and eliminate used/waste tires from
their homes.
These collection events, funded by Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery
(CalRecycle) through its Local Government
Waste Tire Cleanup and Amnesty Events
Programs, promote the residential recycling
of waste tires, saves renewable resources and
reduces the number of waste tires going to
landfill or being illegally dumped. The grant
enhances the city’s ongoing waste tire collection and recycling programs that allows city
residents to recycle four tires per year free at
any of the six district yards. Each person who
brings tires to one of this year’s collection
events will receive a coupon good for 15%
off their next tire purchase.
“This is another positive way residents can
make a difference in keeping neighborhoods
clean, while reducing waste going to landfills,” said Board of Public Works President
Andrea A. Alarcón.
“Used tires stored in the garages and backyards of city residents are a nuisance to homeowners and unfortunately, some residents
even choose to illegally dump their waste
tires rather than properly dispose of them,”
said Bureau of Sanitation Director Enrique C.
Zaldivar. “The city’s used tire collection events
offer a great opportunity for city residents to
get rid of those used tires at no cost.”
The FREE Waste Tire Drop-off Collection
Events will take place in conjunction with the
Sanitation’s annual Open Houses. The dates
and locations are:
Saturday, May 19, 2012 - 9:00 am to 2:30
pm - West Valley District Yard, 8840 Vanalden
Avenue, Northridge, CA 91324
Saturday, June 2, 2012 - 9:00 am to 2:30
pm - North Central District Yard, 452 N. San
Fernando Road, Los Angeles, CA 90031
Saturday, June 9, 2012 - 9:00 am to 2:30
pm - South Los Angeles District Yard at The
Expo Center, 3990 Menlo Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90037
Saturday, June 23, 2012 - 9:00 am to 2:30
pm - Harbor District Yard, 1400 N. Gaffey
Street, San Pedro, CA 90731
Saturday, June 30, 2012 - 9:00 am to 2:30
pm - West Los Angeles District Yard, 2027
Stoner Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90025
More than 40 million waste tires are discarded each year in California and statewide,
an estimated 1.5 million tires are illegally
dumped and stockpiled creating a significant
threat to public health, safety and the environment. For more information about the Bureau
of Sanitation, visit www.lacitySAN.org.
Engineering Newsletter - 5/2/12
Mayor Signs Development Reform Ordinance
Mayor’s press release:
Los Angeles, CA (April 9, 2012) - Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa signed the Multiple Approvals Ordinance on Monday, cutting red
tape and simplifying the development review
process. Under the new ordinance development projects that require multiple approvals
from the City of Los Angeles will now have
one deadline rather than multiple expiration
dates for individual entitlements.
“By signing the Multiple Approvals Ordinance today, we are making progress on reforming the zoning code and moving towards
a more stable, predictable and transparent
land-use regulation system in L.A.,” Mayor
Villaraigosa said.
The ordinance was unanimously approved by the City Council on March 30th
after extensive outreach involving business
groups, development leaders, neighborhood
councils, and community stakeholders. It
maintains all current land use protections
while cutting procedural red tape, simplifying
development review and approval utilization, and clarifying local implementation of
recent State-mandated extensions of time for
approved projects.
Along with clarifying project approval
processes, the new regulations will provide
assurance and certainty after projects have
been approved. Currently, one part of a project
approval may expire before others, resulting
in duplicate case filings and redundant staff
review. The new ordinance simplifies the
process by grouping individual approvals into
a single project.
“The Multiple Approvals Ordinance will be
a huge benefit to infill development projects
that often require several approvals in order to
be sensitive to the complex needs of existing
communities” said Percy Vaz, CEO of AMCAL Multi-Housing. AMCAL has developed
market-rate and affordable housing projects
throughout Los Angeles.
The new ordinance will also clarify the
implementation of three recent State laws SB 1185 (2008), AB 333 (2009), and AB 208
(2011) - that have extended project approvals
during the ongoing economic recovery. The
State extensions apply only to some approval
types, threatening numerous approved development proposals now seeking financing and
securing building permits.
“Approving this ordinance will help our
city weather this recovery period and emerge
even stronger on the other side,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “Giving already approved
projects the ability to become realized after
years of recessionary pressure will stimulate
our local economy and drive new investment
into Los Angeles.”
The ordinance represents a major step
toward realizing the Mayor’s Development
Reform Strategic Plan, which includes reforms
to the development process that will make Los
Angeles a better place to live, work and visit.
In late 2010, the Department of City Planning
issued a new blueprint for the department and
began a structural reorganization that has allowed them to do more with less.
“The Multiple Approvals Ordinance will
help the Department of City Planning to fully
implement the blueprint’s ‘one project, one
planner’ approach to case processing, allowing interested parties easier, more direct access for customer service,” said City Planning
Director Michael LoGrande.
The proposal for the ordinance was approved with broad community support in public hearings at the City Planning Commission
in June 2011 and the Planning and Land Use
Management Committee in July 2011.
“The Multiple Approvals Ordinance
represents a huge step toward realizing the
City’s Development Reform Strategic Plan,”
said Gary Toebben, President and CEO of the
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. “It
will simultaneously make the review process
simpler and more transparent for business and
the community alike.”
The ceremony was attended by Councilman and Chair of the City’s Planning and
Land Use Management Committee Ed Reyes,
Deputy Planning Director Alan Bell, Executive
Vice President of Regent Properties Daniel
Gryczman, Central Hollywood Neighborhood
Council Board Member Laurie Goldman,
Percy Vaz and Gary Toebben, among others.
The ordinance will go into effect on May
10, 2012.
Jones Contributes to
Jepson Manual
The new, second edition
of the Jepson Manual
includes a treatment
by Bureau Employee,
William Jones, who is
a contributing author.
William is the first City
or Bureau of Engineering
employee to have that
honor.
The Jepson Manual has proven to be an
important reference in the identification of
California’s native flora. The manual is used
by professional botanists, regulators, public
agency staff, educators and students. William’s
contributed the section on the genus, Adenostoma, which is part of the Rose Family.
William is an Environmental Specialist II
with the Environmental Management Group.
As an experienced botanist and taxonomist,
his duties include conducting biological
studies for Bureau projects, which range from
floristic surveys and habitat assessments to
habitat restorations and wetland delineations.
He has conducted research, both professionally and academically, in many plant communities across California.
Page 3
Valley Boulevard Grade Separation Project Wins
California ASCE Outstanding Bridge Project Award
Accolades continue to roll in for the Valley
Boulevard Grade Separation near Eastern
Avenue Project (VBGS), which was awarded
“Outstanding Bridge Project in the State of
California” by Region 9 of the American
Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) at a dinner
and ceremony held on February 28, 2012 in
Sacramento, California.
