Okaloosa County BOCC — June 2, 2015 — Taylor Task Order 12 — reading text

TASK ORDER APPROVAL FORM C14-2117-TDD 12 CONTRACT #: TASK ORDER #: TASK ORDER AMOUNT: $ 76’59850 OFFERED BY CONSULTANT: TAYLOR ENGINEERING, INC. FIRM'S NAME Kenneth R. Craig, P.E. REPRESENTATIVE! PZKI?NAME — SIGNATURE ) Vice President May 5, 2015 TITLE DATE RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL APPROVED BY OKALOOSA COUNTY (Department Director) (Per Purchasing Manual) e $25,000 or less approved by Purchasing Director « Between $25,001 and $50,000 approved by Purchasing Director and County Administrator e Inexcess of $50,000 approved by the Board. SIGNATURE PUR@SING DIRECTOR Zan {%(/Uv’mté T DD pu7 s/ 26 TIfLE DATE ! ! DATE 76NTY AD)NSTRATOR (if applicable) CHAIRMAN (if applicable) S DATE 7 DATE TOURIST DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT ATTORNEY APPROVAL FORM CONTRACTOR NAME: TAYLOR ENGINEERING CONTRACT #: C14-2117-TDD TASK/PURCHASE ORDER #: 12 TASK/PURCHASE ORDER AMOUNT: NOT TO EXCEED $76,598.50 [ have reviewed the above-referenced task/purchase order and find it to be in compliance with the terms of the contract, Tourist Development Department Operations & Procedures Manual, the Okaloosa County Purchasing Manual and applicable local, state and federal laws, rules and regulations. (Initial applicable authorization) LH This approval authorizes the goods/work described in the attached Task or Purchase Order to be performed or acquired. This approval authorizes the goods/work described in the attached invoice(s) to be processed for payment. APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY: %%2 TDDM_) LYNN M. HOSHIHARA MAY 11, 2015 Illllllllm A T AYLOR ENGINEERING, |IN Delivering Leading-Edge Solutions OKALOOSA COUNTY DEEP WATER FISHING BUOYS PRELIMINARY DESIGN AND PERMITTING ASSISTANCE SCOPE OF SERVICES Overview Okaloosa County has requested Taylor Engineering develop a scope of work and cost proposal for preliminary design and permitting assistance of a fishing buoy system located in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 60 — 100 miles south of the Florida panhandle near the De Soto Canyon. The buoy system would consist of 4 — 10 buoys up to 10 miles apart in water depths between approximately 150 — 1,000 ft. Okaloosa County proposes to deploy the fishing buoys to attract pelagic game fish and expand recreational and sport fishing opportunities for County visitors. Taylor Engineering recently provided Okaloosa County a feasibility study regarding such a system; this scope of work and cost proposal is based on that study. As described below, Taylor Engineering will provide preliminary design and permitting assistance to Okaloosa County for the proposed buoy system. We have made several assumptions in developing this scope of services and associated fees for the project. The assumptions noted below and throughout this scope of services affect the proposed level of effort and associated costs. If any of the assumptions should prove incorrect, we will submit a proposal to modify our scope of services and our fees accordingly. We have developed this scope of services with the following assumptions and background information: e We assume the County will provide guidance regarding the general location of the proposed buoys. We will strive to permit the proposed buoy sites provided by the County; however, regulatory guidance may require site relocations or modifications. e Taylor Engineering expects an open-ended permit review process in terms of cost and time, given the unprecedented nature of the proposed project, species of concern for the project and project location, and the lack of firm federal agency review schedules. We have therefore assumed a not-to-exceed budget for the permit application review process. e The proposed project area is within essential fish habitat and nursery areas for most of the large pelagic game fish species as well as potentially federally listed species. As such, Taylor Engineering assumes a requirement for and has budgeted for the services of a Gulf of Mexico Migratory Fisheries expert for this project. o If the regulatory agencies require additional physical or biological survey or cultural resource investigations, we will consult with the county project manager and develop the necessary scope of work and budget to perform the additional required tasks. e We assume buoy manufacturers will provide engineering data necessary to permit the proposed project should pre-fabricated units be proposed. Taylor Engineering assumes this information will be sufficient for developing the permit application. e Taylor Engineering, Inc. cannot guarantee that the preliminary level of buoy and tethering system design presented in the feasibility study will be sufficient for the purposes of this permit application. The regional offices of the federal agencies that would lead review and issuance of this permit and provide expert review (United States Army Corps of Engineers — USACE and the National Marine Fisheries Service - NMFS) have indicated they have no experience in permitting such a buoy system in the proposed location and do not have guidelines for such designs. Buoy design may require special manufacturer expertise and additional effort on the part of Taylor Engineering. 