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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/12/2006 - Study SessionCITY OF NEWPORT BEACH City Council Minutes Study Session September 12, 2006 — 4:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Present: Council Member Curry, Council Member Selich, Mayor Pro Tem Rosansky, Mayor Webb, Council Member Ridgeway, Council Member Daigle, Council Member Nichols Council Member Nichols arrived at 4:11 p.m.; Council Member Curry arrived at 6:10 p.m. CURRENT BUSINESS 1. CLARIFICATION OF ITEMS ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR. Regarding Item 4 (Stop Signs at Newport Hills Drive East), Council Member Daigle noted that one of the homeowners association representatives requested more time to review this. In response to Council Member Nichols' questions regarding Item 10 (Morning Canyon Stabilization), Public Works Director Badum explained the reasons for the additional funding. He confirmed that the property owners who had the slope repair work did win a lawsuit against their neighbors and paid for their own slope repairs. Mayor Webb indicated that he intends to pull Item 3 (Temporary Street Closure for Centennial Celebration) tonight. City Manager Bludau noted that the maps are still being prepared but will be available tomorrow. City Manager Bludau introduced Recreation and Senior Services Director Knight's replacement, Wes Morgan. 2. COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS FUELING STATION DEVELOPMENT. General Services Director Harmon utilized a PowerPoint Presentation to highlight the Air Quality Management District (AQMD) regulations to decrease the use of diesel fuel in heavy equipment. He confirmed that the vehicle replacement list encompasses the City's entire fleet and the City has not purchased any refuse collection equipment since 2002. He described what Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) are and explained why they would prefer using CNG, including that safety is greater with CNG than LNG. General Services Director Harmon indicated that Clean Energy will construct, operate, and maintain a public access CNG station at a cost to them of about $1 million, but the City would receive a royalty payment for every gallon equivalent sold to users other than the City. He explained how public access could be achieved at the General Services yard. He noted that John Wayne Airport (JWA) has added 126 CNG taxis. He stated that, if Council supports this, they should direct staff to work with Clean Energy to develop an agreement for Council review. Volume 67 - Page 777 City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes September 12, 2006 General Services Director Harmon indicated that, if directed, the agreement could come back to Council in October. Following that, it would take about six months to receive the permits, construction of the fueling station could take about ten months, and the station could be opened in October 2007. He stated that it has not been determined if this project will need permits from Costa Mesa. City Manager Bludau indicated that Costa Mesa City Manager Roeder didn't believe there would be issues, especially since they also have heavy equipment that are under the same regulations. General Services Director Harmon indicated that he will conduct research, but he is not aware of another company that designs, builds, and operates fuel stations for municipalities. He emphasized that driving to another CNG facility is not economical and that the cost to the City to build its own fuel station would be the same, but it would only be for City use. In response to Council questions, General Services Director Harmon reported that the City's diesel trucks cannot be converted to CNG trucks. He stated that CNG currently costs $1.78 /gallon while diesel is $2.78 /gallon, and that the mileage is comparable. He indicated that a CNG truck costs $35,000 to $40,000 more than a diesel truck but confirmed that the City has to change out all its diesel trucks to energy - efficient trucks. He added that LNG fuel has to be trucked in and stored at the yard, but CNG can be brought in via the Southern California Gas Company main line off of Industrial Way. He indicated that more people use CNG than LNG. He reported that Irvine has a public /private CNG station and that the compressor wasn't too noisy. He explained the disadvantages of having a home pump. He reported that the City would be committing to purchasing six CNG trucks from Clean Energy and that the delay time after placing the order is about one year. Regarding City use and public use, he believed that public use would initially outweigh City use since the City doesn't have the equipment yet. He added that public access will not impact City operations since the public usually uses the station after work hours, during the weekends, and at night, while the City fuels up at about 5:30 a.m. Council Member Selich requested information relative to the payback on investment, revenue, and public use. Council Member Nichols requested that the nozzle specifications be given to him. Mayor Pro Tem Rosansky requested a better analysis of competing technologies. Peter Grace, Clean Energy Vice President, explained how CNG is stored in vessels above ground until it is dispensed into vehicles. He reported that they have about 50 stations in California, but none along the coast, and 165 stations across North America. He discussed the safety aspects of CNG vehicles, noted that the vehicles are crash tested, and indicated that they can show Council a safety video. He stated that CNG is available for passenger cars to heavy duty vehicles; however, LNG is only available for larger vehicles, like