Last year, VBGS won the “Outstanding
Government Civil Engineering Project” by
the ASCE Metro Los Angeles Branch and the
“Outstanding Government Civil Engineering
Project - Honorable Mention” by the Los
Angeles Section of the ASCE as previously
reported in the November 2, 2011 Newsletter.
Additionally, the Right of Way map produced
by the Survey Division took 2nd place in the
2003 Route Plans Highway competition administered by the International Right of Way
Association.
VBGS is notable in that it was designed
and managed entirely by City of Los Angeles
employees. The project separated an at-grade
crossing of Valley Boulevard and the Union
Pacific Railroad by constructing a post-tensioned reinforced concrete, two-span bridge
over the railroad and realigning Valley Boulevard between Eastern Avenue and Marianna
Avenue. Construction began in May 2007
and concluded in November 2010 with the
bridge opening to two-way traffic in January
of 2010. More than an engineering feat that
incorporated structural and street improvements, the project has become a source of
pride for the community of El Sereno, significantly improving emergency response times,
traffic congestion and public safety concerns
caused by trains. The contractor was SEMA
Construction, Inc. and this was their first
project for the City.
VBGS was a team effort across the Bureau.
Lead Designer Matthew Masuda and Project
Manager Ramnik Mungra of the Street and
Stormwater Division recognize the contributions of the following people: Shailesh Patel,
Farid Baher, Vigen Gharibian, Tony Lim, Cef
Serafin, Jesus Fontamillas, Eugene Amimoto,
Aaron Hsu, Afaf Yacoub (ret.), and Manuel
Cutidioc (ret.) of the Structural Engineering
Division; Frank Viramontes (ret.), Uriel Jimenez, Sam Wong, Augusto Parcero, Gloria
Casabona (ret.), Elsa Jiminez, Robert Castillo,
Gina Robles, Myong Choi, and Okey Njoku
from the Real Estate Group; Ara Kasparian
(ret.), and Maria Martin of the Environmental
Group; Christopher Johnson, Theo Seeley,
Erkan Tan, and Curtis Gee of the Geotechnical
Engineering Group; Tony Pratt, Michael Rubner (ret.), Arturo Cordero, Shwe Lee (ret.),
Paul Blechart, Eugene Ching, Felito Maganis,
Don Ariza, Raul Rodriguez, and Al Lacuesta
of the Survey Division; Robert Lomelin, Tony
Lee, Renee Ellis, Guillermo Barragan, and
Asatur Keymetlyan of the Architectural Division; James Corralejo, Claudia Haskett, and
Thomas Woo of the Wastewater Conveyance
Engineering Division; Carl Mills of Central
District; Edmond Yew, Dale Williams, and
Phillip Martinez of Land Development and
Mapping; Jim Treadaway (formerly of),
Jose Fuentes, Phil Wong (ret.), Julie Allen,
Joe Medallo (ret.), Ignacio Villa (formerly
of), Tony Lee (ret.), Robert Shufeldt, Mariet
Ohanian, Linh Lee, and Marlon Calderon
of the Construction Management Division;
Michael Brown, Steven Chen, Jeffrey Jolley, Ray Tanabe (ret.), Andy De la Cruz and
Henry Sisomvang of the Street and Stormwater
Program.
Other notable City personnel include:
Manny Cajucom, Michael Chung, Todd Eller,
Dennis Kiley, and Ismael Pura from the Bureau
of Contract Administration; Ruben Flamenco,
Sandy Truong, and Thuy Dinh of the Bureau
of Street Lighting; Tom Jones (ret.), Azzam Jabsheh, Don Schima, Bearj Sarkis, Sean Skehan,
Magan Champaneria (ret.), Mike Uyeno (ret.),
and Zachary Eng of LADOT; Tonya Durrell
from the Public Affairs Office of the Bureau
of Sanitation; Felicia Filer and Ligeia Gorre
from the Department of Cultural Affairs, and
Scott Weible and John Minor from the City
Attorney’s Office.
l to r: Sunny Patel, Michael Brown, Jose Fuentes, Robert Shufeldt, Maria Martin, Vincent Jones, Steven Chen, Renee Curtis, Ramnik Mungra,
Henry Sisomvang, Matthew Masuda, Gary Lee Moore, Jeff Jolley, Vigen Gharibian, Carl Mills, Art Cordero, Jesus Fontamillas, Farid Baher, Gus
Parcero, Cef Serafin, Guillermo Barragan.
Page 4
Engineering Newsletter - 5/2/12
Groundbreaking Held for Key Historic San Pedro Plaza Park
The ground breaking ceremony for the San
Pedro Plaza Park project was held on April
12, 2012 on a sunny and windy afternoon.
Attendees were treated to the grand view of
the port from the “balcony” of the San Pedro
waterfront, the San Pedro Plaza Park. This park
runs along Beacon Street and Harbor Blvd.,
between Seventh and Thirteenth Streets in
San Pedro.
Among the speakers were Councilmember
Joe Buscaino; Port of Los Angeles (POLA)
Board Commissioner, David Arian; Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) Planning,
Construction and Maintenance Division
Head, Mike Shull; RAP Pacific Superintendent,
Mark Mariscal, and Principal Architect for
Public Works, Bureau of Engineering, Mahmood Karimzadeh.
Mahmood Karimzadeh greeted City officials and members of the community saying:
“The Bureau of Engineering feels very honored
and privileged to be part of this special project. Our goal has been to enhance, renovate,
and beautify the San Pedro Plaza Park”. The
City staff have worked diligently and closely
with the community, the Council District 15,
the Beautification Committee of the San Pedro
Chamber of Commerce, the Department of
Recreation and Parks, and the Port of L. A. over
the past years on the design, engineering and
community outreach of this project.
The project consists of various components,
which were found to be potentially affected by
the POLA Seventh Street and Sampson Way
realignment project. As the result of several
coordination meetings, it became obvious that
the project had to be divided into four phases
to be fiscally responsible and to construct as
expeditiously as possible, given that the POLA
street realignment project does not have an
l to r: Mahmood Karimzadeh, Mike Shull (Department of Recreation and Parks, RAP), Anne
Gusha (Community Member), Councilmember Joe Buscaino, Dave Arian (LA Port Commissioner), Frank O’Brien (Community Member), Representative from Congresswoman Hahn’s
Office, and Mark Mariscal (RAP).
established schedule.
