Agenda Item Wording:
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Civic Center phase 3 scope of work - Receive a presentation discussing the scope of work and amenities to be included in phase 3 of the Visalia civic center project, approve one of the options listed in this report, award a sole source design contract to Darden Architects in the amount of $5,720,609, and appropriate $5,721,000 from the Civic Center Reserve Fund. This item is scheduled for the Work Session; if not completed, it may be continued during the Regular Session portion of this meeting.
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Agenda Date: 06/01/2026
Prepared by:
Mike Porter, Civil Engineer, Mike.porter@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4412
Chris Crawford, City Engineer, Chris.crawford@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4331
Jason Huckleberry, Engineering & Building Director, Jason.huckleberry@visalia.gov, (559) 713-4495
Department Recommendation: Staff recommends moving forward with design option 1 for the civic center phase 3 project, including the optional training facility, café, fourth floor and health clinic, and awarding a sole source design contract to Darden Architects in the amount of $5,720,609 and appropriate $5,721,000 from the Civic Center Reserve Fund.
Summary:
Staff requested Darden Architects to provide a design fee proposal and construction cost estimate for phase 3 of the Visalia civic center project. Staff is recommending that Council award a sole source design contract to Darden as the architectural and engineering consultant (A/E) for phase 3 based on their previous experience designing phases 1 & 2. The estimate included the base cost for an approximately 54,000 SF, 3-story office building, and optional costs for amenities including a police department (PD) training facility, café & patio space, health clinic, and the addition of a fourth floor for future growth space. These options were discussed and recommended for consideration by the staff involved in the civic center planning committee. It is anticipated that the plans, specifications and estimates (PS&E) phase of the project will last approximately 14 months from the time an agreement can be executed with the design consultant.
Background Discussion:
The Visalia civic center project was planned to be implemented and constructed in phases. Phase 1 consisted of constructing the Visalia emergency communications center (VECC), which was completed in 2018. Phase 2 is currently under construction and includes three buildings, the evidence storage and crime lab, public safety administration building and city council chambers, and is scheduled to be completed in July of 2027. The third and final phase of the civic center would consist of a new city hall building which may include amenities such as an on-site café and health clinic, and an optional police department training facility. The location of the proposed city hall building and PD training facility are shown on the civic center site plan (attached)
Darden led the A/E team for the initial civic center site planning and design, design of the VECC, and design of the public safety administration building, evidence building, and council chambers. Darden has already laid out the future building pad location for the city hall building and prepared the architectural details and features for all the civic center buildings. It is staff’s recommendation to use Darden for phase 3 based on the extensive amount of work they have already completed on the civic center project. Darden’s extensive experience with previous phases of the civic center will make design of phase 3 much more efficient. This is expected to result in significant savings in staff time during the course of design and it is also expected to expedite the design timeline for phase 3.
Staff met with the civic center committee to discuss possible options to be included in phase 3. The following are some of the reasons why the committee is recommending the following options:
1. Fourth floor addition - Visalia is a strong and growing community and staff expects this to continue for many years. The committee feels as though it would be wise to allow for additional staff growth and/or opportunities for partnering with other businesses in the future.
2. PD training facility/range - The police department this is a facility that is needed for development of police department staff. If this facility is designed now there may be possible grant opportunities in the future for a shovel ready project.
3. Café/patio - The committee believes that this is a good option to provide employees with needed amenities, a space for staff to enjoy a break and increase mental health wellness, and will aid in employee satisfaction resulting in a more efficient workforce.
4. Health clinic - The committee believes this makes financial sense and that it would be well received by staff and their families. With an increasing number of staff members, it is anticipated that a larger space will be needed than what the city currently has available.
Based on those discussions, it is recommended to design Phase 3 with the above mentioned options. It is more efficient to design the optional features now than to add them to the design documents later. The various optional features can be included in the final bid documents as alternate items if desired so the city can receive bids and make final decisions on the options based on the overall project cost.