1221 AIRPORT ROAD, SUITE 210 DESTIN, FL 32541 TEL 850.460.7040 WWW.TAYLORENGINEERING.COM WWW.TAYLORENGINEERING.COM e Okaloosa County will be responsible for all fees associated with any permit applications including application fees, public notification costs, etc. e Okaloosa County will serve as the permit applicant and Taylor Engineering will act as the County’s authorized agent in the processing of the application. Okaloosa will provide copies of all permit related correspondence to Taylor Engineering as part of the permit application process. e This scope of services does not include additional Coast Guard permitting for private aids to navigation that may be required. Should these services be required, Taylor Engineering will submit a separate scope of work to the County. e Taylor Engineering does not guarantee, warranty, ensure or otherwise promise or pledge that the regulatory agencies will authorize the proposed project. e The scope of services does not include final design or construction phase services (e.g., final engineering design of the buoy system [buoy, mooring system - including mooring line or lines and anchors], construction administration/observation, species monitoring, etc.). Task 1. Regulatory Consultation and Coordination Taylor Engineering will coordinate and participate in two pre-application meetings: one with the USACE Jacksonville District and one meeting with the regional National Marine Fisheries Office in St. Petersburg, FL. We will setup a conference call for those unable to attend in person. We anticipate the project manager Matthew Trammell P.E., the project environmental scientist and permitting task lead David Stites, Ph.D, and the Gulf Migratory Fisheries expert to participate in the meetings along with the Okaloosa County project manager. The task will include preparation of a pre-application meeting package (meeting agenda, illustrative exhibits, etc.), coordination with the fisheries expert, coordination of meeting schedules, travel to the meeting locations (Panama City or Jacksonville USACE office and NMFS office in St. Petersburg), and meeting summary memoranda. For the meeting package, we will rely primarily on the information in the feasibility report. The intent is to minimize the labor required to assemble the package should the pre- application meetings identify an agency recommendation that would lead the county to terminate the permitting efforts. As many of the fisheries experts in this area of expertise have taken specific positions regarding placement and use of such buoys, we have conducted detailed project discussions with several potential experts to identify a qualified individual supportive of the proposed project. We recommend the involvement of an expert in the population biology/ecology of Large Pelagic Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico for the pre-application meeting and all other components of the project. Dr. Jay Rooker, Regents Professor, Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Texas has expressed his interest in supporting the project as an expert in large pelagic fishes. His knowledge and understanding of Gulf of Mexico fisheries will help the County and the regulatory agencies assess the complex fisheries subject. The subcontract costs for the fisheries expert include a $20,000 not to exceed budget, billed on an hourly basis, with an additional $2,000 in travel costs for two meetings with the NMFS staff in St. Petersburg, FL. While the cost for the fisheries expert is shown as a separate line item in the budget breakdown at the end of the scope of services (to accurately track subcontractor costs), we expect them to have active involvement in all three tasks. TAYLOR ENGINEERING, IN Task 2. Permit Application Development We will submit a permit application to the USACE for a U.S. Department of the Army individual permit for the proposed buoy network. The environmental permit application will further detail the environmental information presented in the project feasibility study. The Taylor Engineering project manager will consult with the Okaloosa County project manager to provide answers to questions identified by federal agency staffs during the pre-application meeting such as buoy design questions (e.g. electronic tracking system for the likely event of buoy tether breakage, buoy retrieval efforts proposed, buoy size, lighting, seasonal buoy system removal, etc.). Taylor Engineering will also consult with the Okaloosa County project manager and the technical expert in large pelagic fish of the Gulf of Mexico regarding (1) expected level of use of the buoy system (2) expected levels of catch of large pelagic fishes using the system (3) potential impacts on the large pelagic fishes nurseries in that same general area of the Gulf of Mexico (4) potential or identified opportunities for research activities using the buoy system and (5) the annual recreational catch in the Gulf of Mexico and potential increase in the expected catch with the use of the buoy system. As mentioned in the feasibility study, Taylor Engineering recommends using a manufactured buoy and mooring system design to reduce concern from federal agencies regarding the longevity of the buoy, maintenance requirements, etc. We will contact buoy and tethering/anchor system manufacturers and request design drawings and specifications for deep-sea buoys and deep sea buoy tether/anchor systems that we will use as the basis for project permit drawings. In addition, we will also investigate potential opportunities for incorporating a weather monitoring station with the buoys to collect site- specific meteorological data that may benefit fisheries and oceanographic research. Task 3. Agency Coordination and Response to Requests for Additional Information Permit application review typically requires coordination between the permit applicant and the regulatory agency permit processors/reviewers to fully address the agencies’ requests for additional information (RAISs) that occur during the review process. While we anticipate submittal of a complete and concise permit application package, the scale and uniqueness of the project will likely generate review comments and RAIs from regulatory agencies and associated commenting agencies. As the County’s representative, we will coordinate with the County and the lead regulatory agencies to address any such RAIs. Upon receipt of an RAI, Taylor Engineering will review the request and discuss an appropriate response with the County project manager. Prior to submitting the response to the regulatory agency, Taylor Engineering will provide a copy to the County project manager for review and approval, if necessary. Based on discussions with USACE, NMFS, and a retired Gulf of Mexico Fisheries