Yesterday, I finally had the time to go through the Mud Creek contract first awarded to Madonna Construction on 1/19/17. I’ve pulled out a few bits of information, took some screen shots, sent off emails to Cal Trans for comments, and otherwise started research and analysis. There is still much to discover and understand, but given that no one at Cal Trans has thus far responded, I decided to publish what I have today.
The original contract provided for removing slide material, installing rock nets, and restoring facilities to enable reopening the highway. This contract was awarded 1/19/17 and signed 3/17/17. It was for 30 days at a cost of $2,500,000. It is a public works contract specifically excluded from 2 CCR § 547.59. (California Code of Regulations.) It is exempt from public bidding as explained in the State Contracts Manual (SCM) §5.80 (A)(3) which states: “As noted in section 5.05, competitive bidding is required unless there is a legally authorized basis for bid exemption. Key exemption categories are identified below. A. Statutory Exemptions: 3. Emergency contracts. The work or service is for the immediate preservation of the public health, welfare, safety, or protection of State property (PCC §§ 1102, 10340).”
On 4/6/17, the original contract was modified to increase the contract from $2,500,000 to $9,500,000 an increase of 3 and 1/2 times the original amount and added 80 days for completion, for a total of 110 days. After the BIG slide on 5/19/17, The Contract was again modified two months later on 7/18/17 to $12,000,000 and another 60 days was added to the contract for a total of 170 days. Two more modifications, one on 9/20/17 for an additional amount of $32,000,000 and an addition of 150 WORKING days (30 weeks) for a total of 320 days, and another on 9/18/17 of total amount of $56,000,000 (previously awarded, PLUS the requested additional $32,000,000) would then take the contract to the end of April 2018.
By my calculations, the time and the $56,000,000 award ran out on 4/18/18 although the first page reproduced above says “end of April” so the contract has been renewed or is in the process of being renewed. I asked for the extension on this contract, but have yet to receive it. I will discuss it when received and will follow-up on that next week.
Besides the contract itself, I also inquired about the excavation going on at Grey Slip, a few miles south of Mud Creek, to obtain fill material. Grey Slip is another area of prior road issues. I asked Cal Trans to comment on this yesterday, but so far have not received any response. One local was told that they had originally started excavation on the west side, but after some movement, moved to the east. I have not been able to confirm this, as Cal Trans did not respond to my questions. I looked through some of my photographs to see if I could find an older one to show any prior issues at this point, but haven’t been able to locate one. Rock Knocker put all his old photos in a storage unit in Paso/Templeton, so no help there. If anyone else has a photo of Grey Slip in prior years, I would love to see it.
This is what is happening at Grey Slip currently:
Thanks Kate. Someone or several people are doing quite well with this no-bid contract which seems at best to skirt the intent of the law’s exemptions. As for old photos, this may or may not help: You can look up old photos on the Google Earth archive. Since they don’t take pictures of particular areas very often, you may or may not find one that gives you useful information.
Rock Knocker is going to check his storage unit.
https://bigsurkate.blog
Definitely a lot of “oddities” here. And no answers.
I am hoping that will change next week.
https://bigsurkate.blog
Kate, any chance your Rock Knocker could create a digital library of all his photos so, he can always have it on hand? It seems to be a needle in haystack to spend half a day to find a specific location image.
Are you kidding me? He is a Luddite and he has almost 40 years worth of images! I would love for him to do it, or maybe even pay someone to do it, but you don’t understand the way he photographs. Very few people (if any) would understand what they are seeing, except him. He sequences fissures, cracks, movement, vegetation, and on and on. I know more than most, but unless he is seated next to me, explaining what an image is and shows, it is worthless.
https://bigsurkate.blog
Kate, I guess I got myself into a can of worms here, I should have suggested an encyclopedia version for his images rather than library- so, it could be correctly detailed with all his inferences- a monumental project for sure.. I don’t want to mess with those rebels, thanks for the warning..
LOL. Oh it is beyond monumental, and yes, it will be difficult to lose them, although Cal Trans has a historic department much better organized and digital, so there is that. I have the report they did in 2001, updated in 2005 of landslides going back to the beginning. Photos start in the 60’s, as I recall.
https://bigsurkate.blog
5/8: Latest photos/images from Mud Creek via MCH/VF…
http://photos.montereyherald.com/2018/05/08/photos-mud-creek-slide-highway-one/#1
Kate, TW/MH: “Nearly a year after massive Mud Creek slide, project intensifies”
http://www.montereyherald.com/general-news/20180508/nearly-a-year-after-massive-mud-creek-slide-project-intensifies