[Durham INC] City Stormwater Services Response: INC-list Digest, Vol 129, Issue 9

Fri Sep 11 09:53:41 EDT 2015

Dear Ms. Wilbur,

Could you please outline how, in the RFP, working with the students at 
Southern High School and other beginning k-12 programs, and the benefits 
that helping fund programs like that, as well as the extensive use of 
community volunteers all factored into the considerations of "best 
proposal"?

Thanks,
Will Wilson

On 9/11/2015 9:47 AM, PublicAffairs wrote:
> Dear INC List:
>
>
>
> We noted the discussion regarding the City of Durham Stormwater & GIS
> Services Division and the concerns noted by some about our efforts to
> install more rain gardens and other small residential stormwater
> practices. We'd like to respond to these concerns, explain our
> competitive bid process, clarify some information, and better explain
> how we work with the Durham County Soil and Water Conservation
> District (SWCD).
>
>
>
> In the past, the City of Durham Stormwater & GIS Services Division
> had several small contracts and grant projects to install small-scale
> residential stormwater retrofits within the city. The projects
> include the City's Rain Catchers project, which won an EPA award, as
> well as projects with partners such as the SWCD and the Ellerbe Creek
> Watershed Association.
>
>
>
> In addition to having worked with the SWCD on these small-scale
> projects, the City currently has a 2014 Interlocal Cooperation
> Agreement with the SWCD for the installation and inspection of 12
> rain gardens and cisterns for the next five years. In short, we value
> our SWCD partners and we look forward to continuing to work with
> them.
>
>
>
> A concern was raised as to why our division felt a competitive bid
> process was the best approach after working with various entities up
> until now. After completing these small-scale projects, we felt that
> a competitive process for these types of projects was needed to
> review and update information from previous efforts, including
> several grants and other contracts, and then use this information to
> develop a systematic approach for the city moving forward.
>
>
>
> We also want to determine a plan for long-term monitoring and
> reporting for the new devices as well as previously installed
> devices, bid document preparation, construction management, and
> design specification for the implementation of these small-scale
> residential stormwater control measures. At this point, the
> professional services request for proposals is still underway. A
> separate bid process will be held for the construction and
> installation of these practices at a later time.
>
>
>
> On May 22, the Stormwater & GIS Services Division issued a
> professional services request for proposals. When we issued the
> request, our information contained many sections including evaluation
> criteria and how to submit a proposal. Proposals were due on June 22,
> and a committee evaluated the submitted proposals based on criteria
> detailed in the request. As part of this process, oral presentations
> were then requested with two of the top-scoring proposals. The
> top-scoring proposals demonstrated a thorough understanding of the
> project and the methodology to be used. The top proposals also
> demonstrated their ability to provide effective project management. A
> negotiation with the top-scoring team from the oral presentation
> process is now underway to see if a scope and cost can be agreed
> upon. If a scope and cost can be agreed upon, then a contract will be
> drawn up and presented to the City Council for approval.
>
>
>
> I'd also like to add a note of clarification on taxes and the City of
> Durham stormwater utility. Stormwater Services is not funded by tax
> dollars, but funded by a stormwater utility fee that is applied to
> city residents only. For more information on this fee, please visit
> http://durhamnc.gov/814/Stormwater-Bill-Questions.
>
>
>
> If you still have concerns or questions about our impartial process
> to develop a systematic approach for the city moving forward, please
> contact me directly at (919) 560-4326 or by email at
> Sandra.Wilbur at DurhamNC.gov<mailto:Sandra.Wilbur at DurhamNC.gov>.
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Sandra Wilbur, PE
>
> Civil Engineer III
>
> Public Works Department Stormwater & GIS Services Division
>
> City of Durham
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> From: INC-list [mailto:inc-list-bounces at lists.deltaforce.net] On
> Behalf Of inc-list-request at lists.deltaforce.net
>
> Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2015 11:46 PM
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 5. Request for the INC to invite the SWCD to talk about this RFP
> business with Stormwater Services (Melissa Rooney)
