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INTERNAL SERVICE FUNDS
Vehicle Fund Overview
The Vehicles Fund provides resources for the maintenance and replacement of City vehicles and heavy equipment. It is funded with contributions by all City departments based on their vehicle inventory and use.
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Revenue Highlights
• Overall revenues increased 10.0% over 2022 in the second quarter. The increase in revenue is largely due to transfers from other departments for vehicle replacements.
Expenditure Highlights
• Expenditures have increased over 2022 by $406,078 or 14.2%.
• In the second quarter of 2023, the City purchased:
• Five 2023 Ford Interceptor Utility Vehicles
• John Deere 5067E Utility Tractor
• 2022 Ford F550 4x4 Water Dump Truck
• T32 Upfit Flatbed
• Four 2023 Ford F250 4x4 Regular Cab Pick-Up Trucks
• 2023 Ford F250 4x4 Supercab Pick-Up Truck
• Trailer Mounted Spray Unit
• 2023 Ford Ranger 4x4 Supercab
• 2022 Ford F150 Pick-Up Truck
• Ford F350 Regular Can with Plow
• Ford F350 Supercab with Plow
• 2023 Parker HHTL H8218
Print Services Fund
The Print Services Fund provides ongoing operational support for the City’s printing needs.
Revenue Highlights
• Overall revenue decreased 3.16% from 2022.
• Printing revenue decreased 5.71% from 2022 due to fewer print jobs in 2023.
• Copier revenue remained stable only increasing 0.95% from 2022.
Expenditure Highlights
• Overall expenditures increased 47.73% over 2022.
• Printing expenditures increased $14,144 or 13.21% over 2022 primarily due to an increase in internal service fund charges to cover risk management, building and vehicle use.
• Copier expenses saw a marginal increase of 0.51% from 2022 due to slightly higher maintenance cost.
• Equipment expense of $53,949 reflects a large purchase to replace old equipment that was originally budgeted in 2022 but was delayed.
Buildings Fund
The Buildings Fund provides resources for maintaining major portions of facility infrastructure as replacement becomes necessary. The primary types of infrastructure are HVAC equipment, parking lots, roofs, and carpet. It is funded with contributions by all City departments based on their facility occupancy.
Revenue Highlights
• Revenues include savings related to the Ameresco Energy Performance contract being transferred to the Buildings fund to help offset the original construction costs. Other revenues include transfers from various City Departments. 2nd quarter 2023 has seen a 52.4% increase in revenue over the same period in 2022.
Expenditure Highlights
• Expenditures include a transfer to Capital Projects fund for the Indiana gate project, as well as Repair and Maintenance to HVAC at the Olde Wadsworth Shops, West Woods Golf Course duct modifications, and air units at the Indiana Shops.
Overview:
On November 6, 2018 the citizens of Arvada approved Ballot Issue 3F to fund improvements to Ralston Road and West 72nd Avenue. Municipal bonds are commonly used by cities to fund capital improvement projects. In 2018, the City finished paying off a previous bond issue, freeing up $4.5 million in annual payments already accounted for in the City’s current budget. “Debt re-authorization” allows the money from the previous bond to be applied to a new bond whose funds will be used for these new capital improvement projects.
Ralston Road - Yukon to Garrison Bond Project
Description: Ralston Road is an arterial roadway and a major east-west corridor for Arvada’s transportation network, serving 23,000 vehicle trips each day. It provides connectivity to major north-south corridors including three State Highways. The Regional Transportation District (RTD) operates five bus lines using portions of Ralston Road. The Citizens Capital Improvement Plan Committee has twice ranked Ralston Road improvements as the number one transportation priority and recommended it for funding to the City Council. The project also addresses concerns expressed in recent Arvada Citizen Surveys. The 2014 Comprehensive Plan generated transportation models indicating that the congestion, operation, and safety of Ralston Road will deteriorate with the build-out of the City, and roadways will perform at the lowest levels of services
Progress:
Roadway:
• Contractor completed partial south side paving in April and shifted the traffic in May. During the Second quarter of 2023, the contractor completed a significant amount of work on the north side of Ralston Rd. The following activities were completed on the North side of Ralston between Garrison and west of Estes St. Soft soil excavation, stabilization, curb and gutter work, sidewalk pour, aggregate base course, geogrid placement, bottom two lifts of asphalt paving. Contractor also performed removal of existing asphalt pavement between Balsam and Yukon streets and prepared the road base. Contractor is also working on completing the improvements (parking lot pavement, grading work and etc.) in temporary construction easements between Garrison and Estes St.
