TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Tony Olmos, Director of Public Works
Keith Darling, Maintenance Superintendent
SUBJECT:Title
Award of Purchase Order to Dekra-Lite in the Amount of $57,938 for the Purchase of New Holiday Lighting Decorations (Public Works Director Olmos).
WAIVE FORMAL BIDDING, APPROVE
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council waive formal bidding and award a purchase order to Dekra-Lite in the amount of $57,938 for the purchase of new holiday lighting decorations.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are one-time cost of $47,958 for the initial purchase of the lights and recurring annual costs of $9,980 for the installation, removal, storage, and maintenance of the lights (Attachment 2). General Funds budgeted for economic development ($100,000) are available for the initial cost and annual cost for the current fiscal year. Recurring annual costs for future fiscal years will be incorporated into the Public Works operating budget on a year-to-year basis.
In addition, the Downtown Business Association has pledged $12,000 towards the initial purchase and $2,700 towards the recurring annual costs, which will help offset the cost.
BACKGROUND:
For many years, the installation of decorative lights and skylines in and around the Downtown area has been a tradition. The Chamber of Commerce had graciously been the lead on purchasing, installing, storing, and maintaining the lights. In recent years, the old lights began to malfunction, which prompted the need to buy new materials. Since the Chamber of Commerce had been performing this service as a courtesy, they respectfully requested that another entity take the lead.
As a result, staff explored having private sponsors purchase the lights and coordinate the holiday lighting with the pier lighting / fireworks. After several discussions with potential stakeholders, this option did not come to fruition. Since holiday lighting is an important element of the holiday season and time is of the essence, staff took the initiative of seeking bids and recommending that City take the lead on this program.
Subsequently, the Downtown Business Association has agreed to partner with the City and cover some of the initial costs and portions of the recurring annual cost as previously mentioned in this staff report.
DISCUSSION:
In an effort to fast-track this purchase given the short timeline before the holidays, staff contacted a couple of prominent holiday light vendors, and was most impressed with Dekra-Lite. Dekra-Lite is based out of Santa Ana and has been in business for 27 years. They provide holiday lights to many communities and offer competitive pricing. Given the time-sensitivity and the specialized nature of these services, staff recommends that Dekra-Lite be retained without going through formal bidding.
Attached is a plan showing the proposed location and design of the new holiday lights (Attachment 1). There are more lights proposed as compared to prior years to enhance the experience. Also attached is the breakdown of the cost for labor and material to purchase, install, and remove (Attachment 2). According to the vendor, the life of the selected lights is about 7-10 years.
For the design, staff is recommending the following holiday decorations as illustrated in Attachment 1:
2 - “Seasons Greetings” skylines (40 feet wide) to be place at:
• Manhattan Beach Boulevard east of Manhattan Avenue
• Highland Avenue at 32nd Place (North End)
2 - “Snowflake” skylines (13 feet wide) to be placed at:
• Manhattan Avenue near 13th Street
• Manhattan Avenue near 9th Street
24 - “Snowflake” pole illuminations (3 feet tall) to be placed at:
• Manhattan Beach Boulevard (8 each)
• Manhattan Avenue (8 each)
• Highland Avenue (8 each)
Attachment 3 shows other design options available for City Council consideration. The cost varies depending on option selected.
In addition, staff reached out to the North End to seek their input regarding the new holiday decorations. The North End concurred on the placement of the “Seasons Greetings” skyline at Highland Avenue / 32nd Place and requested that City also fund their annual renting / installation / removal of 12 non-illuminated decorations. All proposed cost for the North End decorations are included in Attachment 2 ($8,175 one-time and $3,995 annual).
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council waive formal bidding and award a purchase order in the amount of $57,938 to Deke-Lite for the purchase of new holiday lighting decorations.
Attachments:
1. Holiday Lighting Plan
2. Cost Breakdown
3. Additional Options