The ceremony broke ground for phase 1,
which extends at top of slope along Beacon,
from Ninth to Thirteenth Streets: The broken
asphalt walkway will be replaced with new
colored scored concrete that respects the history of one of the oldest parks in San Pedro; the
dilapidated rails will be replaced with fairly
invisible cable guardrails; new ADA compliant
drinking fountains and park furniture of same
models as those of old downtown San Pedro
will go along the pathway.
Future phases will complete the improvements of the San Pedro balcony and will allow
the user to stroll along and appreciate the
port from its various angles. The construction
l to r: Bill Lee, Mahmood Karimzadeh, Joan Kaplan, Councilmember Joe Buscaino, Ada Fernandez DeLaRosa, and Catalina Hernandez.
Engineering Newsletter - 5/2/12
of phase 2 shall basically extend the scope
of work of phase 1, at the top of slope, from
Ninth to Seventh Streets. Phase 3 shall provide
an overlook deck(s) to view the port and the
Vincent Thomas Bridge, with interpretive signs
pointing to the grandeur of the harbor, with
new security lighting, new planting and smart
irrigation and providing connectivity down to
a future revitalized ocean front. What may be
called phase 4 shall be completed when the
park is enlarged via the POLA alignment of
Sampson Way and Harbor Blvd. at Seventh
Street, providing additional walkway from
Beacon to Harbor Blvd. on the north side of
the park.
This project is a joint effort by City forces.
The Bureau of Engineering is providing Design, Project & Construction Management
support; the Department of Recreation and
Parks is acting as the Construction Contractor,
as well as providing Grounds & Maintenance
support; and the Port of Los Angeles is funding
it with $5 million from the Community Aesthetic Mitigation program to reduce impacts
resulting from ports operation, specifically as
an off-site mitigation measure for the expansion of the China Shipping Terminal.
Congratulations go to Architectural Division Principal Architect Mahmood Karimzadeh and his staff: Senior Architect Bill Lee,
Project Manager and Architect Ada Fernandez-DeLaRosa, Principal Designer and
Landscape Architect Joan Kaplan, Landscape
Architect Jane Adrian, and Structural Engineer
Nasser Razepoor; Environmental Affairs Officer Jim Doty and his staff, environmental
specialist Catalina Hernandez; Geotechnical
Group Manager Chris Johnson and his staff,
Geotechnical Engineer Benjamin Moore; and
Chief Surveyor Tony Pratt and his staff, Survey
Party Chief Arturo Cordero.
Page 5
Dedication of North Atwater Creek Restoration & Park Expansion
On April 12, 2012, City Councilmembers
Tom LaBonge and Eric Garcetti held a ribbon
cutting ceremony to mark the completion
of the North Atwater Creek Restoration and
Park Expansion project. Joining the celebrations were environmentalists, regulators, area
residents, Public Works Commissioner John
Choi, Recreation and Parks General Manager
Jon Kirk Mukri, Bureau of Sanitation Assistant
Director Adel Hagekhalil, and City Engineer
Gary Lee Moore.
This is the first new City park to be built
along the Los Angeles River and one of the
first proposed projects in the Los Angeles River
Revitalization Master Plan to be completed by
the City. It is hoped to be a catalyst for a riverfront greenway that will extend north through
the River Glenn area to connect to the City of
Glendale’s riverfront project at the confluence
of the LA River and Verdugo Wash, and south
to the Rio de Los Angeles Park.
The project will keep the LA River clean
and healthy; help the City achieve its clean
water objectives for the river and the ocean;
provide additional wildlife habitat; and
promote healthy living through recreational
opportunities by the major waterway. The
new green space sets the tone for all other
anticipated improvements up and down the
LA River as part of its revitalization.
This project marks the change the City’s
attitude to the River. The land between the
existing North Atwater Park and the River had
been inaccessible to the community, and was
used by the City for employee parking and a
tree stump yard - back of house uses. This park
turns its face to the River, enabling people to
stroll on the River’s edge and view a soft-bottomed stretch of the River.
In total, the project improves 3 acres in
area, including the restoration of an existing
degraded remnant seasonal riparian tributary
to the Los Angeles River. It creates an intermit-
View of the restored creek.
Page 6
Councilmember Tom LaBonge leads the ribbon cutting for North Atwater Creek Restoration
and Park Expansion.
tent streambed fed by 60 acres of urban runoff.
The restoration of the streambed area included
reshaping the existing streambed to provide
flood protection by slowing down storm flows
to the Los Angeles River. Structural Best Management Practices that capture sediment and
trash were installed where the stream daylights
at Chevy Chase Drive. Landscaping in and
next to the stream bed is designed for water
polishing, before runoff reaches the River.
“This new park transformed what was basically a ditch into a natural way to clean urban
runoff and provide people with a place to get
outside and enjoy the beautiful LA River,”
said Councilmember Tom LaBonge whose
district covers Atwater Village. “I applaud
the collaboration of all the City departments
to secure the funding and get this keystone
project completed.”
Jon Kirk Mukri, General Manager for Recreation and Parks said, “Our Department is
proud to be a part of the completion of this
project as part of the LA River Restoration efforts. We are excited to see families come out
to enjoy this urban oasis and hope they will
appreciate the hard work that has gone in to
make this land an open space where they can
marvel at what is LA.”
The project also provides a new permeable
parking lot with handicap parking stalls to
meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
requirements. It replaces the existing Recreation and Parks employee parking lot, and
continued on page 7
City Engineer Gary Lee Moore speaking at
the event.
Engineering Newsletter - 5/2/12
Atwater Park - continued from page 6
is designed to capture urban runoff before it
enters the creek.
The park expansion portion of the project
includes an enhanced greenway along the
banks of the River, seating and picnic areas,
native landscaping, meandering trails, an
outdoor classroom with a children’s play area,
and a native demonstration garden. There is
access to the new park addition through the
creek bed from the existing park. There are
ADA accessible paths down to the creek bed
and to the park from the parking lot.
During construction, one enormous challenge was removing and disposing of a huge
amount of large boulders that lined the creek.
This had to be done in order to change the
shape of the creek and meander it so that it
would achieve the goal of slowing the water
flow. Gary Lee Moore said, “With the help
of the Bureau of Sanitation we were able to
relocate the boulders to their Lopez Canyon
site.”
Another interesting challenge was where
to get the willows trees, which were to be
planted along the bottom of the creek. BOE
staff coordinated with the Department of
Recreation and Parks, and were able to obtain
the trees from the Ken Malloy Harbor Regional
Park’s Machado Lake.
The $4-million project regraded an 800foot narrow open channel, reshaped it, and removed invasive plant species to improve water
flow. Structural stormwater best management
practices including a trash removal device
and native vegetation were implemented to
improve the quality of water draining from
the 60-acre sub watershed out to the LA River.
It also added a three-acre green space to the
existing North Atwater Park, highlighted by
permeable pavers in the parking lot, decorative fencing, a new picnic area, and an outdoor classroom.
City Engineer Gary Lee Moore said, “The
North Atwater Creek Restoration and Park
Expansion is a priority river project for the city.
The new open space reconnects neighborhoods to the river and restores respect for the
river as a cherished natural resource.”
The North Atwater Creek Restoration and
Park Expansion also helps achieve the Bureau
of Sanitation and the City’s water quality
goals for its bodies of water. This project will
mitigate trash and bacteria from urban runoff
from the North Atwater sub watershed that
flows through the North Atwater creek and
directly out to the river. Adel Hagekhalil, Assistant Director of the Bureau of Sanitation.
“Through the support of our policy makers and
the community, and collaborations with our
sister agencies, we are pleased to celebrate
this cornerstone environmental project that
defines how we are taking back our river,
making it cleaner, greener, thriving, and richer
in wildlife.”
The North Atwater Creek Restoration and
Engineering Newsletter - 5/2/12
Park Expansion project was a joint effort of
the Department of Public Works Bureaus of
Sanitation, Engineering, and Contract Administration, and the Department of Recreation
and Parks.
Design was done in-house by BOE Architectural Division. The General Contractor was
C.S. Legacy Construction, Inc.
The City Engineer thanked Councilmember LaBonge for his leadership and for being
a stalwart LA River advocate, the State of California Natural Resources Agency for providing funding, and the Bureau of Sanitation for
obtaining the Integrated Resource Watershed
Management Grant, and for directing the Collection Settlement Agreement funds towards
this project. He also thanked Carol Armstrong
of the Bureau of Engineering River Project
Office for applying for the Prop 50 River
Parkways grant funding, and the Los Angeles
Department of Transportation for contributing
mitigation funds to the project.
Kudos go to Program Manager Mahmood
Karimzadeh, Senior Engineer Reza Bagherzadeh, Project Manager Renee Curtis,
Construction Manager Michael Uemura,
Design Landscape Architect Nisith Dhandha,
Environmental Management Maria Martin,
Bureau of Contract Administration Inspector
of Public Works John Reamer and Principal
Inspector Robert Simonian, and everyone else
that contributed to this project.
l to r: William Jones, Carol Armstrong, Lupe Vela, Maria Martin, Chief Deputy City Engineer
Deborah Weintraub, Nishith Dhandha, City Engineer Gary Lee Moore, Councilmember Tom
LaBonge, Public Works Commissioner John Choi, Michael Uemura, Mahmood Karimzadeh.
North Atwater Park Dedication Ceremony.
Page 7
Canopy Installed to Protect Historic Siqueiros Mural at El Pueblo
The protection of the mural “America
Tropical” is over 30-years in the making.
The mural was painted in 1932 by David
Alfaro Siqueiros on the south wall of the
Italian Hall located at the north-west corner
of Olvera Street at the Historic El Pueblo de
Los Angeles.
The installation of the protection canopy
marks a historic moment for the City of
Los Angeles. In partnership with the Getty
Conservation Institute and managed by the
Bureau of Engineering, the City of Los Angeles entered into contract with the firm of
Brooks+Scarpa Architects in May, 2007 for
the design of a protection canopy, a viewing platform and an interpretive center. On
August, 2010 the Board of Public Works of
the City of Los Angeles issued a Notice to
Proceed to Royal Construction Corporation
to begin the construction of the project. The
continued on page 9
l to r: Hansen Ho (Royal Construction), Robert Lomelin (BOE), Ed Robles (formerly from El Pueblo), Eric Hess (BCA), Robert Andrade (El
Pueblo), Frank Rinaldi (BCA), Chris Espinoza (Mayor’s Office), Larry Scarpa (Brooks + Scarpa), Pradeep Ranade (BOE), Mahmood Karimzadeh (BOE), Leslie Rainer (Getty Conservation Institute), City Engineer Gary Lee Moore, Inspector of Public Works John Reamer, Jose Fuentes
(BOE), Mark Buckland (Brooks + Scarpa), Javier Gonzalez (BOE), Fermin Santos (Royal Construction)
On the roof of the Italian Hall, Gary Lee Moore, BOE; Chris Espinoza, Mayor’s Office;
Hansen Ho, Royal Construction Corporation; and Jose Fuentes, BOE.
Page 8
Canopy on North Main Street prior to lifting
Engineering Newsletter - 5/2/12
Canopy Installed - continued from page 8
City Engineer Gary Lee Moore has been personally directing
and monitoring the construction of the project and insuring that
the project is completed on schedule and on budget. The City
Engineer has been instrumental with the continued coordination
between the Mayor’s Office, the Department of El Pueblo, the
Getty Conservation Institute, the Department of Building & Safety,
the Planning Department and the contractor to insure that all issues related to the construction are addressed in a timely manner
prior to creating impacts on the schedule and on the budget.
The construction of the project has been more difficult due
to the fact that El Pueblo’s many shops and restaurants had to
remain open during the construction. The Mayor’s Office and the
management of El Pueblo have done a great job in coordinating
and mitigating the limited impacts during the construction. The
safety of the visitors to El Pueblo has been a priority during the
construction.
The construction of the project is within the historic fabric of
El Pueblo. The massive foundation of the protection canopy is
located within the Hammel Building and incorporates the protection of the Zanja Madre (mother ditch), an aqueduct that provided
irrigation water to El Pueblo. The viewing platform is located over
the Gibbs Building that also provides a required new fire exit from
Olvera Street. The interpretive center is located within the historic
Sepulveda House and will provide the citizens of Los Angeles
and the many tourists who visit El Pueblo an historic overview
and perspective of the mural, the artist and the City.
Congratulations go to Municipal Facilities Program Manager
Mahmood Karimzadeh A.I.A., Project Manager Senior Architect J.
Robert Lomelin, Associate IV Historical Architect Pradeep Ranade;
Construction Manager Jose Fuentes, Javier Gonzalez; Bureau of
Contract Administration staff John L. Reamer, Frank Rinaldi and Eric
Hess, and everyone else who contributed to this project.