Drainage:
• The contractor also completed a significant amount of storm sewer and water line work on the south side of Ralston Rd between Allison and Yukon streets, including manhole work, storm sewer pipe replacement, meter pit connections and fire hydrant work. Currently, the contractor is working on a storm sewer and water line tie-in work on the south side of Ralston at Balsam St intersection.
• One sanitary sewer service line at Estes St found to be in bad condition was repaired by Xcel third party contractor since they were found responsible for this damage.
Dry Utilities:
• Most of the dry utilities (Xcel electric, Comcast and Century link) work on the north side and part of the south side are done. Currently project team is coordinating Xcel gas line services conflicts associated with the construction activities between Balsam and Yukon St.
Wet Utilities:
• Contractor competed Meter pit connections and fire hydrants work at Yarrow St on south side of Ralston Rd.
Challenges:
• Contractor found additional gas line conflicts with the construction on the south side. The delay in the relocation from Xcel side is causing additional schedule challenges to the project completion date.
• This year additional rainy days in the spring also causing some issues to the project construction schedule.
• Keeping business access open without any disruption during the construction is also becoming a challenge on this project.
• In the past few months the contractor is constantly working on filling the potholes and re-striping the road as soon as possible. Through the City’s social media outlets, the project webpage, and direct contact with project team members, the City attempts to explain the challenges of the construction zone and upcoming work and any road closures. The project team recognizes the challenges with a construction zone and the City and Contractor teams are taking all reasonable steps to avoid as much inconvenience as possible.
• Contractor is also facing additional delays at Balsam St intersection for completing storm sewer and paving work due to gas line conflicts and additional rainy days in the season.
• Coordinating utility tie in work with Ralston gardens developer contractor before the top lift pavement goes on is also an additional challenge.
Next Steps:
• Contractor is working on completing the improvements in the temporary construction easement area on the north side parcels between Garrison to Estes St.
• Contractor is also focusing on finishing the grading, curb and gutter, road base preparation and sidewalk work between Carr St and Balsam on south side. Working on existing asphalt pavement removals, road base preparation, curb and gutter (flatwork), storm sewer and water line work from Balsam to Yukon St on south side of Ralston Rd.
• Continue coordination with third party utility providers to relocate/remove utility conflicts with roadway construction (Mainly Xcel Gas conflicts)
W. 72nd Avenue Bond Project
Description: W. 72nd Avenue is an arterial parkway and a major east-west corridor for Arvada’s transportation network, serving 21,000 vehicle trips each day. It provides connectivity to major north-south corridors including three State Highways. The regional corridor not only serves all of Arvada, it provides access to Westminster and Golden/Jefferson County. The Citizens Capital Improvement Plan Committee twice ranked improvements to W. 72nd Avenue as a high priority. The project also meets concerns expressed in recent Arvada Citizen Surveys. The 2014 Comprehensive Plan generated transportation models indicating the congestion, operations, and safety of W. 72nd Avenue will deteriorate with the build-out of the City and roadways will perform at the lowest levels of service.
Progress:
• Construction Package 1 - CP-1 (tree removal, utility relocation for the entire corridor, and new utilities). Xcel, Comcast, and Lumen are working to relocate utilities in the corridor. SEMA has met their contract deadline and is complete with CP-1.
• Construction Package 2 - CP-2 (Swadley to Oak). Work includes utilities and full roadway reconstruction. 100% Plans signed/stamped were received in February 2022. CP-2 began in March 2022. Currently, CP2 is on schedule to be completed in Feb 2024. Some delays have been experienced due to dry utility companies’ failure to relocate their facilities; however they have not impacted the critical schedule. Weather delays during an unusual spring and summer have slowed progress but CP-2 is still on schedule. CP-2 is $22.6 million.
