REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director
Public Works Department
BROCK D. BUCHE, PE, PLS, Director
Department of Public Utilities
BY: Randall W. Morrison, PE, Assistant Director
Public Works Department, Engineering Division
MARK STANDRIFF, Program Director
Department of Public Utilities, Beautify Fresno
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to Downtown Fresno Neighborhood Beautification and Cleanup Project on Blackstone Avenue and Abby Street from Olive Avenue to Belmont Avenue, and on Belmont Avenue from Abby Street to First Street (RFP No. 12301221) (Council Districts 3 & 7):
1. Adopt finding of Categorical Exemption per staff determination, pursuant to Sections 15301/Class 1 (Existing Facilities) and 15302/Class 2 (Replacement or Reconstruction) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Environmental Assessment Number PW01012, dated April 12, 2023
2. Award a requirements contract to ScrubCan, Inc. of Fresno, CA, in the amount of $113,760 for a one-year contract for Business Corridor Litter Abatement Services on Blackstone Avenue, Abby Street, and Belmont Avenue business corridors
Body
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends the City Council adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Class 1, Sections 15301 (Existing Facilities) and Class 2, Section 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, per Environmental Assessment No. PW01012, dated April 12, 2023, for the Downtown Fresno Neighborhood Beautification and Cleanup Project (Project), award a requirements contract to ScrubCan, Inc. in the amount of $113,760 for a one-year contract for Business Corridor Litter Abatement Services (Contract) as the best value for litter removal services under the guidelines of the City’s Clean California Local Grant Program award, and authorize the Public Works Director or designee to sign the Contract on the City’s behalf.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Fresno is proposing the Downtown Fresno Neighborhood Beautification and Cleanup Project, a project involving both infrastructure and non-infrastructure components.
The City seeks to award a requirements contract to ScrubCan, Inc. of Fresno, CA for Business Corridor Litter Abatement Services on business corridors along Blackstone Avenue and Abby Street between Olive Avenue and Belmont Avenue and Belmont Avenue between Blackstone Avenue and First Street, as part of the non-infrastructure portion of the Project. The proposed Contract is for $113,760 and is fully funded by the State of California’s Clean California Local Grant Program.
BACKGROUND
The City has made litter abatement one of its top priorities, with the creation of Beautify Fresno in January 2021 as a program based in the Department of Public Utilities Solid Waste Division, to address this issue through the coordinated delivery of existing City resources to eliminate trash, graffiti, and blight, and by creating community-based cleanup and beautification projects. In addition, Council directed Beautify Fresno to create a litter abatement pilot program in District 7, as well as approved outside contracts for litter abatement for both streets and highways with local companies over the past few years.
On January 27, 2022, the City Council authorized the Public Works Department to submit a Grant Application to the California Department of Transportation for the Clean California Local Grant Program; a program created to beautify and clean up local streets and roads, tribal lands, parks, pathways, transit centers, and other public spaces. The program is part of the nearly $1.1 billion Clean California initiative that aims to assist the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in addressing the continuous trash generation overwhelming California’s public spaces.
The Public Works Department was awarded the grant in May of 2022 for the Project which includes both infrastructure and non-infrastructure elements focused on urban greening, improved walkability, community placemaking, and litter cleanup. The amount of the grant, which extends through June 30, 2024, is $5,000,000, with $250,000 designated for a litter abatement contract with an outside vendor, for the business corridors within the scope of the grant.
The Project is in the Anthony, Webster and Hidalgo Elementary School neighborhoods. The infrastructure component of the Project will benefit the community by replacing aging infrastructure, introducing urban greening, improved walkability, enhanced amenities along the Belmont Avenue corridor and at five existing bus stops. The non-infrastructure elements will provide youth service opportunities and help build a sense of pride among residents.
The infrastructure component will reconstruct the existing medians on Belmont Avenue from Abby Street to Millbrook Avenue to include landscaping and irrigation in the reconstructed medians. Irrigated sidewalk tree wells will also be installed along the proposed corridor to complement the existing sidewalk tree wells. Installation of the irrigated tree wells will include replacement of existing sidewalk, directional boring and installation of irrigation laterals to serve the irrigated sidewalk tree wells. In addition, forty-two (42) pedestrian curb ramps, signage and striping will be upgraded to meet current ADA requirements. Lastly, five (5) existing FAX Bus stop locations within the project area, beneath SR-180 at northbound and southbound Fresno Street, at southbound First Street and along westbound Belmont Avenue at Effie Street and at First Street, will be updated to a include a new bus shelter, concrete bus stop pad, trash receptacle, seating, bus stop lighting and appurtenances.
The non-infrastructure components include the commissioning of eight (8) murals to be painted by eight (8) local artists, at five (5) locations along SR-180 abutment slopes and columns at Blackstone Avenue, Abby Street, Fresno Street and First Street and on the Romain Park (First Street and E. Harvey Avenue) recreation building to encourage community placemaking and decrease graffiti.
The project includes the hiring of a vendor to provide weekly litter cleanup along the Blackstone Avenue and Abby Street business corridors between Olive Avenue and Belmont Avenue, and along the Belmont Avenue business corridor from Abby Street to First Street, until June 2024. The vendor contract will reduce litter within the project area and may provide employment opportunities for the community.
The project will establish ‘Beautify Fresno’ Clubs at Webster and Hidalgo Elementary Schools. The Beautify Fresno Clubs will organize a cleanup or beautification event to be held each semester at each school, for a total of eight (8) Beautify Fresno Club-organized cleanup events.
The City of Fresno’s ‘Beautify Fresno’ program will also organize four (4) volunteer-based cleanup events to be held at Webster (two (2) events), Hidalgo and Anthony Elementary School neighborhoods.
