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PORT OF SEATTLE MEMORANDUM COMMISSION AGENDA Item No. 5a Date of Meeting August 2, 2011 DATE: July 26, 2011 TO: Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer FROM: Elizabeth Leavitt, Director, Aviation Planning & Environmental Services Wayne Grotheer, Director, Aviation Project Management Group SUBJECT: Tyee Valley Golf Course Area Mitigation (CIP #C800420, WP #104423) Amount of This Request: $691,000 Source of Funds: Airport Development Fund Est. State and Local Taxes: $44,000 (total project) Est. Jobs Created: 15 ACTION REQUESTED: Request Port Commission authorization for the Chief Executive Officer to advertise and execute a major construction contract for the Tyee Valley Golf Course Area Mitigation, adjacent to Seattle Tacoma International Airport (Airport). The amount of this request is $691,000 of a total project cost of $800,000. SYNOPSIS: This is a regulatory project that will advance wetland permit obligations for the Airport along with other ongoing projects. These regulato ry obligations will complete the mitigation required by Natural Resource Mitigation Plan for Master Plan Update (MPU) Improvement Projects and as required by the MPU Federal 404 and 401 Environmental Permits. This project will entail preparing the site, removing golf course paths, removing an abandoned culvert, amending the soil as needed, planting approximately 11.5 acres of wetlands and buffers, and installing temporary irrigation systems. Temporary irrigation will be installed, and wetland planting will include a one-year plant establishment period. In addition to satisfying environmental permit requirements, this project will convert an open grass field to dense shrub habitat and in doing so reduce the attraction of wildlife that can be a hazard to airport operations. This request is for $691,000 of a $800,000 total project budget. BACKGROUND: The Port was issued two environmental permits that allowed for impacts associated with the MPU projects. The MPU projects included the Third Runway, which is currently in operation, as well as the South Aviation Support Area, which was never constructed. Soil borrow sites that would have affected wetlands were also not used by the MPU projects; however, mitigation was COMMISSION AGENDA Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer July 26, 2011 Page 2 of 5 required for the MPU projects. In order to compensate for planned impacts, the permits required the Port to provide mitigation by enhancing existing, and creating new, wetlands. This original mitigation package included approximately 15 acres of wetland and wetland buffer site development on the Tyee Golf Course. The Tyee Golf Course mitigation site was to be constructed in 2006 as part of the overall MPU mitigation program under capital improvement project CIP #C100172. However, the Port requested the Tyee site be eliminated from the MPU mitigation program due to reduced impacts. After extensive discussions, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) concluded that the original planned MPU mitigation site functions were interdependent and the elimination of the Tyee site could only be assessed after extensive study. In lieu of initiating a costly study that would contain a high degree of uncertainty in terms of methods and outcome, the Corps, Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology), and Port Staff cooperatively agreed that a reduced 11.5-acre wetland development at the Tyee Golf Course would satisfy the MPU projects' mitigation requirements. In consideration of this reduced mitigation project, Port staff evaluated the existing wildlife hazard presented by the proposed mitigation site. This area had formerly been used by the Golf Course operator. In September 2009, this area was excluded from the tenant's lease due to conflicts with the Des Moines Creek Basin Committee Regional Detention Facility Projects. The unmaintained open grass area lies directly under the aircraft flight path and has been used by grazing geese and other waterfowl. The conversion of this open grass area to a dense scrubshrub habitat was seen as a significant benefit to the Airport Operation's Wildlife Hazard Mitigation Program. PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: The completion of the Tyee Golf Course Mitigation will fulfill the outstanding Port wetland mitigation permit obligations associated with the MPU projects. In addition , the project would mitigate a significant wildlife attractant by converting an open grass area to a dense scrub-shrub habitat. PROJECT STATEMENT AND OBJECTIVES: Project Statement: The purpose of the project is to design and complete the Tyee Valley Golf Course Area Mitigation, which includes removing golf cart paths, removing an abandoned culvert, amending the soil as needed, wetland and buffer planting over approximately 11.5 acres, and installing a temporary irrigation system, all as required by Natural Resource Mitigation Plan for the MPU and as required by the MPU 404 and 401 Environmental Permits and in support of the Airport Operation's Wildlife Hazard Mitigation Program. Project Objectives: In addition to fulfilling the outstanding wetland permit obligations, this project will serve to significantly reduce the wildlife hazard that is currently presented by the open grass in the area. This wildlife mitigation will present a tangible benefit to the Airport Operation's Wildlife COMMISSION AGENDA Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer July 26, 2011 Page 3 of 5 Hazard Mitigation Program. Scrub-shrub vegetation will be selected to match the site-specific conditions at the golf course ensuring long-term vegetative cover requiring little or no maintenance once fully established. PROJECT SCOPE OF WORK AND SCHEDULE: Scope of Work: This project will plant approximately 11.5 acres of wetlands and buffers within the Tyee Golf Course to environmental permit standards. The work will also include site preparation, removal of