• Construction Package 3 - CP-3 (Oak to Kipling, including the UPRR underpass) has five components: 1) bridge structure; 2) railroad shoofly; 3) temporary vehicular bypass; 4) roadway design plans; and 5) Construction and Maintenance Agreement (C & M Agreement), which are at varying stages of review by UPRR (Union Pacific Railroad) and the City. UPRR reviews have been occurring outside the expected timelines. 60% bridge plans have been returned with comments from UPRR in April 2023. The team is working on the next steps to achieve approval from UPRR. Anticipated Notice to Proceed is Q2 of 2024.
• Project scheduling will remain fluid until there is a better understanding of the UPRR coordination and response time. Construction Package 2 underway. UPRR reviews and timelines continue to be unpredictable. The length of the UPRR review process has now created a gap between the completion of CP-2 and the expected start of CP-3.
Project Challenges:
• For the underpass excavation component of CP-3, the project team is developing a plan to mitigate underpass excavation and dewatering issues and possible environmental issues. Options include discharging groundwater to the public sanitary sewer system and treating for heavy metals using a Baker Truck removal system, thus allowing discharge into the storm sewer system. A possible test hole is being considered at a City-owned property at the 72nd and UPRR intersection to better understand the dewatering method needed to waterproof the underpass excavation limits.
• Sonheim Underground Stream - The project team is assessing how the underpass may cut off underground stream flow to several properties on the south side of 72nd. A french drain is being proposed to recharge the water table in that location. Assessments are ongoing. Construction of this drain has begun in the CP2 portion of the project.
• UPRR has returned 60% bridge plans with comments during April 2023. Remaining and new comments are currently being addressed. Meanwhile the City is looking for other approaches to get more timely and effective responses from the UPRR in order to get the 60% plan finalized and move on to the next phase.
• The project team continues to work with dry utility contractors to get their infrastructure relocated and to keep our contractor, SEMA, moving on the roadway and utility portion of the project.
• Record rainfalls from May-July have delayed construction work multiple days. This has not yet affected the CP2 schedule but has reduced days of project float Right of Way (ROW):
• 71 of the 72 parcels to be acquired have been closed. The final parcel is expected to close soon.
• Temporary easements were extended for 20 parcels using the 6-month option in the agreements. Work is complete in the remaining temporary easements
Other Challenges:
• The Arvada’s citizens’ interest remains high in the construction progress. The City’s team of representatives continues to respond to all inquiries in a professional and timely fashion.
• Comments from our citizens range from temporary/permanent fence, traffic, signals, walls, potholes, stairs, and safety.
• Many of the homeowners are pleased with the work done to their property such as driveway replacements.
• The project team has made a significant effort to keep all users safe during construction.
• We have been coordinating with both schools in the area to understand typical drop-off and pick-up patterns. Work requiring road closures has repeatedly been scheduled during school vacations in order to minimize impacts to school traffic.
• Periodically we have project team members at the major intersections to remind students/pedestrians to be safe while waiting to cross the street.
• We have lowered the speed limit through the construction zone to 25 mph.
• We have asked the Arvada Police Department to periodically enforce through the construction zone. We have seen the police department doing just that at different times over the last few months.
• We have deployed digital speed signs to inform drivers of their speed and hopefully make them aware that they should slow down.
• We have circulated pedestrian maps to show the public which sidewalks are open through the construction zone.
Next Steps:
• Continue working with the UPRR to have them review plans in a timely manner and to get the on-site visit review complete. The City to begin negotiation of the C & M (Construction and Maintenance) Agreement in late 2023.
• Continue development of a construction organizational chart to allow the City team to forecast construction staffing needs for the different construction packages. Inspections will be a combination of City staff and Owner’s Rep staff.
• Continue coordination efforts with stakeholders, including the UPRR, Xcel Energy, Jefferson County School District, and Lincoln Academy, to allow a smooth transition from design to construction. Item to note: The project team has worked with zero injuries and zero lost work days!
