Item 6-G

Council Meeting: June 8, 1999 Santa Monica, California

TO: Mayor and City Council

FROM: City Staff

SUBJECT: Recommendation to Award a Construction Contract to Ford E.C., Inc, for Excavation and Utility Relocation for the Public Safety Facility and to Appropriate $150,000 of Civic Area Development Reserve Funds to CIP Account No. 32-740-621-20099-8900-99581.

This report recommends that the City Council award a construction contract to Ford E.C., Inc. in the amount of $2,227,500, plus contingencies, for excavation and utility relocation for the Public Safety Facility and appropriate $150,000 of Civic Area Development Reserve Funds to CIP Account No. 32-740-621-20099-8900-99581.

In February 1997, the City Council approved a financing plan for the Public Safety Facility and authorized staff to move forward with the preparation of detailed design documents for the new facility for Police, Fire and Emergency Operations. Since that time, the design team has been further detailing the project design and is currently preparing construction documents for the project. Background information and an update on the project is attached.

In order to expedite the construction of the Public Safety Building, the construction project has been separated into two phases. The first phase, Excavation and Utility Relocation, will occur while the construction documents for the second phase, Building Construction, are being finalized. This measure is expected to save approximately five months in the project timeline. The Building Construction contract award is planned for this winter, with completion of construction and building occupancy anticipated for the fall of 2001.

On March 25, 1999, a Notice Inviting Prequalification Statements for the Excavation and Utility Relocation phase of the project was published in the Argonaut newspaper and the F.W. Dodge construction green sheets and sent to 12 construction plan rooms. On April 22, 1999, six firms responded with completed statements of qualification. Five firms were deemed to be qualified to complete the project and on April 27, 1999, those firms were sent the Bid Notice and the plans and specifications. All five firms attended the job walk and pre-bid conference on May 12, 1999. At bid opening on May 25, 1999, four firms submitted sealed bids as follows:

Ford E.C. Inc.	$2,227,500
Merco Construction	$2,388,000
Shoring Engineers	$2,430,000
Malcolm Drilling	$2,800,000
Engineer=s Estimate	$2,300,000

 

Staff is recommending that the contract be awarded to Ford E.C., Inc., with a construction contingency of approximately ten percent of the bid amount, or $222,500, for a total encumbrance of $2,450,000.

The County Courthouse staff has recently become concerned that because of the sensitive nature of their operations, including the fact that some of their courtrooms are operated in modular buildings, they may be negatively impacted by noise and dust from the excavation and construction of the Public Safety Facility. Analysis of the potential noise impacts from the construction, and the subsequent development of appropriate mitigation measures, is currently underway. In addition, the County has requested that the City implement a noise monitoring program, regularly clean the air filters on the modular buildings, and implement special measures to limit dust impacts elsewhere in the Courthouse vicinity. These noise and dust mitigation costs were not included in the original project budget and staff is requesting that a $100,000 contingency for these purposes be included with the contract authorization.

The environmental impact studies for the Public Safety Facility included geotechnical testing of the site soils for hydrocarbon-related contaminants. However, staff has recently become aware that other contaminants, including creosote, arsenic, and other heavy metals, may be present at the site. Additional soils samples were collected during the past month and testing of the soil is currently being conducted. While the hydrocarbons that were previously detected at the site are manageable during construction, the other soil contaminants can only be cleaned or recycled at certain select locations and thereby require special handling and costly receiver fees. These soil cleanup costs were not included in the original project budget and staff is requesting that a $500,000 contingency for these purposes be included with the contract authorization.

Funds for the excavation and utility relocation contract are available in CIP Account Numbers 01-730-304-20099-8900-99058 ($2,700,000) and 32-740-621-20099-8900-99581 ($200,000). An additional appropriation of $150,000 of Civic Area Development Reserve Funds to CIP Account No. 32-740-621-20099-8900-99581 is needed to fund the costs of the Civic Auditorium Parking Lot Repair and Reconfiguration. To transfer the Civic Center Development funds to the Civic Auditorium Fund, technical budget changes of $150,000 at 01-700-274-00000-7861-00000 and 32-400-621-00000-0483-10000 are required.

It is recommended that the City Council:

Prepared by:

Ettore Berardinelli, Fire Chief

James T. Butts, Jr., Chief of Police

Suzanne Frick, Director of Planning and Community Development

Craig Perkins, Director of Environmental and Public Works Management

Andy Agle, Deputy Director, Planning and Community Development

Tony Antich, City Engineer

The existing Police Department headquarters and jail facility is located in the east wing of City Hall and occupies approximately 44,000 square feet. The Police wing was added to the original City Hall building in 1957 to house approximately 160 employees. The existing building does not provide an effective environment for administering a large municipal police force or for managing and coordinating emergency response efforts. The building is difficult to secure due to multiple access points. Basic spaces for police operations are missing or shared with other functions, such as the squad room which becomes unavailable when the EOC must be activated. The crime lab, photo lab, identification unit and technical departments are severely undersized and in need of modernization. The Property and Evidence Room is filled beyond its capacity and the secure storage of weapons and drugs is problematic. Lack of space has required several functions to be moved offsite, resulting in a fragmented administrative structure which impacts overall coordination of law enforcement and emergency response activities.

