REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Randall W. Morrison, PE, Director
Capital Projects Department
Scott L. MOzier, PE, Director
Public Works Department
BY: JESUS AVITIA, PE, Assistant Director
Capital Projects Department, Transportation Project Management Division
BRANDON CHACON, Projects Administrator
Capital Projects Department, Transportation Project Management Division
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to the Southwest Green Trail Replacing Cast-In-Place Pipe with Pre-Cast Project (Bid File No. 12400534) (Council District 3):
1. Adopt an Addendum to the previously adopted Mitigated Negative Declaration, Doc. No. E202010000079, dated February 2020, in accordance with Section 15164 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines
2. Award a construction contract in the amount of $369,450 to West Valley Construction Company, Inc. of Fresno, California
Body
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that the City Council (1) adopt an addendum to the previously adopted Mitigated Negative Declaration in accordance with Section 15164 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, (2) award a construction contract to West Valley Construction Company, Inc. of Fresno, California in the amount of $369,450, as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder and authorize the Capital Projects Director or designee to sign the contract on behalf of the City of Fresno.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City is proposing to construct a Class I Trail, with new trees, trail lighting and street lighting, along the Fanning Ditch Alignment with the Southwest Fresno Trail Project, from West Avenue to Thorne Avenue. The Project is part of the approved Master Grant Agreement for the Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) grant program with the Strategic Growth Council (SGC) for development and implementation of greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects. In preparation to accommodate the proposed Southwest Fresno Trail Project, the city collaborated with the Fresno Irrigation District (FID) to replace the existing cast-in-place pipe with rubber gasketed reinforced concrete pipe, to prevent any future maintenance and future responsibility of the City to replace the existing pipeline after the trail construction. This pipe replacement work can only be conducted between November and February when the District’s irrigation season is not in effect. To ensure timely completion, it is imperative that this phase of the project concludes before February. Awarding a construction contract is essential to facilitate the replacement of the pipe, aligning with the District's scheduling requirements and preventing any potential delays to the Southwest Fresno Trail Project. Funding for this contract will be from Measure P Safe Walking and Biking Trails funds budgeted for this project.
BACKGROUND
As part of the approved Master Grant Agreement for the Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) grant program with the Strategic Growth Council (SGC) for development and implementation of greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects in the amount of $65,500,000, the City is implementing the Southwest Fresno Green Trail Project. The project will construct a Class I Trail along the Fanning No. 76 alignment, from West Avenue to Thorne Avenue, plant trees, install trail lighting, and street lighting.
The Agreement for Professional Engineering Services was awarded to Sherwood Design Engineers Inc., on December 9, 2021, and design is in the final stages. During the design development phase, it became apparent that one aspect of the project involved replacing the existing cast-in-place pipe with a pre-cast one. The pipe replacement work can only be carried out when the irrigation season of the District is not in effect.
In order to align with the District's scheduling requirements and to prevent potential scheduling impacts in the subsequent stages of trail construction, staff decided to advertise this specific portion of the work.
The Notice Inviting Bids was published in the Business Journal on September 27, 2023, posted on the City’s website, and was sent to seven building exchanges. The specifications were distributed to twelve prospective bidders. Three sealed bid proposals were received and opened in the public bid opening on October 10, 2023, with bids ranging from $369,450 to $423,250. West Valley Construction Company, Inc. is deemed the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.
The bids will expire 64 days after the bid opening, on December 13, 2023. If the bids are rejected or expire, the project will be rebid resulting in a delay of approximately 10 months, due to coordination with the FID water delivery season. Such a delay would also impact the overall progress of the Southwest Fresno Trail Project and put at risk the TCC grant funds. Funding will be from Measure P Safe Walking and Biking Trails funds budgeted for this project.
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.
Staff is recommending the award of a construction contract for the Southwest Green Trail Replacing Cast-In-Place Pipe with Pre-Cast to West Valley Construction Company, Inc. of Fresno, California in the amount of $369,450.00, as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, and to authorize the Capital Projects Director or designee to sign and execute the standardized contract on behalf of the City of Fresno.
A standardized agreement has been used in accordance with Administrative Order 4-4, which has been approved as to form by the City Attorney’s Office.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
A Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) was previously prepared and adopted by City Council on April 23, 2020, for this project in accordance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. The MND at the time did not anticipate replacing the existing Fresno Irrigation District cast-in-place pipe with reinforced concrete pipe. Therefore, the City prepared an Addendum per Section 15164 of the CEQA Guidelines. The Addendum to the previously adopted MND will not introduce any new significant environmental effects or substantially increase the severity of previously identified environmental effects and is considered a minor technical change.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was considered but did not have an impact on bidding due to the lowest bidder being a local contractor.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Southwest Fresno Trail Project is in Council District 3. The overall cost of the project is $4,340,500 and is fully funded with TCC Grant funding and Measure P Safe Walking and Biking Trails. Of the overall project budget, $369,450.00, from Measure P Safe Walking and Biking Trails will be used for this construction contract award. All funds required for the contract award are included in the current fiscal year budget, as previously adopted by the Council and will have no impact to the General Fund.
Attachment(s):
Addendum to IS/MND
Bid Evaluation
Fiscal Impact Statement
Standardized Contract
Vicinity Map