SR-091608-1ECity Council Meeting: September 9, 2008
Agenda Item: ~® ~
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Lee E. Swain, Director- Department of Public Works
Subject: Public Safety Storage Facility Site Feasibility Study
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a professional services
agreement with Gensler Architects for Site Feasibility Study and Public Outreach
for the Public Safety Storage Facility Project, in an amount of $107,080 plus a
10% contingency, for a total amount not to exceed $117,788; and
2) authorize the Director of Public Works to issue any modifications to the
agreement.
Executive Summary
Gensler Architects will provide feasibility study and public outreach services for the
Public Safety Storage Facility Project and selection of a site(s). Gensler will develop
criteria to compare city owned sites throughout the City to obtain public input to assist
City Council in deciding which location(s) best fulfills the City's overall needs. Gender's
Santa Monica offices have developed highly successful public outreach programs for
the City of Santa Monica on many projects including: 415 PCH, Beach Improvement
projects, and Airport Land Use Studies. The public outreach event will occur in winter
2008 through spring 2009. The cost for the design and construction of the project is
dependant upon the location, upgrades to infrastructure, amenities, and start date of
construction and therefore is uncertain at this time. However, funds for the site
feasibility study are available in the current adopted budget. The source of funds for the
design and construction of the project is uncertain at this time.
Background
City Staff previously presented Public Safety Storage Facility sites and proposed
conceptual design to Council. Then, Council directed that staff proceed with a process
that increases public involvement, including review of all the sites considered for the
project.
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Discussion
The City of Santa Monica Police and Fire Departments currently have reserve
emergency and training vehicles stored outside. This storage configuration often
requires all equipment on the vehicles to be removed and stored indoors to protect it
from vandalism and damage from environmental factors. This equipment must be
returned onto the vehicle when the vehicle is called into use. The process of returning
the equipment onto the vehicle impedes the responsiveness of the vehicle and -staff to
emergency calls. Due to the lack of storage space, reserve vehicles are stored in
various locations throughout the city which poses a problem servicing the vehicles. The
reserve emergency vehicles also require routine maintenance to keep them ready for
immediate response. It is inefficient to maintain the equipment with the vehicles spread
throughout the City. The vehicles also incur increased wear and tear due to being
exposed to the elements. The impaired response time in the case of emergency calls. is
of particular concern.
The City desires a secure facility(ies) to store emergency response vehicles, equipment,
training vehicles and disaster supplies. The location of the storage facility(ies) impacts
the services and response times that are provided to the City.. The Consultant will
develop evaluation criteria for the storage facility(ies) and use these to assess the
feasibility of sites currently owned by the City.. Their assessment will include evaluating
the currently programmed use for each site, conformance to existing regulations on
each site, site logistics, impacts to response time, and .investigate other program
amenities. The selection of any particular site will influence what services the facility
can provide, to the immediate community, to the Santa Monica Police and Fire
Department and to the City as a whole.
Contractor/Consultant Selection
A Request for Proposals (RFP) was. issued on June 3, 2008. The City received two
proposals and one letter of regret. A selection committee made up of City Staff from
Economic Development, Architectural Services and the Fire Department reviewed the
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two proposals and determined that an interview was required in order to make the final
determination. Both Firms had strong proposals but differing views of the project
process. The same selection committee, plus one additional staff member from
Planning and Community Development interviewed the two firms and recommends
Gensler for the project. Gensler demonstrated a firm grasp of the project parameters in
addition to their outstanding qualifications.
Public Outreach
A public outreach event will be developed by the consultant to present all components
of this assessment to the public. The public will have an opportunity to provide input on
service priorities, and which location best fulfills the overall needs of residences. Details
of the public outreach event will be presented to Council for comment prior to the
execution of the event. The outcome of the public outreach event will also be presented
to Council for the final selection of the site(s) for the storage of public safety reserve
vehicles and disaster supplies.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
Funds in the amount of $117,788 are available in account 0010547.589000 for the
feasibility study services. The design and construction costs are not available at this
time, pending the feasibility study and public outreach outcome. Staff will report back to
Courrcil once the information becomes available.
Prepared by:
Alex Parry, Architectural Services Section
Approved: Forwarded to Council:
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Lee E. Swain, Director P. ~
Department of Public Works City
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Reference Contract No.
8967 (CCS)