Canopy being lowered into place on the columns
Canopy viewed from North Main Street
Workers anchor the canopy to the east column
Engineering Newsletter - 5/2/12
Canopy being lifted
Access panel into canopy to tighten anchor bolts
Page 9
BOE Sponsors 11th Annual High School Bridge Building Contest
The Bureau of Engineering held its 11th Annual Los Angeles Regional Bridge Building
Contest on Thursday, March 29, 2012 at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA)
King Hall. High school teams of one or two
students competed for a chance to advance to
the International Contest being held on May 5,
2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The contest provides the Bureau of Engineering, high school
students and local universities an excellent opportunity to promote education and learning
beyond a basic high school curriculum. Once
again, Structural Engineering Division (SED)
led the event with help from the BOE Board/
Council Liaison Office, the Board of Public
Works, the PW Public Affairs Office, CSULA’s
Department of Civil Engineering and members
of the ASCE CSULA Student Branch.
Volunteer mentors from the Bureau of
Engineering worked diligently with the students and their teachers to explore principles
of physics, architecture, structural design
and model construction per specifications.
The objective for the students was to build
a model bridge weighing no more than 25
grams (0.9 ounce) that conforms to specific
limited dimensions for height, span and width.
These requirements were developed for the
International Bridge Building Contest by
the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago,
Illinois. Over a period of three months, mentors guided high school students through a
process of designing, drafting, constructing,
testing and helping the students understand
the engineering concepts and laws of physics
that govern the performance of their bridge
models. Model bridge building provides
the students with hands-on experience that
l to r: Kesavan Korand, Dr. Harald Holcomb, 1st Place Winner Evelyn Fuentes of Lewis HS, Sunny Patel, Dr. Rupa Purasinghe, and Vince Jones.
Page 10
supplements their studies. Mentors also deliver an important message highlighting the
benefits of continuing education and a career
in engineering.
On the day of the event, each bridge was
registered, weighed and measured for compliance with the international specifications.
Students were given the opportunity to modify
their bridge if it failed to meet the weight or
dimension guidelines.
After lunch, it was time to commence the
contest. Once approved, the models were
displayed for technical inspection and judged
for best Architectural Aesthetics Design and
Structural Design. Judges for Architectural
Aesthetic evaluations were Board of Public
Works Commissioner John Choi and Cal State,
continued on page 11
l to r: Israel Hernandez, Alex Moreno, 2nd Place Winners Hilda
Alquicira & Brian Flores of Roosevelt HS, and Vince Jones.
Engineering Newsletter - 5/2/12
HS Bridge Contest - continued from page 10
Los Angeles professor of Civil Engineering,
Dr. Hassan Hashemian. Dr. Rupa Purasinghe,
Chairman of the Department of Civil Engineering, CSULA and Vince Jones, Deputy City
Engineer, evaluated the best Structural Design.
The event was kicked off by the Division Engineer of SED, Shailesh “Sunny” Patel as the
Master of Ceremonies, with addresses from
Commissioner Choi, Dr. Purasinghe, Vince
Jones, and Dr. Hashemian.
Trophies and prizes were awarded in the
categories of Architectural Aesthetics, Structural Design and Efficiency. In the Architectural Aesthetics category, first place went to
Justin Ng and Erik Solis of Downtown Business
Magnet (Mentor: Shashi Bhakta), while second
place went to Charmaine Miranda of Orthopedic Hospital High School (Mentor: Julia
Moye). For Structural Design, Peter Dinius and
Tommie Cox from Westchester High School
(Mentor: Robert Schultz) took first place and
Israel Tovar and Roberto Osorio from Community Harvest Charter High School (Mentor:
Karan Patel) took second place.
There was excitement to see who the two
top winners in the Efficiency category would
be since those teams could advance to the
2012 International Bridge Building Contest.
Model bridges were mounted on a platform
of a testing apparatus, where they were loaded
with weights. The audience watched anxiously
as the model bridges were loaded and went
through creaking, twisting, buckling and different failure modes. The maximum load carrying capacity of the model bridge was used
for efficiency computations. The goal was to
score the highest efficiency ratio, which is calculated by dividing the maximum load carried
divided by the weight of the bridge.
Evelyn Fuentes continued Lewis High
Display of the bridges built by the students.
Engineering Newsletter - 5/2/12
A student sets up his bridge for testing.
School’s winning streak with her first place
win (Mentor: Kesavan Korand). Her bridge
supported 20 kilograms (44 pounds) for an
efficiency ratio of 1162.Theodore Roosevelt
High School’s Brian Flores and Hilda Alquicira
(Mentor: Alex Moreno) took the stand at second place with an efficiency ratio of 1045.
Everyone is excited to see two schools from
the Los Angeles Region participate in the
International Contest. In total, students from
twelve high schools built 24 qualifying bridges
for this Regional Contest.
Evelyn Fuentes, Brian Flores and Hilda
Alquicira will now travel to Las Vegas, Nevada
to represent Los Angeles in the International
Bridge Contest. They will be accompanied by
their teachers, Dr. Harald Holcomb and Mr.
Israel Hernandez. The mentors, Kesavan and
Alex, are very proud of the hard work that they
put into their bridges and for their success.
Special thanks to Commissioner Choi from
the Board of Public Works; Chairman of Civil
Engineering at CSULA, Dr. Rupa Purasinghe;
Donna Melendez of CSULA’s Civil Engineering Staff; and SED Division Engineer Shailesh
“Sunny” Patel. We extend our thanks to all the
participating students, high schools and their
teachers, Public Relations Principal Lauren
Skinner; Program Manager Shirish Mistry,
Richard Liu, Leslie Wall and all the BOE mentors for their leadership and dedication to the
success of this Regional Contest.
We extend our thanks to CSULA and the
Civil Engineering Department for their facility
and ASCE student staff for assisting during the
event. A special thanks goes to Mina Azarnia
(mentor for Los Angeles H.S.), Shashi Bhakta
(mentor for Downtown Business Magnet), Kesavan Korand (mentor for Lewis H.S.), Richard
Louie (mentor for Manual Arts H.S.), Steve
Martinez (facilitator), Alex Moreno (mentor
for Roosevelt H.S.), Karan Patel (mentor for
Community Harvest H.S.), Robert Schultz
(mentor for Westchester H.S.), Arrash Agahi
(mentor for Belmont H.S.), Warren Liu (mentor
for USC MaST H.S.), Julia Moye (Orthopaedic
H.S.), Alejandro Moreno (Theodore Roosevelt
H.S.), Leslie Wall (mentor for Washington Prep
H.S.), Katrina Tabirara (mentor for Ambassador School of Global Leadership) and all BOE
staff (Eugene Amimoto, Omar Braish, Andrew
Ko) who assisted on the day of the event. Our
special thanks are extended to Dr. Harald
Holcomb of Lewis High School for the testing
apparatus and deflection measuring device.
