Press Release
LA Consulting awarded two maintenance operations contracts in California
1/17/2003
Contact:
Harry Lorick, P.E.
Lorick Associates Consulting
(310) 374-5777
hlorick@laconsulting.com
Neal Leavitt
Leavitt Communications
(760) 639-2900
neal@leavcom.com
Manhattan Beach, CA, Jan. 17, 2003 – LA Consulting, Inc. has been awarded two maintenance operations contracts in California.
The City of Cypress and Santa Clara County, CA recently retained the firm to evaluate their respective maintenance operations and implement a maintenance management system (MMS). Harry Lorick, P.E., LA Consulting president, made the announcement.
Cypress, population 50,000, is 30 miles south of Los Angeles. Santa Clara County, with 1.7 million people, is 35 miles south of San Francisco. County seat is San Jose.
According to Jeff Sinn, Director of Public Works for the City of Cypress, LA Consulting will be analyzing all Engineering and Maintenance Division operations and compare its productivity with other similar agencies and with accepted industry standards. This will include operations for roads, traffic, parks, buildings and fleet. There are currently 52 full-time employees in the Engineering and Maintenance Division.
The City of Cypress’ Public Works Department is responsible for maintaining 145 miles of sidewalks; 50 traffic signals and 8,000 roadway signs; weekly sweeping of 234 miles of curb and gutter; the sanitary sewer system, including 108 miles of sewer lines and one sewer lift station; and the storm water system, comprising 60 miles of storm drains and 567 catch basins.
“The report will highlight the areas in Public Works in which we’re doing well and provide recommendations on how to implement improvements in those areas where we could do better,” Sinn said.
Alan Jones, Branch Manager for Santa Clara County, said LA Consulting is assisting the county’s Roads and Airports Department in evaluating maintenance operations and software selection. There are 140 employees in the department’s Maintenance Division; annual budget is $14 million.
“One of the principal goals is to validate what we’re doing right and give us a better management tool that we can use on a daily basis that clearly outlines how we’re productive,” Jones said. “We’ll not only be able to establish performance standards for various tasks but also more effectively evaluate our own resources.”
Jones added that equipment utilization and staffing levels are two key areas for the division that LA Consulting is studying. The firm is also looking at the impact of alternate work hours for department employees and how this will affect productivity. A number of employees, for example, have expressed an interest in working four consecutive 10-hour days, allowing for a three-day weekend.
LA Consulting, established in 1993, provides a wide variety of planning, systems and technology services applied to public agencies and municipalities, with an emphasis on systems implementation and technical support for public works operations and maintenance. Services include public works evaluation and review; management and operations systems assistance; infrastructure planning; maintenance management training; and maintenance systems (maintenance, pavement, and facilities). The firm’s corporate headquarters is in Manhattan Beach, CA, about 20 miles west of Los Angeles.