>
> 6. Request for the INC to invite the SWCD to talk about this RFP
> business with Stormwater Services (Philip Azar)
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>  Message: 5
>
> Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2015 21:53:29 -0400
>
> From: Melissa Rooney <mmr121570 at yahoo.com>
>
> Subject: [Durham INC] Request for the INC to invite the SWCD to talk
> about this RFP business with Stormwater Services
>
>
>
> A couple years ago, the INC heard from the SWCD regarding the lack of
> collaboration and the persistence of redundancies between City
> Stormwater Services and Durham's Soil and Water Conservation District
> (SWCD)
>
>
>
> Given the situation outlined in Pat?s and my emails below, this
> collaboration doesn't seem to have gotten any better.
>
>
>
> I am writing to request that the INC invite the SWCD to a meeting to
> report on the situation regarding Stormwater Services' RFP for rain
> gardens and other bmps in the city (see correspondence below), the
> resulting excessive and redundant costs to Durham taxpayers, and the
> current status of collaboration between the city/county/SWCD with
> regard to long-term and holistic plans (and acquisition of funding)
> to improve and preserve the health of Durham watersheds, particularly
> the Jordan and the Falls.
>
>
>
> Subsequently, I expect INC to invite Stormwater Services to give
> their reasons behind the aforementioned RFP process (why they did not
> renew the City's previous year's $10,000 pilot program with the SWCD)
> and the reasons behind their decision to spend ~10x more taxpayers'
> money for an independent Raleigh contractor to perform these same
> services? As well as any INC-ers? questions that arise after hearing
> from the SWCD in this regard.
>
>
>
> In another matter, the SWCD is in the process of requesting that the
> county form a watershed commission, consisting of multiple
> stakeholders from the city and county, to determine a long-term plan
> for improvements to our impaired watersheds. Such a plan is
> desperately needed to ensure open communication and collaboration and
> to minimize redundancies of services among city/county agents as well
> as to ensure that Durham tax dollars are spent most efficiently and
> with maximal benefits to our waterways. The SWCD should also speak to
> this, likely at a separate/second INC meeting, so that you all know
> what is being discussed in this regard and why.
>
>
>
> An invitation can be sent to
>
> Eddie Culberson  |  Director
>
> 721 Foster Street
>
> Durham, North Carolina 27701
>
> Office (919) 560-0558   |   Fax (919) 328-6192
>
> eculberson at dconc.gov
> <applewebdata://5649DC2F-F67A-4FAE-8BF9-ECD91D2E562F/lmarochak@dconc.gov>
>
>
>
>
> Thanks for considering inviting the SWCD to communicate these issues
> to the INC directly-they are big issues that affect all Durham
> residents and taxpayers, not to mention the health of our waterways
> and drinking water.
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Melissa (Rooney)
>
>
>
> (Note: I am an associate supervisor on the SWCD board, but I write to
> you here as a Durham citizen who pays both county and city taxes.)
>
> ------------------------------
>
> On Sep 5, 2015, at 8:15 PM, Melissa Rooney <mmr121570 at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> Hiring an engineering company to oversee a rain-garden program is
> like hiring a plastic surgeon to treat acne.  It is overkill and
> completely unnecessary, redundant, and costly (for Durham
> taxpayers).
>
>
>
> Durham citizens elect supervisors to serve on the Soil and Water
> Conservation District (SWCD) board, providing far more citizen
> oversight of the rain-gardens and other bmps (best management
> practices) that our tax dollars are paying for (via state and county
> (and previously city) funding of Durhams SWCD).
>
>
>
> The SWCD has an incredibly hands-on approach, involves cost-sharing
> (which is far more educational to the homeowners on whose property
> these bmps are being installed and which also ensures their long-term
> buy-in with regard to proper use and maintenance of these bmps), and
> involves our public school system via the Agriculture/Business
> programs at Southern High School, the Hub farm, and soon-to-be Lowes
> Grove Middle School.
>
>
>
> Yet the city Stormwater Services department (SS) excluded the SWCD?s
> RFP (to provide the rain-garden services sought) before the SS's
> scoring process of the other RFP?s was even complete.
>
>
>
> My favorite part about the SWCD?s RFP was that nearly ALL of the
> funds requested (to provide these rain-garden services) were going to
> pay for public school teacher stipends (for those overseeing the
> above Ag/Bus programs) and summer stipends for the students who work
