TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Tony Olmos, Director of Public Works (310-802-5302)
Joe Parco, City Engineer (310-802-5353)
Ed Kao, Senior Civil Engineer (310-802-5358)
SUBJECT:Title
Award Construction Contract to Ruiz Brothers/Fast-Track Joint Venture for the Strand Wall Repair and Enhancement Project (Public Works Director Olmos).
APPROVE
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to award a construction contract in the amount of $79,500 to Ruiz Brothers Construction Co. and Fast-Track Construction Co. Joint Venture (Ruiz Brothers/Fast-Track Joint Venture) for the Strand Wall Repair and Enhancement Project;
2. Authorize the City Manager to approve additional work, if necessary, in an amount not-to-exceed $15,900 (20%) for the Strand Wall Repair and Enhancement Project;
3. Approve a supplemental appropriation in the amount of $65,000 available from the Public Art Trust Fund (Project ID# 802-21907).
4. Approve a supplemental appropriation in the amount of $30,400 available from the 401- CIP Fund (Project ID# 09825).
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
$65,000 is available from the Public Art Trust Fund (Project ID# 802-21907). An additional amount of $30,400 will come from the 401-CIP Fund (Project ID# 09825). See Attachment 1.
BACKGROUND:
There are currently two major recreational features located along the City's entire two mile coastline, a pedestrian walkway (Strand) owned and maintained by the City and a bike path (Marvin Braude Bike Path) owned and operated by the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works. The bike path is situated to the west of the Strand and is separated from the Strand by a vegetated slope of varying widths and grade. Connecting the Strand and the bike path are thirty-six pedestrian access points. Twenty- seven of these access ways have stairs of varying designs and conditions.
At the December 3, 2013 meeting, City Council reviewed the proposed aesthetically enhanced alternatives and selected rail design elements and gave direction to separate the project into two independent projects, Strand Stairs Rehabilitation Project and Strand Wall Repair and Enhancement Project. This was needed so stair reconstruction could proceed through the federal funding authorization process, while the aesthetic design elements for the five retaining wall locations can be developed and approved at a slightly less aggressive pace.
At the City Council meeting held on February 25, 2014, staff presented a project status update, including a review of possible aesthetic elements for the five retaining walls located at Rosecrans Avenue, 20th Street, 18th Street, 16th Street, and 14th Street.
After reviewing and discussing the various aesthetically enhanced alternatives for the five retaining walls, City Council passed a motion to:
1. Appropriate $25,000 for additional design work from the Public Art Trust Fund;
2. Approve the sandblasted wave design as shown for 18th Street, with a slightly smaller wave (Attachment 2);
3. Approve the inclusion of street name or number designation, also slightly smaller than shown (Attachment 2).
For the Strand Stairs Rehabilitation Project, twenty-four locations were identified to be repaired, removed and/or replaced. The improvements will provide safe access from the Strand to the beach and will comply with current ADA requirements. The project was bid in October 2014, but bids came in too high. City Council rejected bids in November 2014 with direction to re-scope within available budget and rebid. Plan is to rebid project within the next couple of months, so construction can start after Summer 2015.
For the Strand Wall Repair and Enhancement Project, five locations have been identified for repair and aesthetic enhancement. Locations include Rosecrans Avenue, 20th Street, 18th Street, 16th Street, and 14th Street. Besides repairing the damaged existing concrete retaining walls, the majority of the work consists of sandblasting wave motifs on the repaired retaining walls. This project was also bid in October 2014 and City received only two bids. Both bids were also too high. City Council rejected bids in November 2014 and staff then explored ways to bring down the costs and attract more qualified contractors for this very specialized work. As a result, the project was successfully rebid and the recommended award of a construction contract is presented for City Council consideration in this staff report.
Environmental Review
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires public agencies to document and consider the environmental implications of their actions. Based on the scope of work, this project is categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15301, Class 1(d). Notice of Exemptions have been filed with the Los Angeles County Clerk's office for the project.
DISCUSSION:
The Strand Wall Repair and Enhancement Project was re-bid on January 28, 2015. A total of three (3) competitive bids were received and opened. The bids received were $79,500 by Ruiz Brothers/Fast-Track Joint Venture, $248,227 by Hamilton-Pacific, Inc., and $324,810 by JBH Structural Concrete, Inc. Ruiz Brothers/Fast-Track Joint Venture's bid was reviewed by the Public Works Department and found to be the lowest responsive bid. Representatives of agencies where work had been performed by Ruiz Brothers/Fast-Track Joint Venture have indicated that the work performed was to their satisfaction. The contractor has confirmed that they are comfortable with their bid and expressed their desire to perform the work, although their bid was significantly lower than the other two.
Additional Work Authority
Authorizing the City Manager to approve additional work in an amount not-to-exceed $15,900 (20% of bid) would expedite the construction on this project. This project may have additional construction constraints and unforeseen additional costs due to the work being located within the very public Strand area.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
Two public meetings were held on January 10, 2014 and April 29, 2014 to discuss design elements. A third public meeting was held on January 23, 2015 to discuss additional design elements.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to award a construction contract in the amount of $79,500 to Ruiz Brothers Construction Co. and Fast-Track Construction Co. Joint Venture for the Strand Wall Repair and Enhancement Project;
2. Authorize the City Manager to approve additional work, if necessary, in an amount not-to-exceed $15,900 (20%) for the Strand Wall Repair and Enhancement Project;
3. Approve a supplemental appropriation in the amount of $65,000 available from the Public Art Trust Fund (Project ID# 802-21907).
4. Approve a supplemental appropriation in the amount of $30,400 available from the 401- CIP Fund (Project ID# 09825).
Attachments:
1. Budget and Expenditures
2. Approved Wave Patterns
3. Strand Wall Construction Contract with Ruiz Brothers Construction Co. and Fast-Track
Construction Co. Joint Venture