REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Randall W. Morrison, PE, Director
Capital Projects Department
SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director
Public Works Department
BY: Scott p. sehm, PE, Assistant Director
Capital Projects Department, Design Services Division
SAMEN SAMRA, Engineer II
Capital Projects Department, Design Services Division
SUBJECT
Title
Award a construction contract in the amount of $164,842 to Power Design Electric, as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for Belmont Avenue Street Light Replacement Project from Clovis Avenue to Fowler Avenue - Bid File 12402316 (Council Districts 5 and 7).
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that City Council award a construction contract to Power Design Electric, of Kingsburg, California, in the amount of $164,842, as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for Belmont Avenue Street Light Replacement Project from Clovis Avenue to Fowler Avenue, and authorize the Capital Project Director, Public Works Director, or designee, to sign the contract on behalf of the City.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Belmont Avenue Street Light Replacement Project will replace streetlights that were removed from the Belmont Avenue Widening Project shortly after construction in 2021. These lights were taken down after it was discovered they were too close to the PG&E high voltage overhead wires which run east-west along the north side of Belmont Avenue. Relocation of these overhead facilities was coordinated by city staff as part of the widening project; however, they were not relocated to the correct elevation to allow for the minimum required clearance between the overhead wires and the streetlight poles. This project will install new, shorter, streetlights to meet the required clearance requirements while providing on-street illumination levels consistent with what was originally proposed with the widening project.
The City Staff recommends awarding a construction contract to Power Design Electric, in the amount of $164,842 as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. The Belmont Avenue Street Light Replacement Project construction is funded by Special Revenue Developer Contribution, a co-operative agreement with Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District (FMFCD), Urban Growth Management Park Zone Funds, and New Growth Area Major Street Impact Fees. The project will not have any impact to the General Fund.
BACKGROUND
The Fancher Creek Development Project consists of approximately 476 acres in southeast Fresno, bound by Clovis Avenue on the west, Kings Canyon Road on the south, Armstrong Avenue on the east, and Belmont Avenue on the north. The development consists of residential homes and commercial shopping centers. Fancher Creek Properties obtained approvals from the City of Fresno for Rezoning Application No. R-04-14, Conditional Use Permit No. C-04-79, Vesting Tentative Tract Map No. T-5232, Parcel Map No. 2004-36, and Environmental Impact Report No. 10133 for the purpose of entitling the Fancher Creek Project. Funding for the Belmont Avenue widening to four lanes between Clovis Avenue and Fowler Avenue, including the installation of street lighting on the north side, was a condition of zoning for the Tract Map No. 5232 residential subdivision per Rezone Application No. R-04-14. The City took over the Belmont Avenue widening project with funding provided by the developer through an executed settlement agreement.
During the design phase of the Belmont Avenue Widening Project, awarded by City Council on September 20, 2018, PG&E was contacted to relocate their high voltage overhead lines along Belmont Avenue, between Clovis and Fowler Avenues. The relocation was needed to accommodate the proposed curb and gutter placement and to provide adequate separation between the high-voltage overhead conductors and the proposed streetlights that were to be installed with this project; relocation of the PG&E facilities within the City’s Right of Way (ROW) was covered under the City of Fresno’s Franchise Agreement with PG&E. City staff coordinated with PG&E and the design plans and construction details were submitted for review and coordination early in the design process to ensure PG&E was aware of the streetlight locations and heights and could make the needed adjustments to the pole locations and installed heights to meet the minimum required clearances per California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and CAL-OSHA protocols for worker safety. Unfortunately, PG&E’s installed pole heights were not adequate and did not allow for the needed clearance to meet the CAL-OSHA requirements. Therefore, when the City’s contractor installed the streetlight poles, the required minimum clearance between the top of the streetlights and PG&E’s overhead wires were not met, requiring a coordinated effort between PG&E and city staff to de-energize the overhead lines so staff could take down the poles. The Belmont Avenue Streetlight Replacement Project will replace and reinstall these missing streetlights using shorter poles with wider-dispersion LED luminaires to provide illumination levels and patterns that comply with city standards and allow for the required clearance from the overhead wires for the safety of maintenance staff.
The Belmont Avenue Street Light Replacement Project will provide lighting along Westbound Belmont Avenue from Clovis Avenue to Fowler Avenue, for the safety and visibility of the residents, pedestrians, cyclist, and vehicular traffic who use the roadway every day. The in-house design for the Belmont Avenue Streetlight Project was scheduled for FY24 with construction in FY25. Construction for this project will be funded by Special Revenue Developer Contribution, a co-operative agreement with Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District (FMFCD), Urban Growth Management Park Zone Funds, and New Growth Area Major Street Impact Fee. This project will not have any impact to the General Fund.
