Key Biscayne Master Plan 043944000.18w_Key_Biscayne_MP(forJooMag) | Page 84

VILLAGE OF KEY BISCAYNE UNDERGROUNDING OF UTILITIES — MASTER PLAN
Having the Village’s selected contractor perform most of the work is the
best method to guarantee work is performed in a timely manner. Because
the Village’s selected contractor has a strong and direct contractual
obligation to meet an agreed-upon schedule, the risk of schedule impacts
caused by the contractor are reduced.
To reduce schedule risk posed by elements of construction that must
be performed by the utility owners it is critical a detailed construction
schedule clearly identify when the activities are required during the project
and their duration. All dates and durations must be clearly communicated
to the utility owners and the Village must obtain a commitment to those
dates from the utility owners prior to the commencement of each phase.
Coordination meetings should be held on a regular interval and should
include the utility owners. At these meetings any schedule or sequence
adjustments made should be discussed and coordinated. Experience
has shown employing a well-qualified Construction Manager has been
extremely beneficial in facilitating this process.
Some level of unforeseen conditions can be expected with any project
of this scale. When unforeseen conditions do arise, it is important the
design team, construction team, utility owners, and Village work together
on developing solutions as quickly as possible to avoid schedule impacts.
The team’s focus should remain on development of a solution until the
unforeseen condition is overcome to minimize or eliminate schedule
impacts.
During previous projects the service conversion process has presented
challenges when absentee and/or unwilling property owners are
encountered. To compound the challenges, communication companies
consider their customer information to be confidential, which often makes
it difficult for outside entities, including the construction team or owner,
to contact absentee property owners and/or discussing concerns with
unwilling property owners. Having a strong public outreach component
that proactively reaches all property owners offers them an understanding
of the project and how they will be individually affected is recommended.
This will mitigate the risk delayed service conversions on the part of
individual property owners cause delays to the overall project. Performing
this outreach continuously and early also aids in identifying where problems
may be encountered in the future so proactive actions can be taken.
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When an owner’s service entrance does not meet the National Electric
Code, it will need to be upgraded prior to service conversion process. To
reduce the impact of delays caused by this condition the following process
is recommended:
 During the design phase a review of all meters shall be performed
to determine where code issues may exist
 The Village can then notify these property owners that their service
entrances need to be upgraded in advance of the project along
with instructions on how to initiate the work
 If by the time construction begins the work has not been completed
by the property owner, we recommend the construction contract
include an allowance line item for the Village to perform this work
on behalf of the property owner
 Finally, the associated costs should be assessed against the
property by the Village
After service conversions are completed, the de-energized overhead wires
and poles must be removed by the utility owners. This type of work is
considered very low priority for the utility companies and they will
demobilize from the project if they are needed to respond to another
service repair or recovery effort elsewhere in the system, presenting a