abandoned golf cart paths and stormwater culverts, soil amendments, and temporary irrigation systems as needed. Schedule: Commission Authorization to Advertise August 2011 Advertise September 2011 Notice to Proceed December 2011 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Budget/Authorization Summary: Original Budget $800,000 Budget Increase 0 Revised Budget 0 Previous Authorization this CIP $109,000 Current request for authorization $691,000 Total Authorizations, including this $800,000 request Remaining budget to be authorized $0 Budget Status and Source of Funds: This project is included in the 2011-2015 capital budget and plan of finance as a business plan prospective project (CIP #C800420). The funding source will be the Airport Development Fund. Due to the extended period of time since construction of the Third Runway and other MPU projects, as well as the benefits to Airfield Operations Safety, this project is budgeted through a new Aviation Division CIP. COMMISSION AGENDA Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer July 26, 2011 Page 4 of 5 Financial Analysis and Summary: CIP Category Compliance Project Type Health, Safety and Security; Regulatory Risk adjusted Discount rate N/A Key risk factors N/A Project cost for analysis $800,000 Business Unit (BU) Airfield Effect on business performance NOI after debt service will increase as capital and operating costs will be fully recovered in landing fees. IRR/NPV N/A CPE Impact CPE impact is less than $0.01 in 2013, but no change to business plan forecast since this project was included. Lifecycle Cost and Savings: The initial one-year plant establishment will be performed by the Maintenance Department for an estimated amount of $30,000. The MPU mitigation sites are subject to 15 years of maintenance and monitoring. Invasive weed control is currently performed by the Maintenance Department. Associated maintenance costs are conservatively estimated to increase by $5,000 per year for 15 years. Monitoring and plant replacement is performed by Aviation Environmental; their costs would increase by $5,000 per year for 15 years. Recurring annual costs will be incorporated in future budget authorizations as appropriate. ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY: This wildlife mitigation will augment wetland and wetland buffer enhancements provided by earlier projects. In doing so, the wetland will provide improved water quality and aquatic habitat functions to Des Moines Creek. At the same time, the project will reduce waterfowl use of the former golf course area, providing a tangible benefit to the Airport Operation's Wildlife Hazard Mitigation Program. Scrub-shrub vegetation will be selected to match the site-specific conditions at the site ensuring long-term vegetative cover requiring little or no maintenance once fully established. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES: This project supports and maintains positive relationships with the environmental agencies, Ecology, and Corps and reduces wildlife hazard to airport operations. COMMISSION AGENDA Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer July 26, 2011 Page 5 of 5 TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE SUMMARY: The local economy and community will benefit by this project because it helps to ensure the continued safe operation of the Airport, while meeting permit obligations. Completion of the Tyee Valley Golf Course Mitigation will fulfill all outstanding Port wetland permit obligations associated with the MPU projects. The Airport Operations wildlife hazard will be reduced. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS: 1) Do nothing. This alternative would entail notifying the agencies that the Port will not complete any additional MPU wetland mitigation and refuse to complete other studies. This alternative would significantly damage ongoing relationships with the Corps and Ecology. It is likely that the Corps and Ecology would maintain their positions and issue an enforcement action under the Clean Water Act. The enforcement action would likely require full mitigation plus penalty. The Port would be required to either comply or appeal the action in court. Legal fees alone would be substantial relative to the costs associated with Alternative 3. Some degree of mitigation would likely be required. This is not the recommended alternative. 2) Complete a functional assessment study and develop required mitigation bases on the results. It is assumed that the study would cost approximately $100,000 to complete. Once submitted, the report would again be open to agency review and interpretation. It is expected that such a study would take up to a year to complete, negotiate and be approved. Given the subjective nature of the study, it is assumed that the Corps would at most accept some reduced mitigation at Tyee. It is also possible that the Corps would add a penalty due to time delays and in the end the Port may end up planning the entire Tyee mitigation. This is not the recommended alternative. 3) Construct 11.5-acre wetland mitigation site. The new wetland mitigation would fulfill the Port's MPU wetland mitigation obligations. Relationships with the agencies would remain positive, which will benefit the Airport as it completes the 15-year wetland monitoring tasks and in future permitting efforts. In addition, the project would reduce a wildlife hazard presented by the existing grass field. This is the recommended alternative. OTHER DOCUMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS REQUEST: Map of Tyee Mitigation Site and Vegetation Changes. PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS: 1) On June 22, 1999, Commission authorized the initial work on this project under CIP #C100172 to be performed under the Third Runway Project. 2) On February 8, 2011, Commission authorized $109,000 for 100% design level construction documents in conjunction with a design Service Directive.
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