Districts 19-12 and 19-14

Font Size: + -

Feedback Print

Project Updates

November 2024 Update

All property owners who have not completed their private conversions are encouraged to contact the UUAD Project Manager at (310) 802-5358 to make arrangements, as the deadline for conversion has passed. Edison has energized their underground system and is in the process of performing electrical cut-overs. Spectrum is currently cabling their underground system. Residents will receive notification via a paper door hanger prior to any extended conversion-related electrical service outages.

The following project update notice has been mailed to residents in October 2024:

Dear Property Owners and Residents:

We are writing to provide an update on the progress of undergrounding utilities in Districts 12 and 14 in El Porto. We understand this project is important to you, and we appreciate your patience as we work with the various utility companies.

Southern California Edison (Electrical Service) – The underground electrical system is in place and is energized. City staff is actively coordinating with the private contractors hired by individual property owners to facilitate the cut-over of each of the 300+ properties requiring conversion from an overhead connection to an underground feed.
- If your property has not yet been converted, your contractor will contact you in advance of your scheduled cut-over date.
- Most properties will experience an electrical outage shorter than two hours on the day of conversion.
- If you are curious about the status of your electrical conversion, please e-mail UUAD@manhattanbeach.gov.

Spectrum (Cable TV and Internet) – Spectrum has crews scheduled the week of October 7 to confirm physical access and conduit path continuity to all service locations. Cut-overs from the overhead to underground system will be scheduled after any identified issues are addressed. Spectrum will make contact with residents prior to conversion if access to the property is needed, or if an extended service outage is anticipated.

Frontier (Phone and Internet) – Frontier's underground infrastructure installation is required for removing overhead wires. The City has continued to engage with Frontier on a number of occasions to receive a status report on their work. On October 2, 2024, Frontier indicated that Frontier plans to have all of its plan revisions finalized by October 25. In the meantime, Frontier with be directing its construction manager to coordinate the timeframe with the City for placing and splicing. Frontier anticipates having all work completed by the end of March, at the latest.

We will continue to share information as soon as it becomes available.

As stated in earlier project updates, the City does not own the private utility systems that are being converted from overhead to underground, and State law constrains our ability to regulate the operations of the utility providers. However, we are continuing to seek out solutions to ensure that the work is completed as expeditiously as possible.

We understand the frustration caused by this lengthy utility undergrounding. To address your concerns and provide further information, we are planning a Town Hall meeting with property owners, residents, and representatives from all three utility companies. A postcard with the meeting details (likely scheduled for early November) will be mailed to your address soon.

We are also developing a progress tracker for the UUAD 12 & 14 website. This real-time tracker will display the progress of electrical conversions, and is expected to be live by November 1, 2024.

Thank you for your continued cooperation. We're committed to completing the undergrounding project as quickly and efficiently as possible.

For questions, please contact me directly at (310) 802-5358, or via email at jfijalka@manhattanbeach.gov.

Sincerely,

Jeff Fijalka, P.E.

Principal Civil Engineer/UUAD Project Manager

Schedule/Construction Phasing

Project Phase	Anticipated Completion
Phase 1: ROW Construction	Complete
Phase 2: Property Conversions	Complete
Phase 3: Cabling & Equipment	Pending
Phase 4: Pole Removal	Pending

Construction Phasing

The undergrounding projects for Underground Utility Assessment Districts 19-12 and 19-14 will be completed in four phases, with the entire process taking approximately 24 – 33 months to complete. The timeliness of each phase will depend on factors such as the scale and extent of the rainy season, timeliness of residential conversions, unforeseen conditions during construction, etc. These four phases include:

Information for Property Owners

Private Property Conversions

Below you will find the answers to several Frequently Asked Questions relating to the current Private Property Conversion Phase.

