SR-405-006 (2)
Council Meeting: March 14, 2006 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Award of Professional Service Agreement for the Design of the Exposition
Corridor Bicycle and Pedestrian Path to Crain & Associates in an amount
not to exceed $558,000
Introduction
This report recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate
and execute an Agreement with Crain & Associates for design, bid preparation and
construction monitoring of the Exposition Corridor Bicycle and Pedestrian Path, in an
amount not to exceed $558,000. The project will include a 1.3-mile Class I (off-street)
bikeway; an adjacent pedestrian path, a sidewalk, curb and gutter section where the
path is adjacent to Olympic Boulevard; signal modifications; new signals; signage and
striping; perimeter landscaping; pathway lighting; fencing; integrated public art; and
other pathway amenities.
Background
The Exposition Corridor Bike and Pedestrian Path project will extend 1.3 miles along the
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Exposition rail right-of-way (ROW) from the eastern city limit at Centinela Avenue to 17
Street. The project consists of the design and construction of a Class I bikeway, an
adjacent pedestrian path and a sidewalk, curb and gutter section where the bike path is
directly adjacent to Olympic Boulevard. Federal Transportation Enhancement Activity
(TEA) funds were competitively awarded in 1999 by the Los Angeles County
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Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“Metro”) to the City of Santa Monica for this
project. The Bike Path is part of the Exposition Boulevard Right-of-Way Regional
Bikeway that connects Downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica through the Cities of
Los Angeles and Culver City. The bike and pedestrian pathway is included in the City
of Santa Monica’s adopted Land Use and Circulation Elements and the Open Space
Element.
A key component of the design process will be an ongoing community outreach
process, including three iterations of outreach: one near the outset of the project; one to
review preliminary design concepts; and one to review recommended schematic design
concepts. There will also be outreach with several City commissions and boards.
The consultant’s scope of services is intended to engage the design team throughout
the entire process from concept development through construction consultation,
including cost estimation at appropriate stages. Specific stages include schematic
design; design development; bid package development; and construction consultation
including review of submittals. The project poses a number of challenging issues,
including; the transition with the City of Los Angeles, the multiple street crossings,
preserving sufficient space for the future light rail line, coordination with hazard review
activities, and attention to future operating and maintenance costs. Caltrans, as the
federal designee, will be monitoring the project and will be required to review and
approve the bid package. Construction of the project is anticipated to begin late 2007
and is anticipated to take six months to complete.
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Discussion
Four proposals were submitted in response to the Request for Qualifications (RFQ.)
The procurement process followed a prescribed Caltrans procedure, called a one-step
(RFQ). A selection committee consisted of seven City staff from different divisions
representing three City departments and the Metro Bike Program Manager. Evaluation
criteria for both the written proposals and the interviews were clearly stated in the RFQ:
1) Understanding and approach to the work; 2) Quality and experience with similar
kinds of work: 3) Quality and dedication of key personnel to the project; 4) Creativity,
design values and state-of-the-art practices; 5) Familiarity with State and Federal
procedures and design requirements; and 6) Financial Responsibility and Cost Control.
After review of the written proposals the selection committee determined that all four
were qualified to be interviewed. The submittals were by the following lead firms:
Alta Planning + Design
Amphion Environmental, Inc.
Crain & Associates
Katz, Okitsu & Associates
Crain & Associates was selected as the top ranked firm based on: the quality of the key
personnel; the overall strength of the team; their strong comprehensive approach to
addressing the City’s sustainable planting and green building practices; experience in
addressing state and federal requirements; a well thought out work plan; and
experience in working with adjacent jurisdictions and property owners. Sub-consultants
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include Katherine Spitz as the landscape architect; KPFF Consulting Engineers as the
civil engineer; Wagner Engineering, for survey work; Lenax Construction Services, for
cost estimating; and Barbara Grygutis as the public artist.
Budget/Financial Impact
Funding for design and construction of the project has been programmed in previous
CIP budgets and include: Transportation Enhancement Activity (TEA) funds, Proposition
‘A’ funds, TDA Article 3 Local Return funds and Office District Mitigation Funds (for
sidewalk improvements), totaling $2.9 million. The project has not been designed yet
and construction costs have gone up quite significantly since this grant was obtained in
1999 The design team will focus its effort on designing to the $2.4 million available for
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construction. However, there is potential for the final project budget to exceed the funds
available, creating the need to identify additional non-General Fund resources. The
project will also result in increase ongoing maintenance and operating costs. The
funding for this design contract includes the design firm’s role in construction monitoring
stage. This contract is funded as follows:
Sources of Funds:
C200561.589006 Exposition Bike Path (TEA) $352,350
C200561.589007 Exposition Bike Path (Prop A) 85,650
C200561.589008 Exposition Bike Path (TDA Art. 3) 120,000
Total $558,000
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Recommendation
Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a professional services contract
with Crain & Associates in an amount not to exceed $558,000 for design services for
the Exposition Corridor Bicycle and Pedestrian Path project.
Prepared by: Andy Agle, Interim Director, Planning and Community Development
Ellen Gelbard, Deputy Director, Planning and Community Development
Reviewed by: Craig Perkins, Director, Environmental and Public Works Management
Tony Antich, City Engineer, Environmental and Public Works Management
Dave Britton, Principal Civil Engineer, Environmental and Public Works
Management
Reference Contract No. 8566 (CCS)
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