Page 11
Motor Pool Policy
The Department of General Services released
the following notice on April 16, 2012:
The Department of General Services Fleet Services Division operates a Motor Pool that provides a safe and reliable fleet of automobiles
for departments that require the temporary use
of Motor Pool vehicles. Motor Pool vehicles
are available only for official business of the
City of Los Angeles and are not to be used for
personal convenience or non-City business.
Only City employees are authorized, upon
approval, to operate City-owned vehicles.
Employees requesting a Motor Pool vehicle
must submit a Trip Card (Form GS/FS 317)
with the appropriate authorized signature
to the Dispatcher the day that the vehicle is
required. Unless previously authorized for
occasional garaging in accordance with CAO
Rule No. 5 (Assignment and Home-garaging of
City-Owned Automotive Equipment), incorporated here by reference, Motor Pool vehicles
must be returned to Fleet Services garage by
5:00 pm on the same day it was checked out.
The Department of General Services’ (GSD)
policies regarding City personnel use of Motor
Pool vehicles are addressed below.
Effective 2012, all departments are required to renew the authorized signature list
every July 1 of each year. If a renewal is not
received by GSD by such date, that department will not be allowed to check-out Motor
Pool vehicles until the authorized signature
renewal is received.
City Business Use Only
City vehicles are to be used by employees
only for the conduct of City business. The
Los Angeles Municipal Code (63.106) and
incorporated by reference makes it unlawful to
use or operate a City vehicle “for any purpose
other than for official business of the City.”
Additionally, no City employee while driving a motor pool vehicle may allow another
person to ride in the vehicle unless the rider
is also on City business. Further, all Personnel
policies regarding employee conduct apply to
employees while they operate vehicles from
the Motor Pool.
Daily Use
• Motor Pool vehicles are to be utilized for
official City business only.
• Drivers must submit a completed Trip Card
(Form 317) that is approved by an authorized signer whose signature is on file in
the Dispatch Office. As specified above on
this memo, department’s list of authorized
signatures must be renewed and submitted
to GSD every July 1, of each year.
• A valid California Driver’s License (CDL),
valid active PAYSR ID number and a valid
City ID are required and must be presented
at the time of initial check-out. (Note; a
temporary CDL must always be accompanied by a City ID.)
• Drivers sand all passengers are to comply
with all safety restraint laws.
Page 12
• Drivers are to adhere to all driving regulations and take responsibility for any traffic
and parking citations, including late fees
and penalties, received while in possession of a Motor Pool vehicle.
• Motor Pool vehicles checked-out under
the daily Trip Card (Form 317) must be
returned on the same business day by
5:00 pm. Any Motor Pool vehicle checkedout under daily use and returned after
5:00 pm will be considered checked-out
under Overnight Use (Overnight Use is
discussed in detail below). Therefore,
will be required to submit the Occasional
Garaging Authorization Form (CAO Form
36), must follow the After-Hours Vehicle
Return procedures posted on the return
window at the Dispatch Office and the
Automotive Dispatcher on-duty will send
a correspondence to the General Manager
of the requesting department to notify the
department head of the overnight use.
The completed and approved Occasional
Garaging Authorization Form (CAO Form
36) must be returned to the Dispatch Office immediately.
• After-hours or emergency check-out of
Motor Pool vehicles require the same
documentation and approval process as
any vehicle checked-out during regular
business hours.
• Drivers are to inspect vehicles for damage prior to leaving the Dispatch facility
and are to report any damage found to
Dispatch personnel on duty. Drives will
be accountable for any vehicle damage
occurring while the vehicle is in their
possession.
• Drivers must report to the Dispatch Office
any vehicle problems experienced during
their use.
• In case of vehicle breakdown, driver must
contact the Motor Pool Dispatch Office at
(213) 978-3172.
Overnight Use/Occasional Garaging
• Motor Pool vehicles are to be utilized for
official City business only.
• Employee requesting an overnight use of
Motor Pool vehicles must submit a completed Occasional Garaging Authorization
form (CAO Form 36) signed by an individual with overnight garaging approval
authority and whose signature is on file
in the Dispatch Office.
Note: Departments’ list of authorized signatures for Daily use and Overnight Use/
Occasional Garaging must be renewed
every July 1 of each year.
• Vehicles to be temporarily garaged at a
driver’s home or municipal facility are
subject to the requirements outlined in
CAO Rule No. 5.
• If a driver checks-out a vehicle for daily
use but keeps it overnight or returns it
after 5:00 pm, the Automotive Dispatcher
on-duty will send a correspondence to
the General Manager of the requesting
department to notify the department head
of the overnight use. The completed and
approved Occasional Garaging Authorization Form (CAO Form 36) must be returned
to the Dispatch office immediately.
• All drivers’ responsibilities detailed under
Daily Use apply to Overnight Use/Occasional Garaging of Motor Pool vehicles.
• Loaner vehicles checked out overnight will
also be required to submit the Occasional
Garaging Authorization Form (CAO Form
36).
• With proper approvals, Motor Pool vehicles may be checked out for up to 30
(thirty) days with renewal authority for an
additional 30 ( thirty) days, when authority is submitted prior to expiration of the
initial 30-day period, for a maximum of 60
(sixty) days within 12 (twelve) consecutive
months.
Employee Rideshare Program Check-outs
City employees who participate in the Rideshare Program may be granted authorization
to use Motor Pool vehicles under Occasional
Garaging use. This authorization is limited to
emergency situations such as sudden illness,
family crisis and unexpected mandatory
overtime. In these instances, the driver must
comply with the Overnight Use/Occasional
Garaging section of this document.
In the Event of an Accident
In case of an accident, the following applies
to all Motor Pool vehicles usage:
• The driver is responsible for reporting any
accidents (i.e., collision damage) occurring while the vehicle is in their possession
in addition to any other damage to the
vehicle, as addressed under Daily Use
and Overnight Use/Occasional Garaging
sections.
• In the event of an accident, regardless
of severity, the driver must complete the
City of Los Angeles Automobile Accident
Report (Form Gen. 88) and file a police
report in accordance with procedures
specified in the Vehicle Accident Report
Envelope (Form Gen 84) provided in the
glove compartment of every vehicle. Additionally, the driver’s supervisor is to be
called to the scene.
Thanks to Medrano
This note was sent to Cesar Medrano, Central
District Office:
April 17, 2012
Hello Mr. Medrano,
I am the lady who you helped this morning. I
came to say thank you to you personally. You
were out of the office. I appreciate so much
your help. It was so nice and very kind.
