SR-01-23-2001-9D - 410-008 / 1000-005-013AN23210_11
EPWM: CP: AA: BZ F: \DATA\SPFILES \Sp1655 Transit Mall \STAFFRPT\ccl655constv4.dOc
Council Meeting: January 23, 2001 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Recommendation to Award a Construction Contract for the Transit Mall and
4`h Street Improvement Projects, and to Authorize the City Manager to
Negotiate and Execute 1) a Professional Services Contract for Construction
Management of the Transit Mall and 4" Street Improvement Projects; and 2)
a Change Order to the Professional Services Agreement 7230(CCS) With
Amphion Environmental Inc. for Additional Design Services during
Construction
Introduction
This report recommends that the City Council award a contract for the Construction of the
Transit Mall and 4`" Street Improvement projects to Valley Crest in an amount not to
exceed $11,936,815 and approve $1,405,585 in contingency funds. This report also
recommends the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute:
(1) A professional services contract for construction management of the Transit Mall
and 4" Street Improvements to Black and Veatch in an amount not to exceed
$1,032,000 and approve $104,000 in contingency funds; and
(2) A change order to professional services agreement 7230(CCS) with Amphion
Environmental Inc. for additional design services, and review and approval of
shop drawings and construction material submissions in an amount not to
exceed $65,000 and approve $15,000 in contingency funds.
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Background
In July of 1997, the Council approved the Downtown Urban Design Plan and a phasing
schedule for the Implementation of the plan. Phase One was implemented and included
restriping and traffic circulation modifications. In August of 1999, the City Council approved
the preliminary design of the Downtown Transit Mall Project, phase two of the Urban
Design Plan.
During the final design stage, the City and the Bayside District held two meetings with
business groups to discuss construction and construction staging. In addition, a public
meeting was held in September 2000, to review the final design elements, the enriched
concrete sample, and street furniture.
niccuaGinn
The proposed project area for the Transit Mall Project is Broadway from Ocean Avenue to
5`h Street and Santa Monica Boulevard from Ocean Avenue to 7`h Street. The key
component of these improvements is the creation of a downtown transit loop with transit
priority lanes on the south side of Santa Monica Boulevard and on the north side of
Broadway, between Ocean Avenue and Fifth Street. The sidewalks will be widened to 19
feet on Santa Monica Boulevard and 12 to 19 feet on Broadway. This phase of the
Downtown Urban Design Plan includes new street furniture, lighting and landscaping, and
art integration into the pedestrian paving, the bus shelters, the arbors and the concrete
intersections. The project will take approximately 16 months to complete.
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Street Trees
The bid documents include the removal and relocation of the existing Cassias trees from
Broadway and Palm trees from Santa Monica Boulevard. These trees have a small root
structure, which can be boxed and removed during the normal construction activity, without
significant impact to the project schedule.
There are also 39 mature Ficus trees on Santa Monica Boulevard and Broadway. Due to
their size, boxing, removing, and transporting these trees, if required, will have to be
completed prior to the construction activity. Excavation for boxing the trees will require
blocking the sidewalk, the parking lane and one travel lane. While most trees can be saved
in this way, some will have to be cut down in order not to impact essential utilities. As a
result of this work, businesses will be impacted twice, once by the tree relocation work and
again by the transit construction activities. This process would cost approximately
$300,000 and add four months to the construction schedule; one month to the construction
schedule on Broadway; and three months to the construction schedule on Santa Monica
Boulevard. Because of the negative time impact to the project and the additional
construction burden that this tree relocation would impose on the downtown, staff will plant
80 additional trees at various locations throughout the City, in lieu of relocating the large
Ficus trees.
Benches with or without Middle Armrest
On August 17, 1999, the Council approved the preliminary design of the Transit Mall
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project. The design included contemporary wood slat chairs and benches with cast metal
arms. The chairs and benches will be placed under the transit shelters and arbors and
other appropriate locations along the sidewalk. The bench details include an optional
middle armrest. The City Council discussed the philosophy of keeping or omitting the
armrest from the design and decided to defer making a decision until the project is
presented to the council for the approval of the construction contract. Staff requests the
flexibility to add the middle armrests to benches located at outlying bus stops as needed to
improve the seating availability to transit users.
Loading /Unloading Zones
A detailed plan has been developed to manage the loading /unloading and drop -off of
passengers and goods in the downtown area. This traffic activity management plan will
significantly improve the operating efficiency of downtown streets. It includes an
implementation plan for the alley circulation, potential valet, taxi and passenger loading
areas as well as plans for commercial loading and unloading. Truck loading, taxis and
valet zones, passenger drop off and loading zones and short term parking within the
Transit Mall area are envisioned for the north side of Santa Monica Boulevard and the
south side of Broadway with signs posted indicating the type and hours of use. With
effective enforcement, spaces designated for certain types of loading can be reserved
exclusively for these types of activities, and other regulations prohibiting activities can be
stringently enforced. The Police Department may need to redeploy staff or supplement
current staffing to provide the necessary level of enforcement of loading regulations in the
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downtown. Currently these activities block traffic, congest the streets and disrupt circulation
in downtown. Enforcement of existing regulations of curbside activities and alley loading,
will improve circulation and access in downtown.
The City worked with the Bayside District and business groups to identify loading zones
and schedules, which optimize the use of the alleys. To better manage available valet
parking in the downtown area, the City is considering a centralized valet system using most
of the existing zones.