The City of Fresno’s ‘Beautify Fresno’ program will also create and launch two (2), twelve-week (12) long Anti-litter campaigns to include bus wraps on FAX Bus Routes 22 and 33, serving the target area of the Clean California Local Grant Program award, billboard ads and online social media outreach. One campaign will launch in 2023 and the second in 2024.
The Project would be consistent with the vision of the Downtown Neighborhoods Community Plan as previously adopted by the Council and is aligned with Beautify Fresno’s mission to inspire residents to take pride in their community, and to take action to make the City a clean and beautiful place to live.
The scope of Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 12301221 includes awarding a one-year contract for Business Corridor Litter Abatement Services on Blackstone Avenue, Abby Street, and Belmont Avenue business corridors.
Business Corridor Litter Abatement Services was advertised as an RFP. The Notice Inviting Bids was advertised on February 8, 2023, in the Business Journal, PlanetBids, and on the City website. The City distributed twenty-seven (27) bid specification packages to prospective bidders and received six (6) bid proposals by the opening date of March 14, 2023, with bid proposals ranging from $109,056 to $172,380, and bid proposals expiring on July 12, 2023, one-hundred twenty (120) days after bid proposal opening. If the bids are rejected or expire, the project must be rebid which will result in a delay of approximately 90 days.
The RFP process allows the City to award the contract based on best value for the City. The best value was determined by a panel of qualified City-selected representatives which included one person from Public Works, one from Solid Waste, and one from Beautify Fresno. The panel evaluated the proposals and unanimously selected ScrubCan, Inc. as the best value for the City.
ScrubCan, Inc. is a local minority-owned business established eight (8) years ago with experience in commercial cleaning services. ScrubCan, Inc. holds the contract for janitorial services with the City of Fresno, as well as serving as the contractor for the City’s Highway Litter Abatement Program since August of 2022. The City of Fresno and Caltrans have been pleased with their performance and can confirm zero reports of safety incidents to date.
ScrubCan, Inc. has seven (7) employees assigned to the highway litter abatement contract who are Fresno residents, and the company has successfully transitioned employees back into the workforce after being incarcerated, homeless, and/or having had struggles with substance abuse. They have committed to hire local residents from low-income neighborhoods or individuals who are transitioning into the workforce, for this contract.
ScrubCan, Inc.’s bid proposal is $4,704 higher than the lowest bid proposal and includes pressure washing of sidewalks at no additional charge. The committee’s unanimous opinion is that this bid proposal would result in the greatest value for the City of Fresno. ScrubCan, Inc. has demonstrated the ability to deliver high quality services at an affordable cost, supported by adequate management structure and communication tools to support responsive customer service.
Staff recommends the City Council award a requirements contract to ScrubCan, Inc. in the amount of $113,760 for a one-year contract for Business Corridor Litter Abatement Services as the best value for litter removal services under the guidelines of the City’s Clean California Local Grant Program award, authorize the Public Works Director or designee to sign the contract on the City’s behalf, and adopt Environmental Assessment No. PW01012 for the Project.
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved the Contract as to form.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
The Project is consistent with CEQA Guidelines, Sections 15301/Class 1 and 15302/Class 2 categorical exemptions because the project proposes reconstruction and improvements to existing landscaping median and sidewalk, ADA ramps, reinstallation or replacement of signage and striping, painting of eight (8) murals, establishment of Beautify Fresno Clubs at Webster and Hidalgo elementary schools, organization of eight (8) Beautify Fresno Club-hosted events, organization of four (4) City of Fresno-hosted volunteer clean up events at Webster, Hidalgo and Anthony elementary school neighborhoods, coordination of two (2) twelve week (12) anti-litter campaigns to include bus wraps, billboard ads and social media outreach, execution of a litter abatement contract to include the Blackstone Avenue and Abby Street business corridors from Belmont Avenue to Olive Avenue and the Belmont Avenue business corridor from Abby Street to First Street.
The infrastructure improvements will restore aging infrastructure to its original condition, make minor improvements to meet current requirements and provide improved walkability, comfort, and safety to the community.
The non-infrastructure improvements are focused on restoring the community to its originally intended condition by removing litter, on maintenance of that originally intended condition by educating and motivating community members to take an active role in beautifying Fresno, and on creating community pride.
The proposed improvements, including the non-infrastructure components of the project, are minor, do not constitute an expansion or change of use, and will improve the public right-of-way without increasing road capacity. The proposed project involves negligible expansion of the existing use and will have substantially the same purpose. The Project will align the community with the vision of the Downtown Neighborhoods Community Plan as previously adopted by the Council and is aligned with Beautify Fresno’s mission to inspire residents to take pride in their community, and to take action to make the City a clean and beautiful place to live.
Based on staff analysis, it was determined that no adverse environmental impacts would occur as a result of the proposed project and none of the exceptions to categorical exemptions set forth in the CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply to this project. Therefore, a categorical exemption, as noted above, applies to the Project.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented because this contract uses state funding.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Project is fully funded by a Clean California Local Grant Program grant. Adoption of Environmental Assessment No. PW01012, dated April 12, 2023, and awarding the Contract to ScrubCan, Inc. of Fresno, CA, for Business Corridor Litter Abatement Services, will have no impact to the General Fund. The Contract is accounted for in the Project budget and funding allocated to the Project. All funding allocations necessary for the Contract are included in the current fiscal year adopted City budget. The project is within Council Districts 1, 3 & 7.
Attachments:
Vicinity Map
Location Map
CEQA Environmental Assessment No. PW01012
Bid Evaluation