Fari Nikgohar
Engineering Newsletter - 5/2/12
CMAA So Cal Chapter Seminars
The Construction Management Association
of America Southern California Chapter is
offering the following seminars.
What Owners Want from Construction
Managers on Thursday, June 7, 2012, 8:00 am
Registration, 8:30 am Seminar, at The Grand
Conference Center, 4101 E. Willow St., Long
Beach, CA. The distinguished panel of owners
will discuss their expectations and share their
experiences about what works and what didn’t
work with their CM relationships. Topics to be
covered will include:
• Current Market Conditions
• The CM’s role in APD
• BIM
• Sustainability
• Owner vs Consultant Staffing
• Schedule, Cost, Quality and Safety
• Contract Administration and Change Orders
• Risk Analysis and Claims Management
Panel members: Shaun Shahrestani, Chief
Harbor Engineer, Construction Division, Port
of Los Angeles; Rose Casey, Director of Highway Programs, Orange County Transportation
Authority; Roger Johnson, Deputy Executive
Director, Los Angeles World Airports; Jacob
Williams, Assistant Director, Los Angeles
County Dept. of Public Works; and Jay Jefferson, Construction Manager, California State
University.
Moderator: Joe Seibold, P.E., FCMAA, Executive Vice President, ARCADIS US, Inc.
Cost: Register by Friday, June 1, $70 CMAA
members, $110 non-members. After April 27
$85 CMAA members, $135 non-members.
Water & Wastewater Agency Night - Capital Program Updates on Thursday, June 14,
2012, 5:30 pm Registration, 6:30 pm Dinner
& Presentation, at Downtown LA Marriott,
333 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles.
Panel members: Grace Robinson Chan,
Chief Engineer and General Manager, Los
Angeles County Sanitation Districts; Jeffrey
Kightlinger, General, Metropolitan Water
District of Southern California; Ron Nichols,
General Manager, Los Angeles Department of
Water & Power; Enrique Zaldivar, Director, Los
Angeles Bureau of Sanitation.
Cost: Register by Friday, June 8, $70 CMAA
members, $110 non-members. After April 27
$85 CMAA members, $135 non-members.
Social Media - The Promise and Peril for
Your Business and Employees on Thursday,
June 21, 2012, 8:00 am Registration, 8:30
am Seminar, at The Grand Conference Center,
4101 E. Willow St., Long Beach, CA.
As we rely increasingly on the internet to
gather the latest news, events and to keep in
touch, social media is becoming the preferred
method to communicate ideas, promote our
businesses and stay in touch with our world.
Social media presents vast new opportunities
to grow your business, to connect with clients,
Engineering Newsletter - 5/2/12
and to enhance your profits. However, social
media brings risks. When businesses and their
employees use social media, the business may
be both responsible for the actions of their
employees and at the same time powerless to
police the social media their own employees’
use. This seminar will talk about how social
media can benefit your company while at the
same time inform employers of the hidden
dangers. Learn about:
• How social media has changed over the
past year
• How to use social media to your advantage
• Broad strategies for using social media
• How blogs, Twitter and Facebook are shaping communication in today’s world.
• Tips for successful social media communication
• Social media use by employees: the need
for a consistently applied social media
policy
• What an employer can and cannot police
• When an employer can be vicariously
liable over their employees social media
use
• The actions an employer must take to
protect itself
• What the future may hold for employers,
employees and social media
Seminar leaders: Mary McCormick, President
& CEO, MBI; Christian Carrillo, Esq., Senior
Associate, Morris Polich & Purdy LLP; Scott
Freeman, Esq, Morris Polich & Purdy LLP.
Panel members: Rodrigo Gonzales, Media
Coordinator, Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority; Cora JacksonFossett, Director, Public Affairs Office, City
of Los Angeles, Department of Public Works;
Francisco Oaxaca, Director of Public Affairs,
First 5 LA (previously Communications Manager for Metrolink)
Cost: Register by Friday, June 15, $70
CMAA members, $110 non-members. After
April 27 $85 CMAA members, $135 nonmembers.
For additional information please go to
http://cmaanet.org/cmci/
Pueblos Commended
This letter was sent to the Central District
Office:
April 13, 2012
To Whom It May Concern,
I would like to thank Tony Pueblos for helping
us out in filling out our paper work and helping us get the public works permit for 1777
E. Olympic Blvd. I greatly appreciate him
putting in his time and effort in helping Shin
Shin Construction.
Anna S. Dirim, CEO
Shin Shin Construction
Confined Spaces Can Be
Deadly
In February 2012, Cal/OSHA launched a
statewide Confined Space Special Emphasis
Initiative, to focus attention on preventing
workers deaths and injuries in confined
spaces at California worksites. Responding
to California’s seven confined space fatalities
in 2011, Cal/OSHA’s goal for this initiative is
zero confined space fatalities.
Cal/OSHA requires employers to have
written plans for confined space operations.
Employees are required to be trained prior to
entry, to identify confined spaces, control the
hazards, maintain safe working conditions
and establish effective rescue procedures.
Employees are required to be trained in accordance with the Cal/OSHA standard Title
8, 5157 and 5158.
The characteristics of a confined space
are:
• Is large enough and configured such that
an employee can bodily enter and perform
work;
• Has limited openings for entry or exit;
• Is not designed for continuous occupancy;
• Has the potential for a hazardous atmosphere that my include the lack of or too
much oxygen, and/or the presence of
toxic of explosive vapors or gases such as
hydrogen sulfide and methane; and/or
• Has physical safety hazards such as machinery, sources of electrical shock, liquids
(drowning), fire, steam (burn hazard), or
loose, unstable materials that can cause
employees to be trapped, crushed, or
buried.
Examples may include but are not limited
to: water and sewer pipes, pumping stations,
manholes, boilers, vats, kilns, vaults, silos,
storage bins, meter vaults, tunnels, tanks,
wastewater wet wells, grit chambers, utility
tunnels, crawl spaces under floors, water reservoirs, holding tanks, pits and sumps.
Confined spaces are deceiving and often
appear to be harmless. Danger signs (such as
dead animals, rust or discolored walls, odors)
are often not apparent and the space may
have been entered before without incident.
Employees should never enter the space until
all the safety precautions are in place and they
have been authorized to enter. Emergency
procedures must be in place and ready before
any employee enters a confined space.
Questions regarding this or any other
Occupational Safety & Health issues can be
directed to Calvin Toy, Bureau Safety Engineer
at [email protected].