What is a “Service Conversion?”	The term “Service Conversion” means converting a home’s overhead utility connection to an underground network and it includes two stages: Locating and intercepting the Edison, Frontier, and Spectrum underground conduits provided at your property line and extending them to your home’s service connection point (electrical panel, telephone box and cable box). Disconnecting your overhead service wires and reconnecting the underground service wires (i.e., the cut-over).
Do I need to perform a service conversion?	No if…. Your home’s service is already undergrounded to the nearest street utility pole. No further work is required by you. The utilities will intercept your service once the system is cabled and energized. Yes, if either…. Your home is currently served overhead. The conduits installed must be 3” diameter for electrical, 2” diameter for telephone and 2” diameter for cable. Your home’s wires are undergrounded to a location which does not have street access, i.e., to a backyard pole. Please note that even if your home has overhead wires, it may already have empty conduit installed if it was built or significantly (+50%) remodeled after 1977. This is when homes were required by municipal ordinance to provide conduit in anticipation of future undergrounding. If this is the case at your home, you will need to ensure that those empty conduits are connected to the underground network at your property line and make arrangements for the cut-over stage of the service conversion once the underground network has been installed and energized.
If I’m still not sure, who can help me determine whether I need to perform a service conversion?	If you’re not sure, in most cases the UUAD Project Manager can help you determine whether you need to have service conversion work done. However, we may not be able to tell you whether your builder installed empty conduit to the street right-of-way in anticipation of an undergrounding project. If you believe that your property may already have underground conduit installed, you may contact your builder or hire an electrical contractor to confirm if empty conduits have already been pre-installed. If your home does have empty conduit but is still served overhead, your contractor will need to verify that your underground conduit has intercepted the network.
How much will a service conversion cost me?	The City cannot estimate what your unique service conversion work will cost. Factors that affect price include the length of the service run from the street to your panel box, the type and quality of the surface area to be disrupted, whether you choose to upgrade your panel, any cosmetic repairs needed, etc. The cost for this work is paid by you directly to the electrical contractor you hire. Be sure you understand the minimum amount of work that must be done to comply with the service conversion requirements and ask your electrical contractor to clearly explain all of your options and costs. If your panel cannot be served from below, or if it is failing or presents a safety hazard, a panel upgrade may be required.
What happens if I fail to meet the conversion deadline?	Should any homeowner not complete the work by the deadline, the City will contract with an electrical contractor to complete the work on his/her behalf and the associated cost will be billed to the homeowner accordingly per the City’s Municipal Code Section 7.28.100. Past bidding for this type of work has revealed that the City will typically pay an electrical contractor 2-3 times more for the same work due to contracting provisions such as the bonding, insurance, and prevailing wage requirements that must be met. We therefore strongly discourage you from considering this path as an option for having your work completed.
Who should I contact to perform my service conversion?	A list of contractors who perform utility conversion work is provided here. Although this list is not intended to be a recommendation for any particular company, it will provide you a starting point for having the work completed. Please note that any licensed electrical contractor may perform the work, not just those included on the list.
Why is a City permit required for a service conversion?	The City’s permitting process ensures that all installations are inspected and approved according to code and it protects you as the homeowner from faulty installations. The contractor you hire will be required to pull a City permit PRIOR to beginning your service conversion work. The contractor must also request a City inspection and receive approval for various phases before your home can be cut over to the new underground system.
When will the poles come down?	Once Southern California Edison, Frontier, and Spectrum have installed wires, energized new underground system and converted 100% of the properties within the District, then the utility companies can start removing the existing overhead wires and utility poles as the last phase of the project. We anticipate this to occur in mid-to-late 2023, if not sooner. To recap, the projected timeline is as follows: Phase 1 Public Right-of-Way Construction (approx. 12 months). This phase is complete. Phase 2 Private Property Conversions (6 months plus any extensions granted by the City and delay time for any work that must be completed by the City for non-compliant properties). Phase 3 Cabling and Equipment Installations, and Cut-overs (approx. 6-12 months). Phase 4 Pole Removal (approx. 3 months).

Map

Assessment of Districts 19-12 and 19-14

On October 1, 2019, the City Council approved the levy of an assessment to pay for the undergrounding of overhead utilities in Underground Utility Assessment Districts No. 19-12 and 19-14. Of the ballots returned by the property owners, 62.27% and 64.19% (by weighted assessment) were in favor of forming District 19-12 and District 19-14, respectively, in order to facilitate the financing of the underground projects. The Final Engineer’s Reports for District 19-12 (PDF) and District 19-14 (PDF) were filed at Public Works Department upon formation of both Districts.

Design Plans

The design plans are available below for review. A Map Legend (PDF) with associated definitions for the color coding included on the design plans are provided for reference.

District 19-12 NE (PDF) – The northeast quadrant of District 19-12, which is near Highland Avenue between 45^th Street and 43^rd Street.
District 19-12 NW (PDF) – The northwest quadrant of District 19-12, which is near The Strand between 45^th Street and 43^rd Street.
District 19-12 SE (PDF) – The southeast quadrant of District 19-12, which is near Highland Avenue between Seaview Street and 41^st Street.
District 19-12 SW (PDF) – The southwest quadrant of District 19-12, which is near The Strand between Seaview Street and 41^st Street.
District 19-14 NE (PDF) – The northeast quadrant of District 19-14, which is near Highland Avenue between 41^st Street and El Porto Street.
District 19-14 NW (PDF) – The northwest quadrant of District 19-14, which is near The Strand between 41^st Street and El Porto Street.
District 19-14 SE (PDF) – The southeast quadrant of District 19-14, which is near Highland Ave. between 39^th Street and Rosecrans Avenue.
District 19-14 SW (PDF) – The southwest quadrant of District 19-14, which is near The Strand between 39^th Street and Rosecrans Avenue.

Project Manager Information

Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.
They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below.

Word Viewer

City of Manhattan Beach

Districts 19-12 and 19-14

Construction Phasing

District Boundaries