Ocean research equipment, new police SUVs among items up for consideration by Newport Beach City Council

The Newport Beach City Council will consider the purchase of three new SUVs for the police department to replace vehicles meeting the end of their recommended service life at their next meeting on Tuesday.

The purchase of three new Ford Explorers will cost a total of $173,311.80, according to reports by city staff. They will take the place of vehicles set to reach the end of their recommended service period of either four years or 75,000 miles in 2025.

Ford Explorers are the department’s preferred make and model. However, supply chain issues made them difficult to procure in recent years, so Newport Beach police wound up acquiring several Dodge Durangos last year as an alternative.

“So far, the Durangos have been working well,” city staff wrote in their report. “However, they do not have a long history of reliability.”

Explorers have become more readily available recently, so the department has switched back to Ford. Doing so allows them to reuse some interior upgrade components used to outfit vehicles for police use, saving the city some money on upgrade costs.

Council members will also consider extending an agreement to rent out an underdeck at the end of Newport Beach Pier to UC San Diego researchers monitoring coastal waters.

Scientists with UCSD’s Scripps Institute of Oceanography have set up equipment on a deck underneath the end of the pier that has been monitoring ocean water temperature, salinity, pH, oxygen content, conductivity, chlorophyll, water density and pressure since 2005. That data has been used to conduct research and has also been the basis for the Newport Beach Lifeguards’ surf report.

“Three other ocean piers in Southern California gather the same information, which is used to support ocean health and coastal-ocean water quality by coastal managers, agencies, researchers, and the general public,” city staff wrote in a report.

In addition to an extension of the city’s agreement with the university, researchers plan to install additional equipment and add a sign accessible with visitors with a QR code they can use to see the data recorded by the equipment.

Another project scheduled for review by the City Council is the first of three phases of maintenance to the city’s sewer lines.

The Bay Crossing water transmission main and sewer force main rehabilitation project would be the first of three major sewer line projects in Newport Harbor. The process involves digging down to reach existing pipes and then installing a liner inside of them to protect them from future wear and tear.

The first stage of the project should cost about $190,000. However, city staff have recommended setting aside $300,000 to account for any unexpected complications.

The Newport Beach City Council will hold a closed session meeting at 4 p.m. Tuesday, followed by its public meeting at 5 p.m., in Council Chambers at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive.