On July 8, 2019 the Sparks City Council approved an agreement # NM388-18-016 between the City of Sparks and The State of Nevada which outlines the City’s responsibilities related to maintenance to the State-owned traffic signals within the City’s jurisdiction.

On September 4, 2019 Sparks experienced an electrical storm and the south west traffic signal pole at McCarran and Prater was struck by lightning. The voltage entered through the detection camera and traveled through the pole and wiring to the controller cabinet. Damage inside the cabinet was severe, welding multiple components to the shelving and arcing the wiring together. This caused the signal to go dark. Public Works responded to the location and began trouble shooting the issues. At this time, the decision was made to bring in a contractor to assist with repairs to the signal. Titan Electric responded and NDOT was notified. On September 5^th and 6^th Public Works staff and employees from Titan Electric worked to replace all damaged items and return the signal to working order.

The damage comprised of the total destruction of the traffic signal controller, the malfunction monitoring unit, the pedestrian interface module, two ethernet switches, two video detection cameras, eleven detection cards, the fire apparatus pre-empt system, and the cabinet itself was replaced, as well as all the wiring to the south west pole and the uninterruptable power supply located in another cabinet.

Once the repairs were completed, staff added up the costs to submit to the State for reimbursement and discovered that the total bill was going to exceed the $50,000 threshold and needed Council approval before the vendor could be paid.

Due to the nature and unusual type of damage to this traffic signal, staff did not have enough information to know that an approval of funds from Council would be necessary. The City has a long and positive working relationship with Titan Electric Contracting and has utilized Titan Electric’s expertise in emergency situations due to their availability after hours and their knowledge of our system.

1. City Council may ratify the City Manager's approval of the purchase as outlined by staff.
2. Council may decline to ratify the action taken by the City Manager and provide direction to the City Manager.

Move to ratify the City Manager's authorization of an expenditure of $71,500 to Titan Electrical Contracting for replacement parts and labor to repair/replace components of the traffic signal at McCarran and Prater due to a lightning strike.