The existing jail is the second oldest in the state and does not meet current code requirements of the Board of Corrections or Uniform Building Code. Problems of inadequate space configuration, lack of space, incorrect adjacencies, and disruptive and unsafe circulation are typical throughout the jail. Direct supervision of all inmates from one central security point does not exist, nor does a sallyport for the safe and effective transfer of inmates between secured vehicles and the jail. The existing inmate booking area is undersized, outdated, and lacking in basic automated support systems.

The Northridge Earthquake highlighted the disadvantages of having the Fire Department operate at locations away from City Hall, the Police Department and the Emergency Operations Center. The coordination of emergency response activities is less effective due to the physical separation of the functions. The current Santa Monica Emergency Operations Center (EOC) operates from the basement of the existing Police building and doubles as the Police Squad Room. When the EOC is activated, the Police Department loses its only department-wide briefing room at a time when its need is critical. The existing EOC not only lacks computerized support systems necessary for automated emergency management, but also modern communication, data and building support systems.

Initial Planning for the New Public Safety Facility

Because of these deficiencies in the existing facilities, the City Council and community recognized the need for the development of a new facility to house the Police Department, Fire Administration and Emergency Operations Center. The Civic Center Specific Plan (CCSP), which was approved by the voters in June 1994, calls for the construction of a new public safety building. In August 1994, the City Council authorized staff to begin interviewing firms to design the Santa Monica Public Safety Facility and then in August 1995, the Council authorized a contract with Dworsky Associates to begin preparation of schematic designs.

Schematic designs, preliminary floor plans, and an initial cost estimate were presented to the City Council in June 1996 and the Council placed a bond measure on the November 1996 ballot. The bond measure received 62.5 percent of the vote, yet narrowly missed the two-thirds vote required for approval of a general obligation bond. In January 1997, the Council ranked development of the Public Safety Facility as their top priority and in February 1997, the Council approved a funding plan for the facility that included the issuance of lease-revenue bonds.

The Public Safety Facility is designed to resolve the deficiencies associated with the existing Police, Fire and EOC facilities, while using modern technology and sound design principals to maximize the operational efficiency of the building. The new facility will be constructed in accordance with the Essential Services Seismic Safety Act to help ensure that the building is able to withstand a major earthquake. The facilities will provide for better coordination between Police and Fire services, will enable the 911 system and dispatch equipment to be located in one facility for all emergencies, will enhance emergency response times by providing a direct link to Fourth Street and the Interstate 10 on-ramp, will provide the community with a state-of-the-art facility to respond to future disasters, and will facilitate better public access to Police and Fire services.

The Public Safety Facility is designed to be 56 feet high with four stories above grade. The Facility also will consist of two subterranean levels, including parking for official vehicles. Upper-level step backs and compatible building materials provide a consistent transition between City Hall and the new facility. The majority of the building will be clad in a beige precast concrete with sandstone along the front (south) elevation. The interior of the building will be highlighted by a two-story public lobby that includes integration of the exterior sandstone and extensive use of natural light. Michael Davis, the project architect, has also created two prominent art works for the public lobby: one is a skylight that casts a blue line of light into different parts of the lobby depending on the time of day and time of year; the second element involves light walls that are sequenced to create a subtle transition of gradient light. The interior also features a three-story atrium that provides extensive natural lighting into the center of the building.

The public entrance is on the south side of the Facility, opening onto a public plaza and fountain at Olympic Drive. Creating the public entrance and plaza along Olympic Drive is designed to open the building toward the rest of the Civic Center area and provide pedestrian access from adjacent uses and parking areas. Pedestrian access is provided from Fourth Street through the plaza area and from Main Street via a wide pedestrian promenade along Olympic Drive. The public plaza occurs on two levels. The upper plaza is at grade with Fourth Street and features the upper element of the water feature - a thin sheet of water flowing across a granite surface. Water cascades from the upper plaza to a pool filled with aquatic plants in the lower plaza. The lower plaza is at grade with Avenida Mazatlan and the public entrance to the facility.

Some of the most innovative and notable elements of the building include:

Underfloor Air Distribution System - This system provides for the distribution of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning to work spaces from a raised floor. The system is much more energy efficient than traditional ceiling air distribution systems. Underfloor air distribution provides for improved indoor air quality through better delivery of fresh air to building occupants and reduced likelihood of contamination of ductwork. The system increases comfort levels for building occupants through individual control of air flow and provides increased flexibility in configuration of electrical and data conduit runs.