Capital Projects Department staff prepared Plans and Specifications, and a Notice Inviting Bids was published and posted on the City’s website on April 5th, 2024. Two bids were received and opened during a public bid opening on April 30,2024, with bids ranging from $164,842 to $279,000. The low bid was 38% below the engineer’s estimate from Power Design Electric.
Staff recommends awarding a construction contract to Power Design Electric, in the amount of $164,842 to perform the streetlight replacement work on Belmont Avenue from Clovis Avenue to Fowler Avenue, as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, and to authorize the Capital Projects Director or designee to sign the standardized agreement on behalf of the City of Fresno. The Community Workforce Agreement (PLA), adopted by Council in September 2021, does not apply to this contract because the engineer’s estimate for this project was less than $1 million, pursuant to the terms of the PLA.
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved this item as to form.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
The Belmont Street Light Replacement Project replaces the streetlights that were previously installed with the Belmont Widening Project with streetlights that have a reduced height. These streetlights will meet the necessary clearance per OSHA and CPUC. No impacts will be made to the environment with the installation of these streetlights. This project is located within the vicinity of the Fancher Creek Project for which a Final Environmental Impact Report “FEIR” along with the Rezoning Application No. R-04-14 was adopted by the City. In the FEIR it is stated that “Public streets shall be developed in accordance with Public Work standards.” The Belmont Widening Project previously constructed roadway between Clovis and Fowler along Belmont to Public Work Standards, which included the installation of streetlights. However, to meet OSHA requirements the city will now go in and install streetlights at a lower height. This work is within accordance with the FEIR that was adopted for the Fancher Creek Project and will not impact the environment in any way that would require a new EIR or negative declaration to be prepared.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Statute and Guidelines section 15162 outlines that once an EIR has been certified no subsequent EIR shall be prepared for that project unless;
1. No substantial changes are proposed in the project, which will require major revisions of the previous EIR or negative declaration due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects;
Reasoning: This project does not propose substantial changes, nor will it impact the current environment. The streetlights will be installed on a roadway that was built to city standards as a requirement of the FEIR that was certified for the Fancher Creek Project.
2. No substantial changes occur with respect to the circumstances under which the project is undertaken which will require major revisions of the previous EIR or Negative Declaration due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects; or,
Reasoning: No substantial changes have occurred with respect to the circumstances under which the proposed project is being undertaken, since the completion of construction of the Belmont Widening Project in 2021.The Belmont Widening Project was a requirement and component of the Fancher Creek Project, for which the FEIR No.10133 was certified and adopted by the Fresno City Council. Therefore, no new significant environmental effects or substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects will occur.
3. New information of substantial importance, which was not known and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time the previous EIR was certified as complete or the Negative Declaration was adopted, shows any of the following:
a) The project will have one or more significant effects not discussed in the previous EIR or negative declaration;
b) Significant effects previously examined will be substantially more severe than shown in the previous EIR;
c) Mitigation measures or alternatives previously found not to be feasible would in fact be feasible, and would substantially reduce one or more significant effects of the project, but the proponents decline to adopt the mitigation measure or alternative; or,
d) Mitigation measures or alternatives which are considerably different from those analyzed in the previous EIR would substantially reduce one or more significant effects on the environment, but the project proponents decline to adopt the mitigation measures or alternative.
Reasoning: Based upon the information contained within the preceding findings herein above: No new information of substantial importance shows that the proposed project will have significant effects not discussed in the previously certified EIR No.10133; No effects previously examined will be more severe, and no new or alternative mitigation measures for identified significant effects have become feasible. Neither the scope of the proposed project or the circumstances surrounding the proposed project have changed.
Given the information contained within the Environmental Findings section contained herein above, no subsequent environmental review or analysis is required for the proposed project beyond that which has been previously certified in EIR No. 10133.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented because the lowest responsive and responsible bidder is a local business.
FISCAL IMPACT
The overall cost of the project is $325,353 and is fully funded by Special Revenue Developer Contribution, a co-operative agreement with FMFCD, Urban Growth Management Park Zone funds, and New Growth Area Major Street Impact Fee revenue. The location of the project will be in Council District 5 and 7. All funding necessary for the project, including construction contingency, were included in the currently Adopted City budget. Of the overall budget of the project, $164,842 will be used for the construction contract award. This project will not have any impact to the General Fund.
Attachments:
Standard Agreement
Bid Evaluation
Fiscal Impact Statement
Vicinity Map