buses and heavy duty vehicles, since they need more storage onboard the vehicle. He confirmed that Clean Energy is willing to put in the capital required to build the fuel station and that he is not aware of anyone else that would put in their own capital to build a fueling station with a limited commitment from the City to purchase vehicles. He indicated that the agreement would be for ten years. He stated that the conversion ratio between gasoline and CNG is 1.25. Charles Alshuler, Clean Energy Account Manager, indicated that a CNG 50 gallon tank fills up at a rate of about 5 gallons /minute. He reported that a house line would dispense CNG at .5 gallons/hour. It was the consensus of Council to direct staff to bring back a proposal for Council approval. Volume 57 - Page 778 City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes September 12, 2006 Council Member Nichols believed that diesel trucks have worked better for the City and expressed concern that the station would be small. Mayor Webb noted that the City is not interested in a high volume station and emphasized the City's responsibility to work towards cleaning the air produced by the City's fleet. Ray Simmons, Los Angeles Ford Dealer, expressed support of the CNG product. 3. BEACH SAND STUDY AND MONITORING PROGRAM. Chris Webb, Moffatt & Nichols, utilized a PowerPoint presentation to explain how some of the City was created through sand spits. He also reviewed the storms over the past 70 years and how they impacted the beaches. He displayed a slide showing the West Newport shoreline positions from 1904 to 1939 and from 1963 to 1997. He discussed the sediment budget for the City from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but reported that, if this project stops, West Newport will lose sand at a rate of 15,000 cubic yards /year and the Peninsula will lose sand at a rate of 30,000 cubic yards /year. He displayed the areas of West Newport and Big Canyon in which the sand is either advancing, is stable, or is retreating. He stated that the City can monitor the beaches and collect data to understand what's happening, move sand from wider areas to narrower areas, bring sand in from outside the City to supplement the existing source, and make sure the Federal government is keeping its commitment relative to the Surfside- Sunset Project. He did not recommend lowering the height of the beaches in West Newport or on the Peninsula. He also suggested using a sand back - passing plan, initiating West Newport and Big Corona sand nourishment plans, or mining the sand at the River Jetty area and moving it to the depleting areas. He reported that the Newport Canyon is about 3,000 feet deep. Jim Brooks noted that all of the City's beaches are artificially made and commended the report for highlighting the areas of excess and deficit. He stated that the report should also take into account the depth of the beaches, should include a width target, and that the back - pass plan has merit. He added that the amount of sand loss per year is a small percentage compared to the total amount of City beaches. He requested more public input on a regular basis. Council Member Nichols asked if there is actually a cleavage in the rock at the mouth of the River Jetty or if the earthquake fault is roughly coming up the gorge at the Newport Pier. Mr. Webb indicated that he is not familiar with this phenomenon. 4. TRAFFIC SIGNAL COORDINATION REPORT. Mark Miller, Vice President of Albert Grover & Associates, utilized a PowerPoint presentation to highlight the benefits of traffic signal coordination. He also displayed a sample time -space diagram and noted that compatible equipment, linked intersections, time based coordination, and central system coordination are needed. He highlighted the information and tools that are necessary to develop a timing plan, but noted some drawbacks and complaints. He also discussed reasons why signal coordination appears not to work when it actually is working. He concluded by stating that signal coordination will work by eliminating minor traffic operational bottlenecks, optimizing the traffic signal coordination systems, and having ongoing monitoring and updating of the coordination systems. In response to Council questions, Mr. Miller emphasized the importance of signal placement since pedestrian timing cannot be violated. He indicated that cities like Corona and Anaheim wish they didn't have a centralized computer system and would use a web -based system if they could start over because it takes a lot of personnel to watch all the cameras Volume 57 - Page 779 City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes September 12, 2006 throughout the city. Traffic/Development Services Manager Edmonston reported that the Coast Highway /Orchid Avenue lighted crosswalk will be activated in October. He also reported that the 2005 -2006 Signal Upgrade entails three rehabilitations, two Opticom preemption systems, and 17 Battery Backup Systems (BBS). He utilized a slide to display upcoming 2006 -2007 signal projects. In response to Council questions, Traffic/Development Services Manager Edmonston reported that portions of Jamboree Road, Irvine Avenue, Superior Avenue, San Joaquin Hills Road, Coast Highway, and Bristol Street have traffic signal coordination. He also confirmed that the Orchid Avenue lighted crosswalk project will not be coordinated with the system. PUBLIC COMMENTS - None. ADJOURNMENT - 6:20 p.m. The agenda for the Regular Meeting was posted on September 6, 2006, at 4:05 p.m. on the City Hall Bulletin Board located outside of the City of Newport Beach Administration Building. Recording Secretary Mayor 4 IU f/&L'71-t /79. /[ of " City Clerk Volume 57 - Page 780