> in these programs via their public school programs. This summer
> stipend would be a significant financial contribution to the families
> of the many low-income students involved in the Ag/Bus program at
> Southern (and who would be installing the rain gardens as well as
> growing the plants for them).
>
>
>
> Furthermore, the SWCD?s RFP involved collaboration on the part of the
> state, the county, DPS, and the city (via this RFP), and letters of
> recommendation were submitted along with the RFP accordingly. I've
> never seen a more collaborative and positive approach.
>
>
>
> What's more, the SWCD put in a lot of staff time fulfilling the
> hurdles required to provide these exact same
> rain-garden/bmp-installation service for the city last year for a
> mere $10,000 (all of which was cost-shared among the homeowners whose
> applications were accepted, on the basis of which projects would
> provide the most benefit to our waterways). The SWCD went through
> this frustrating process under the pretense that this contract with
> the city would be ongoing; and I, for one, was very frustrated when I
> learned that the city Stormwater Services Department was, instead,
> requesting RFPs from other entities for these same services. In the
> meantime, the SWCD?s services in this regard, and especially the
> involvement of our public schools, has received awards on all levels
> (see annual report link below):
>
>
>
> http://dconc.gov/home/showdocument?id=13393
>
>
>
> The lack of sincere collaboration (in action, not just meetings)
> between the city's Stormwater Services and Durhams Soil and Water
> Conservation District must end if our approach to improving the
> health of our waterways is to be its most effective (cost-wise as
> well as environmental-benefits-wise).
>
>
>
> The necessity for a holistic approach and long-term plan regarding
> actions to improve the health of our stormwater and water sources is
> a no-brainer. The city and county must work together if we taxpayers
> are to get the most bang for our bucks.
>
>
>
> I hope that the INC will invite the SWCD and Stormwater Services (at
> separate meetings) to discuss this matter at length and take action
> to improve this situation moving forward.
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Melissa (Rooney)
>
> ------------------------------
>
> On Sep 5, 2015, at 11:14 AM, Pat Carstensen <pats1717 at hotmail.com
> <mailto:pats1717 at hotmail.com>> wrote:
>
>
>
> I am struggling to understand these two different proposed processes
> for getting more rain gardens in Durham, a relatively cheap way to
> improve water quality in our water supply lakes.
>
>
>
> What we aren't doing, the Soil and Water Conservation District
> program, costing in 10's of thousands of $$: Get the plants from
> DPS's Hub Farm
>
> Use a network of watershed associations to find places to build rain
> gardens (they should have included INC!) Use the students at the ag
> concentration and internship program at Southern High School to build
> the rain gardens Use design and technical assistance from SWCD staff
>
>
>
> What stormwater decided to do, costing 100s of thousands of $$ for
> 1/2 as many rain gardens:
>
> Farm everything out to a Raleigh firm (hiring how many Durham folks
> to work on it???)
>
> Now, I can understand that if you are building a great big retention
> pond, you would need a specialist engineer to figure things out (tho
> the specialist engineers did a pretty good job of messing up the
> stormwater pond in our neighboring development, so they had to get in
> the super-specialist engineers to do it right (-:).  But it doesn't
> sound like a backyard rain garden is something you need a certified
> civil engineer to OK.
>
> I think other municipalities in NC (Charlotte? Wilmington?) have
> figured out how to use more local services effectively where they are
> appropriate, and it is always disappointing when Durham isn't showing
> leadership in effective use of taxpayer money.
>
>
>
> Regards, pat
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2015 22:09:33 -0400
>
> From: Philip Azar <pazar at nc.rr.com>
>
>
>
> Hi Melissa,
>
>
>
> I am looking for a subject matter expert to discuss water resources
> at the next INC meeting so that there is a baseline for expected
> further discussion with stakeholders and advocates.
>
>
>
> I would prefer not to go directly to advocates and stakeholders if
> possible.
>
>
>
> Everyone, If you know a subject matter expert that may fit the bill,
> please email me.
>
>
>
> Thanks, Philip
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________ Durham INC Mailing
> List inc-list at lists.deltaforce.net
> http://lists.deltaforce.net/mailman/listinfo/inc-list
>

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