TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Stephanie Katsouleas, Public Works Director
Prem Kumar, City Engineer
Gilbert Gamboa, Senior Civil Engineer
SUBJECT:Title
Consider Request from the Oceanographic Teaching Station, Inc. (OTS) for the City to Contribute Funding for Roundhouse Aquarium Janitorial Services (Public Works Director Katsouleas).
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that City Council consider a request from the Oceanographic Teaching Station (OTS) for the City of Manhattan Beach to provide funding for janitorial services for the interior of the Roundhouse Aquarium. If janitorial service costs for OTS are approved the funds would be appropriated from the General Fund.
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BACKGROUND:
Since 1980, OTS has occupied most of the Roundhouse, located at the end of Manhattan Beach Pier, to teach students and visitors about marine life and the environment. OTS has hosted both onsite and mobile classrooms for students throughout Los Angeles County for decades. In 2005, the City of Manhattan Beach and OTS entered into a new, updated agreement to continue occupying the Roundhouse and operating the aquarium as it had done for 25 years.
Following the extensive renovation and expansion of the Roundhouse Aquarium in 2018, on December 4, 2018, City Council approved the attached updated and amended operating agreement between the City and OTS, which addressed the existing and continued occupancy and responsibilities of the Roundhouse Aquarium. In the agreement, “Section 7. FACILITIES” specifically identifies the roles and responsibilities of the City and OTS, including:
• Which party is responsible for:
§ Interior and exterior maintenance, repair, and janitorial services
§ Payment of utility services
§ Alterations and repairs
• Emergency access
• Vehicle gross weight limitations on the Pier
• Use the Roundhouse for special events
• Tank maintenance
• Opening and closing the facility, including shutters and doors
• Signage
• Utility closet usage
This section states that interior janitorial services for Roundhouse Aquarium would continue to be provided by OTS, as has been the case for the last several decades.
DISCUSSION:
City Council requested at its April 16, 2019, meeting that staff return with a summary of the cost of past janitorial services and what the new costs are given the expanded use of the building. Note that the recent renovation of the Roundhouse Aquarium has resulted in an increase in visitor traffic; and along with the increase in daily visits comes the demand for increased custodial maintenance.
Staff coordinated a janitorial walk through with its own janitorial vendor, Commercial Cleaning Systems (CCS) to provide OTS with a quote for daily and quarterly cleaning services (Attachment). OTS also obtained a quote from Skechers, whose janitorial company is currently providing cleaning services at the Roundhouse. The following quotes were obtained for daily janitorial service Monday - Friday, as well as quarterly deep cleaning services (Attachment):
CCS $23,100
Skechers $29,000
In addition, OTS requested support for:
• $3,000 for scheduled preventative maintenance services for interior equipment
• $1,000 for on-demand mechanical support for equipment repairs
• $8,000 for on other on-demand repair services
Please note that the $8,000 request for other on-demand repair services is already included in the City’s budget and such services are provided directly by City staff and City vendors.
Staff recommends that City Council discuss and provide direction on what level of support to provide OTS for janitorial services and other maintenance as requested. Staff also recommends that any support for janitorial and maintenance services provided be in the form of a cash contribution to OTS rather than as an amendment to the City’s vendor contract. This will ensure that City liability associated with the care of the Aquarium’s marine life is minimized.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
After analysis, staff determined that public outreach was not required for this issue. City staff did, however, meet with OTS representatives regarding the janitorial needs of the Roundhouse Aquarium.
ENVIROMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Agreement - Oceanographic Teaching Station, Inc. (2018
2. Quote - CCS (Roundhouse Interior Janitorial Services)
3. Roundhouse Aquarium Janitorial Budget