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.
Page 13
Promotion
Benjamin Moore, Geotechnical Engineer I,
SSD.
Internal Transfers
Peykan Abbassi, Civil Engineer, from CMD
to SSD; Phillip Wilson, CE Associate III, from
WLA to Harbor.
Memorial Day Holiday
Monday, May 28, 2011, is a City holiday. Remember to mark your timesheet for that day
as HO 8.0. Since the holiday is only for eight
hours, those of you on the 9/80 schedule must
adjust your hours accordingly within the same
pay period. (Non-FLSA exempt employees can
only adjust their hours within their defined
work week.) Check with your division timekeeper if you have any questions.
6th St. Viaduct Division
Effective Thursday, April 12, 2012, the mail
stop for the Bridge Program Sixth Street Viaduct Division is MS# 495-02. The Division is
located in the Public Works Building, 1149
S Broadway St., 6th Floor, Los Angeles CA
90015. The temporary general office number
is (213) 485-5117 and primary contact is MA
II Laura Mojica (213) 847-1930.
Mayor Names Kent as
Interim City Librarian
The Mayor announced the appointment of
Susan Kent as Interim City Librarian effective April 23, 2012. This is from the Mayor’s
announcement: She is uniquely qualified
for the interim appointment as she was the
City Librarian from February 27, 1994 until
her retirement on September 19, 2004. Ms.
Kent has more than 40 years experience in
public libraries. In 2008, she formed S. R.
Kent LLC, a consulting firm which provides
services to libraries, foundations and nonprofit
organizations in the areas of capital facilities
planning and strategic planning, management
and organization development, fundraising
and leadership development. Ms. Kent has
held leadership positions in public libraries
across the country. She previously served as
the Director and Chief Executive of the Branch
Libraries for the New York Public Library from
2004 through 2007 where she was responsible
for the operation of the 87 branch libraries.
She has also served as the Director of the Minneapolis Public Library in Minnesota, where
she led the planning effort for a new Central
Library, and as the Deputy Director for the
Tucson Public Library in Arizona, she oversaw
the program, planning and implementation for
a new Main Library.
Latest Letterhead
The latest version of the Bureau of Engineering
letterhead template is always available from
the Engineering Forms Library under the category Correspondence on the BOE intranet.
6th St. Bridge International Design Competition
Mayor & Council Announcement:
LOS ANGELES (April 13, 2012) - Mayor Villaraigosa was joined today at a community
meeting in Boyle Heights by Councilmembers José Huizar and Ed Reyes, community
members, leaders in architecture, engineering,
and river preservation to announce an international design competition for the redesign
of the 6th Street Bridge.”
“The 6th Street Bridge design competition
will make sure the new bridge reflects our
City’s spirit and style,” said Mayor Villaraigosa.
“As we go through this process, we will make
sure the community is informed and involved
every step of the way.”
Last November, the City Council approved
the redesign and replacement of the 80 year
old bridge. Elements of the current bridge
have cracked and deteriorated over the past
80 years due to an internal chemical reaction
called Alkali Silica Reaction (ASR) and it is
subject to failure during a major earthquake.
The City is taking this risk into its own hands
by undertaking the reconstruction of the
bridge now, before any catastrophic events
require emergency response.
As the Councilmember for 14th District,
which includes the 6th Street Bridge, Councilmember Huizar worked with the Bureau of
Engineering to ensure that substantial community outreach and input took place before
ushering in the Council vote in November
to replace the bridge as the safest and most
cost-effective alternative.”
“The 6th Street Bridge is one of the City’s
iconic landmarks and if we must replace it,
we need to do it on a grand, international
scale,” said Councilmember José Huizar. “The
bridge design we ultimately select should
honor the original’s history by ushering us
into the future with a new iconic bridge. We
want to create a bridge that will make all of
Los Angeles proud.
“The new bridge will preserve 6th Street
as a viable east-west link between Boyle
Heights and Downtown Los Angeles, reduce
the vulnerability of the bridge during major
earthquakes, and bring the bridge up to current highway and safety standards. The current
bridge fails to meet standards because of its inadequate roadway width, out of specification
bridge and approach railings and approach
railing ends, poor roadway alignment, and
out of specification geometric and seismic
detail design.”
“We are excited to get started on such an
iconic, meaningful project for the City of Los
Angeles,” said Gary Lee Moore, City Engineer.
“This international call for qualifications and
the design competition will ensure that we
end up with the best possible project for the
community.”
The international competition will solicit
designs from across the globe in two phases.
First, project teams will be asked to submit
qualifications. Second, the Bureau of Engineering and Caltrans officials, with input from
the community, will choose a select few teams
to advance into the design competition. The
final firm is expected to be chosen this fall.”
“Bridges, like national monuments, can
symbolize the achievements of a culture,”
said Hsinming Fung, Director of Academic
Programs at the Southern California Institute
of Architecture (SCI-Arc). “But more than that,
they can embody the energy, the vitality, and
the creativity which make those achievements
possible.”
To ensure the final design selection gives
all stakeholders a voice, the Mayor and City
Council will form a “Design Aesthetic Advisory Committee” that will include voices from
professionals in the engineering, architecture
and urban planning professions, as well as
residents of the neighborhood, local business
representatives, and river advocates.”
“Though we will certainly miss the old 6th
Street Bridge, this new bridge can complement
its historic peers and represent a new era of
optimistic growth and change for downtown
Los Angeles,” said Alex Ward, Chairman of
the Friends of the Los Angeles River. “This
bridge can be a landmark, glowing at night
like a beacon, a tourist attraction, a catalyst for
economic growth, a strong new link between
downtown and Boyle Heights, and a route for
pedestrian and bicycle access to the River.”
The $401 million redesign and construction of the 6th Street Bridge will support almost
5,000 jobs and is the largest of the Bureau of
Engineering’s $1 billion bridge portfolio.
The majority of the funding for the 6th Street
Bridge project comes from the Federal Highway Bridge Program. The remaining money
is a combination of State Prop 1B funds and
local matching through Measure R and Prop
C. Construction is expected to begin by early
2015. The target year for opening is 2018.
Engineering Vision
To lead the transformation of Los Angeles into
the world’s most livable city.
We’d Like to Hear from You
If you have any articles for the Newsletter, please e-mail them directly to
[email protected]. Also cc: Myrna
Braithwaite ([email protected])
Administrative Services Division. Deadline for
the next issue is Thursday, June 7, 2012.
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 monthly by the
Administrative Services Division for employees of the
Bureau of Engineering.