Emergency Power - The building is designed to remain fully operational in the event of an emergency that affects the energy supply by providing for two 1100 kW diesel-powered generators. Providing two separate generators allows for partial power to the building in the event that one of the generators fails during an emergency.

Other sustainability and efficiency design elements which are incorporated into the building include daylighting, high-efficiency lighting, lighting occupancy sensors, indirect and direct ambient lighting with high-efficiency task-lighting, and an energy management control system.

Because the Public Safety Facility and Olympic Drive will be built where parking currently exists, and because the new subterranean parking in the building and the Olympic Drive on-street parking will not be available until the building construction is completed, the parking supply in the Civic Center area will be disrupted during the construction period. As a result, the City hired Kaku Associates to analyze parking demand and supply in the Civic Center area and recommend interim solutions during the construction period. Kaku Associates conducted parking duration, utilization, and user survey analysis in the Civic Center area on three days in the Fall of 1998, including days where large and small events were occurring at the Civic Auditorium. These demand surveys indicated that the existing parking supply in the City Hall/Civic Auditorium Parking Area will be inadequate to accommodate all of the demonstrated parking demand during the construction period.

Kaku analyzed a series of alternatives to accommodate this additional parking demand, ranging from off-site parking at several locations in the City to operational and striping modifications in existing parking lots. Given the fiscal and operational impacts of the various alternatives, the following measures present the greatest opportunity during the construction period:

Keeping the City Hall public parking lot available until the last six months of construction when Olympic Drive will be built in that location.

Restriping the Civic Auditorium parking lot to create an additional 155 spaces. By utilizing a more efficient parking layout, the Civic Auditorium parking lot will accommodate the displaced City Hall parking demand on typical weekdays and on weekdays where there are small- or medium-sized events of the Civic Auditorium. The 1998/99 CIP budget includes $200,000 for patching, sealing and restriping of the Civic Auditorium parking lot. Providing a more efficient restriping of the Civic Auditorium parking lot also requires relocation of the parking lot lighting and electrical conduit, demolition of some of the curbs and gutters, and relocation of some of the trees. As a result, an additional $150,000 of Civic Area Development Reserve Funds is being requested to be appropriated for this project.

On weekdays where large events are occurring at the Civic Auditorium, shifting of City employees to off-site parking areas. City staff is currently working with owners and operators of parking facilities in the Civic Center area to develop a parking plan for those critical days.

During the final six months of construction when the City Hall public metered lot becomes unavailable, restriping of Main Street with angled parking to create approximately 40 additional public and disabled parking spaces.

During the final six months of construction when the City Hall public metered lot becomes unavailable, implementation of an attendant stack parking system in the Civic Auditorium parking lot on large event days.

Kaku Associates is currently preparing an analysis of the post-construction and long-term parking demand in the Civic Center area and strategies to provide for these needs. This analysis is expected to be ready for City Council review in the Fall of this year.

Excavation and construction for the Public Safety Facility and Olympic Drive will require the relocation or removal of 24 trees. This includes relocation of one Metrosideros Excelsus to another location within the Civic Center area, 8 Metrosideros Excelsus to other locations within the City, and one Palm tree to elsewhere in the Civic Center area. Eight Eucalyptus trees and six Carob trees have been deemed as poor candidates for transplanting and will be removed. The completed project will add 86 new trees to the area. In addition, reconfiguration of the Civic Auditorium parking lot will require relocation of four Metrosideros Excelsus and 13 Ficus trees. All of these trees will be relocated within the Civic Auditorium parking area.

The estimated total cost of design and construction of the Public Safety Facility and Olympic Drive is $43.7 million. In addition, the estimated cost for furniture, fixtures and equipment for the new facility is $3.25 million. In the financing plan that was approved by City Council in February 1997, funding for the project was identified from the following sources:

Proposition C transportation funds in the amount of $2.58 million that have been allocated for the design and construction of Olympic Drive.

Funds that were set aside by the City over the last five years for construction of the Public Safety Facility. These funds total $22.86 million.

Trust funds that have been held by the City since FY 1983/84. These funds were returned from the Transportation Fund and planned to be used for the Public Safety Facility, pending a legal determination that they may be used for this purpose. A positive determination has been made and the funds total $6.99 million.

Issuance of lease-revenue bonds in the range of $11.64 to $18.04 million for the remaining portion of the project cost. It is expected that $11.64 million of net revenue from bonds will be needed for the remaining portion of the construction cost. Staff expects to return to the City Council for approval of the financing documents in the fall of this year. City Council approval of lease-revenue bonds does not require voter approval.

The cost of furniture, fixtures, and equipment will be funded by a reserve account that has been set aside for these items.

In addition to these primary sources, the project will also include a rebate from the California Energy Commission for use of photovoltaic panels, Water Demand Mitigation funds for installation of the dual plumbing system/gray water system and police grant funding related to front-line police operations.