Fiscal Impact including annual maintenance and operating costs: Table 1 shows the current budget summary for phase 2 of the civic center project. Table 2 shows the estimated cost for phase 3
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Table 1. Civic Center Phase 2 (CIP 3720-72000/CP0374-999) |
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Budget Summary: |
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Fund 003 - Civic Center Reserve Total Budget |
$ 99,341,300.00 |
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Land Purchase (gov Buildings only) |
$ 3,391,300.00 |
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Darden A/E contract amount (actual) |
$ 4,754,921.72 |
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Griffin CM contract amount (actual) |
$ 1,520,000.00 |
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City of Visalia Permits and Plan Checking Fees |
$ 1,142,000.00 |
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Staff Project Management + misc. expenses (est.) |
$ 600,000.00 |
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Testing & Inspections (est.) |
$ 1,000,000.00 |
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Bedrock - surveying services |
$ 50,000.00 |
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Specialty Storage Equipment |
$ 793,840.45 |
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Remaining FF&E (est.) |
$ 4,127,000.00 |
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A/V & Technology (est.) |
$ 2,880,000.00 |
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Utilities (est.) |
$ 750,000.00 |
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Misc. fees (est.) |
$ 30,000.00 |
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Construction contract amount |
$ 72,780,000.00 |
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Construction contingency (5%) |
$ 3,639,000.00 |
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Total Estimate (current) |
$ 97,458,237.83 |
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Remaining CIP Budget |
$ 1,883,237.83 |
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Table 2. Civic Center Phase 3 |
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Budget Summary: |
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Design Cost |
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A/E proposed contract amount (base building) |
$ 3,735,101.00 |
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Fourth floor addition |
$ 751,010.00 |
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Training facility / range |
$ 956,778.00 |
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Café / Patio |
$ 96,990.00 |
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Health clinic |
$ 180,730.00 |
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Subtotal A/E Design Phase |
$ 5,720,609.00 |
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CM contract amount (est.) |
$ 1,600,000.00 |
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City of Visalia Permits and Plan Checking Fees (est.) |
$ 500,000.00 |
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Staff Project Management + misc. expenses (est.) |
$ 300,000.00 |
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Testing & Inspections (est.) |
$ 500,000.00 |
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Surveying services (est.) |
$ 20,000.00 |
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FF&E (est.) |
$ 2,000,000.00 |
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A/V & Technology (est.) |
$ 1,000,000.00 |
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Utilities (est.) |
$ 100,000.00 |
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Construction cost estimate (includes all options) |
$ 80,050,000.00 |
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Construction contingency (5%) |
$ 4,002,500.00 |
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Total Phase 3 Estimate |
$ 95,793,109.00 |
Staff is requesting an appropriation from the Civic Center Reserve Fund in the amount of $5,721,000 for the planning and design portion of phase 3 of the civic center project.
Prior Council Action: N/A
Alternatives: Do not authorize the design phase for phase 3 of the Visalia civic center.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to authorize the City Manager to enter into a sole source Architect/Engineer (A/E) design agreement to begin the design phase of the Visalia civic center phase 3 project with Darden Architects, and appropriate $5,721,000 from the Civic Center Reserve Fund.
I also recommend that staff move forward with (Council to choose one of the options below and state in the motion. The options listed below include the design agreement costs only, construction costs are not included):
1. Recommended option: Base building with fourth floor, training $5,720,609.00
facility, café and health clinic.
2. Base building only. $3,735,101.00
3. Base building plus fourth floor. $4,486,111.00
4. Base building plus training facility. $4,691,879.00
5. Base building plus café. $3,832,091.00
6. Base building plus health clinic. $3,915,831.00
7. Base building plus training facility and café. $4,788,869.00
8. Base building plus, training facility, café and health clinic. $4,969,599.00
9. Base building plus café and health clinic. $4,012,821.00
Environmental Assessment Status: Not applicable at this time
CEQA Review: N/A
Deadline for Action: 06/01/2026
Attachments:
Presentation
Sample contract
Ownership disclosure form
Strategic Goal: Indicates which City Strategic Goal(s) this item supports. Check all that apply.
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☒ Economic Vitality |
☒  Organizational Excellence |
☐ Fiscal Strength |
☒  Infrastructure & Growth |
☒  Quality of Life |