CC SR 20260421 F - Hawthrone at Indian Valley Sinkhole NOC
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 04/21/2026
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Consent Calendar
AGENDA TITLE:
Consider a Notice of Completion for the Hawthorne Boulevard and Indian Valley Road
Sinkhole Contract.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Accept the construction contract with Colich & Sons, L.P. for the emergency work
to address the sinkhole at the intersection of Hawthorne Boulevard and Indian
Valley Road as complete;
(2) Authorize the City Clerk to file a Notice of Completion (NOC) for the project with
the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s Office; and if no claims are filed
within 35 days after recordation, send a notice to the surety company to exonerate
the Performance Bond; and,
(3) Authorize the Contract Officer to release the 5% construction retention payment to
Colich & Sons L.P., 35 days after recordation of the NOC by the Los Angeles
County Registrar-Recorder’s Office, contingent upon no claims being filed on the
project, and the contractor posting an acceptable warrant y bond with the City.
FISCAL IMPACT: The emergency response was done on a time and materials basis,
and the total construction cost was $179,857. The total cost of the
project, inclusive of other components such as engineering and
inspection, is $312,000. The work is funded through the Fiscal Year
(FY) 2025-26 budget under the Stormwater Asset Management
Program in the Capital Infrastructure Program Fund. The budget
amount listed below is the budget for the City’s entire storm drain
program. VR
Amount Budgeted: $1,450,000
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): 330-400-8701-8XXX (various accounts)
(CIP Fund – Storm Drain Asset Mgmt – Various) VR
ORIGINATED BY: Brandon Mesker, Associate Engineer
REVIEWED BY: Ramzi Awwad, Public Works Director
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. Notice of Completion (page A-1)
1
BACKGROUND:
During heavy rainstorms in December 2025, a small, shallow sinkhole began to develop
at the intersection of Hawthorne Boulevard and Indian Valley Road. To maintain traffic
flow while Staff further assessed conditions and developed plans to repair the sinkh ole,
the Public Works Department hired Clarke Contracting Corporation (Clarke) to install
traffic-rated steel plates over a 60-inch drainage pipe that was thought to be the cause of
the sinkhole.
Once a detailed assessment of the pipe was complete, Staff engaged the services of
Sunbeam Consulting (Sunbeam) through an existing on-call contract to prepare
engineered construction documents to repair the storm drain and restore the roadway
surface. Staff planned to use these engineered construction documents to solicit bids
from multiple construction contractors for construction of the repairs.
Following additional rainfall between the evening of February 10 and the morning of
February 11, 2026, Staff inspected the above-described traffic plates. The inspection
found that the plates had noticeable displacement from the originally installed locati on,
and the surrounding asphalt roadway had deteriorated such that the ability of the traffic
plates to support traffic flow was compromised.
DISCUSSION:
The roadway conditions on Hawthorne Boulevard and Indian Valley Road that were
observed by Staff on February 11 constituted an immediate risk to life and property and
did not allow a reasonable timeframe for the City Council to formally declare an
emergency related to the sinkhole. Therefore, on February 11, 2026, the City Manager
approved a Construction Contract with Colich and Sons, L.P. (Colich) to repair the
sinkhole, after notifying the City Council, City Attorney and City Department Heads. This
action was conducted in accordance with Rancho Palos Municipal Code (RPVMC)
Section 2.44.080 – “Emergency Purchases”, which states, “Emergency purchases
required due to natural disasters or other unforeseen circumstances may be made by the
purchasing agent if so noted on the purchase order form. Any such purchase shall be
reported to the City Council at the earliest opportunity, including supporting
documentation to demonstrate the emergency and to provide a detailed accounting ”.
Colich completed the storm drain repair on February 13, 2026, at a cost of $179,857. The
total cost of the project, inclusive of other components such as engineering and
inspection, is $312,000. Due to the emergency nature of project, work was conducted on
a time and material basis. Staff and Sunbeam have reviewed all Colich invoices and have
determined the charges to be fair, reasonable, commensurate with the level of effort
required, and consistent with daily field records.
The contract includes a 12-month warranty period requiring the contractor to remedy any
defective work. The project area will be monitored for the duration of the warranty period.
2
Figure 1: Completed Repairs at the Hawthorne Blvd. and Indian Valley Rd.
The filing of the NOC with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s Office allows the
City to close out its contract with Colich and release the associated retention within a
reasonable timeframe relative to the date that all construction contract work was
completed and when the City took beneficial use of the facility.
CONCLUSION:
The construction contractor, Colich, has completed all work in accordance with the plans,
specifications, and construction contract. Therefore, Staff recommends accepting the
project as complete and filing a NOC with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s
Office. If no claims are filed within 35 days after recordation, the City will release the 5%
retention, and upon the contractor posting an acceptable warranty bond, notify the surety
company to exonerate the Performance Bond.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to Staff recommendation, the following alternative action s are available for the
City Council’s consideration:
3
1. Direct Staff not to file the NOC for the Hawthorne Boulevard and Indian Valley
Road Sinkhole Contract.
2. Take other action, as deemed appropriate.
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Revised 05/2019
To be recorded with County Recorder
within 15 days after completion.
No recording fee.
RECORDING REQUESTED BY:
City of Rancho Palos Verdes
Attn: City Clerk
30940 Hawthorne Blvd
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
AND WHEN RECORDED MAIL TO:
Same as above
THIS SPACE FOR RECORDERS USE ONLY
NOTICE OF COMPLETION
(CA Civil Code 9204- Public Works)
Notice is hereby given by the undersigned owner, a public entity of the State of California, that a
public work of improvement has been completed, as follows:
Project title or description of work:
Date of completion:
Nature of owner:
Interest or estate of owner:
Address of owner:
Name of contractor:
Address of contractor:
Street address or legal description of site:
Dated: ___________________________ Owner: City of Rancho Palos Verdes
(Name of Public Entity)
By:
Title:
____________________________
Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
State of California )
County of Los Angeles ) ss
City of Rancho Palos Verdes )
I am the City Clerk of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, the public entity which executed the foregoing
notice and on whose behalf I make this verification; I have read said notice, know its contents, and the
same is true. I certify under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.
, California on (Date) Executed at Rancho Palos Verdes
By:
Title: Teresa Takaoka, City Clerk A-1