Fourth Street Improvements
Fourth Street's project area is from Wilshire Boulevard to Colorado Avenue. Fourth Street
Improvements include the removal and replacement of existing deteriorated pavement,
damaged sidewalks, and damaged curbs and gutters. It also includes the construction of a
concrete transit lane on the westerly side of the street.
Public Outreach
On September 26, 2000, the City Council awarded a contract for a public outreach firm to
work with the residents and businesses to identify and mitigate construction impacts.
Harris and Company was engaged and they will be available throughout construction to
answer questions, anticipate and respond to problems, promote the downtown, and create
outreach solutions during construction.
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After Hours Construction Work
To improve the productivity of the construction operation and minimize project duration and
disruption to traffic and businesses, staff proposes to routinely begin construction at 6 a.m.
and perform some work at night. For example, utility work in intersections or traffic lanes
will be done at night. At this time it is estimated that approximately 15 percent of the
project may be done at night.
Construction Contract
The Notice inviting bids was published in the Los Angeles Times on June 18 and 22, 2000.
The Notice Inviting Bids, along with the plans and specifications was also submitted to four
Construction journals, and was sent to six women /minority business enterprise (WMBE)
associations. Bid packages were requested by 32 contractors. The City Clerk's office
received three sealed bids, which were publicly opened and read aloud on August 16,
2000, by the deputy City Clerk. The Bid results were as follows:
Contractor Total Bid
Valley Crest $11,936,815
Sequel Contractors, Inc. $12,008,233
Griffith Company $12,321,564
City Engineer's Estimate $11,400,000
Valley Crest, with the lowest bid of $11,936,815, is recommended as the firm to receive
the award of the contract. The firm supplied the City with names of recent similar projects.
City staff contacted representatives of several projects including the cities of Los Angeles,
City of Valdosta in Georgia, and the City of Huntington Beach. Projects for these
organizations included Broadway Streetscape (City of Los Angeles), Central Avenue
Streetscape (City of Valdosta, Georgia), and Pier Plaza Hardscape (City of Huntington
Beach). All references reported that the contractor's work was satisfactory. In addition,
Valley crest completed three projects for the City in the last three years: the BIG project;
Pico Streetscape; and Douglas Park Improvements. Pico Streetscape had similar
elements and construction impact issues to the Transit Mall project. Their performance
has been satisfactory. The State Contractor's License Board verified that the contractor's
license is current, active, and in good standing.
Construction Management
A Request for Qualifications for construction management services for the Transit Mall and
other projects was issued on July 22, 1999. Four firms were qualified to provide services for
the Transit Mall. A staff committee including representatives from the Big Blue Bus and
Environmental and Public Works Management Departments was formed to review the
responses and interview all four firms. Selection criteria included whether the respondent
showed an understanding of the work and planned approach, experience with similar work,
qualification of staff, and the ability to meet tight time schedules. Black & Veatch was
selected as the most qualified construction management firm by the review team. Black &
Veatch performed very well on several large City projects in the past.
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Additional Design Services
During construction, the project design team led by Amphion will be reviewing and
approving all material submittals, shop drawings, concrete mockup samples and finish of
installed material. In addition, they will respond to requests for clarifications related to
design issues and provide as needed design revision services. A change order to their
contract will be issued to procure these additional services.
Budget/Financial Impact
Funds required for this project are available in the following accounts:
Construction
Account Contract Contingency Total
Transit Mall
C41045801.589000 $10,744,965 $1,262,435 $12,007,400
Fourth Street Improvements
020052396.589000
$219,490
0
$219,490
043052394.589000
$635,694
0
$635,694
C20078100.589000
$200,000
0
$200,000
C20015201.589000
$136,666
$143,150
$279,816
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Fourth Street Total
$1,191,850
$143,150
$1,335,000
Construction Total
$11,936,815
$1,405,585
$13,342,400
Construction Manaaement
Account
Contract
Contingency
Total
Transit Mall
041045801.589000
$901,060
$94,940
$996,000
4`h Street Improvements
C20015201.589000
$130,940
$9,060
$140,000
Construction Management Total
$1,032,000
$104,000
$1,136,000
Design Services
Account Contract Contingency Total
Transit Mall
C41045801.589000 $65,000 $15,000 $80,000
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Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Award a contract for the construction of the Transit Mall and 4'h Street
Improvements to Valley Crest in the amount of $11,936,815 and approve
$1,405,585 in contingency funds;
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a professional services
contract with the firm of Black and Veatch for the construction management and
inspection services of the Transit Mall and 4`h Street Improvements in an amount not
to exceed $1,032,000 and approve $104,000 in contingency funds;
3. Authorize the City Manager to Negotiate and Execute a Change Order to the
Professional Services Agreement with Amphion Environmental Inc. for Additional
Design Services, and Review and Approval of Shop Drawings and Construction
Material Submittals in an amount not to exceed $65,000 and approve $15,000 in
contingency funds; and
4. Authorize the City Engineer to issue any necessary change orders to complete
additional work in conformance with the administrative instruction on change orders.
Prepared by: Craig Perkins, Director of Environmental and Public Works Management
Suzanne Frick, Director of Planning & Community Development
John Catoe, Director of Transit Services (Big Blue Bus)
Anthony Antich, P.E., City Engineer
Roy Neva, Facilities Maint./Vehicle Eng. Manager
Joseph Stitcher, Assistant to the Director
Stephanie Negriff, Transit Services Manager
Lucy Dyke, Transportation Planning Manager
Bill Zein, P.E., Sr. Civil Engineer
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