Agenda Item Wording:
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Award Contract for Culvert Replacement - Authorize the City Manager to award the construction contract with Dawson-Mauldin, LLC for RFB 24-25-60, Mill Creek Culvert Replacement Project, in the amount of $1,403,118.
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Prepared by:
Katherine Woodhull-Fuget, Associate Engineer, Katherine.Woodhull-Fuget@visalia.city, (559) 713-4447
Eric Bons, Senior Civil Engineer, Eric.Bons@visalia.city, (559) 713-4350
Chris Crawford, City Engineer, Chris.Crawford@visalia.city, (559) 713-4331
Jason Huckleberry, Engineering & Building Director, Jason.Huckleberry@visalia.city, (559) 713-4495
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to award a contract with Dawson-Mauldin, LLC for RFB 24-25-60, Mill Creek Culvert Replacement Project, in the amount of $1,403,118.
Summary:
This project will replace the existing Mill Creek culvert in Giddings St between Mineral King Avenue and Main Street. The existing culvert is estimated to be over 100 years old and in need of urgent replacement. The project will also upgrade the Redwood High at-grade pedestrian crossing and grind/overlay the street section between Mineral King and Main Street. During this project Giddings St between Mineral King and Main St must be closed to through traffic during construction.
Dawson-Mauldin, LLC was determined to be the lowest responsive bid with a total bid of $1,403,118. Staff recommends awarding the construction contract to Dawson-Mauldin, LLC in the amount of $1,403,118 pending there are no bid protests. The contract will not be executed until the protest period has been exhausted. Once the construction contract is executed, the contractor will start construction as soon as Mill Creek is dry, which is likely in August of this year.
Background Discussion:
The existing culvert within Giddings Street between Main Street and Mineral King Avenue was constructed in the 1910’s. The culvert has been in service for over 100 years and it needs replacement. City staff visually inspected the existing concrete culvert and observed visible cracking within the concrete culvert and settlement within the pavement in Giddings Street. City staff hired a structural engineer to conduct a visual inspection of the existing culvert in October of 2024. The structural engineer’s recommendation is to replace the existing culvert with a new culvert as soon as possible due to the cracks within the structure, exposed reinforcement, and the overall age of the culvert.
Replacing the culvert will require the relocation of multiple utilities, including relocating an existing 10” sanitary sewer main that crosses from north to south through the existing culvert. City staff have been coordinating with the impacted utility companies to relocate the effected utilities as soon as possible.
The work to replace the culvert is to be performed between August and November 2025 when Mill Creek typically does not have water flowing. According to the Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District (KDWCD), under normal conditions Mill Creek is dry by the end of August, with irrigation flows ending sooner (in June or July) in dry years and later (in September or November) in wet years.
In order to meet the construction window, City staff contracted 4Creeks Inc. for the design of the culvert replacement on December 16, 2024, after an expedited procurement process. The project was put out to bid for construction on May 21, 2025.
Traffic Impacts
The Mill Creek culvert beneath Giddings St must be completely replaced, and due to spatial constraints, replacing the culvert in sections to reduce traffic impact is infeasible. The contractor will have a very limited work area due to the dimensions of the roadway and the Redwood High Pedestrian Bridge which crosses above the culvert. The contractor will need to relocate an existing sanitary sewer main which crosses through the culvert in the center of the road, further complicating construction and making it infeasible to keep half of the road open. Additionally, once demolition of the culvert has started, the structural integrity of the culvert will be compromised, and routing traffic across a segment of it would pose a substantial risk.
As such, Giddings at Mill Creek will be impassible, and Giddings from Mineral King Ave to Main St will be closed to through traffic during construction. Appropriate public notification will be coordinated with the contractor to efficiently notify the public and establish detours accordingly. City staff and the contractor will coordinate with Visalia Unified School District to minimize impact to Redwood High School. The Redwood High Pedestrian Bridge will be kept open during construction and a temporary alternate pedestrian pathway along the north side of the Mineral King Bowl will be provided for students who cannot utilize the bridge during the reconstruction of the Mill Creek Culvert.
The grind and overlay from Mineral King to Main Street additive bid item will be scheduled to minimize impacts to Redwood High and the Grace Bible Church.
Bidding Process
RFB 24-25-60 for the Mill Creek Culvert Replacement Project at Giddings Street was advertised beginning May 21, 2025 and the RFB closed on Wednesday June 25, 2025. The bid for this project contained a Base Bid and one Additive Bid. The basis of award was the lowest sum total of the Base Bid plus Additive Bid 1. The project received the following 5 bids:
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Base Bid + Additive Bid 1 |
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Contractor |
Location |
Bid Amount |
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1 |
Dawson-Mauldin, LLC |
Selma, CA |
$1,403,118.00 |
|
2 |
Agee Construction Corporation |
Clovis, CA |
$1,532,366.00 |
|
3 |
Granite Construction Company |
Fresno, CA |
$1,678,429.50 |
|
4 |
Avison Construction |
Madera, CA |
$1,715,862.00 |
|
5 |
Cal Valley Construction |
Fresno, CA |
$1,764,416.00 |
Dawson-Mauldin, LLC’s bid proposal was determined to be the lowest responsive bid and as part of the review process the references they provided were verified. The references provided included Farmers Ditch Company, Consolidated Irrigation District, and Consolidated Peoples Ditch Company. These references were called by City staff with favorable responses from all parties. As a result, staff recommends that the construction contract be awarded to Dawson-Mauldin, LLC.
Per the California Public Contract Code and City of Visalia Policy, Bidders may submit appeals in writing within 5 working days of receiving notice of the City’s intent to award. This protest period has not elapsed at the time of this Council meeting. As such, staff recommends the construction contract be awarded to Dawson-Mauldin, LLC pending there are no bid protests or appeals. If Council authorizes award, the contract will not be executed until the protest period has been exhausted.
Fiscal Impact:
The Giddings Street Mill Creek Culvert Replacement Project is multi-funded with funds budgeted from 113 SB1 Road Maintenance, 431 Wastewater, and State Highway (RSTP Funds Exchange to State Funds).
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Giddings Street Mill Creek Culvert Replacement Project CP0773 |
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Project Budget |
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Fund 113 SB1 Road Maintenance |
$ 250,000 |
|
Fund 431 Wastewater |
$ 170,000 |
|
FY 23/24 RSTP Funds Exchange to State Funds |
$ 889,030 |
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FY 24/25 RSTP Funds Exchange to State Funds |
$ 930,390 |
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Total Budget |
$ 2,239,420 |
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Estimated Project Costs |
|
Project Management/Administration |
$ 72,000 |
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Design Services |
$ 260,700 |
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Construction Base Bid |
$ 1,305,918 |
|
Construction Additive Bid 1 |
$ 97,200 |
|
Construction Contingency (~10% of Construction) |
$ 141,000 |
|
Construction Management & Services |
$ 165,000 |
|
Total Estimated Project Costs |
$ 2,041,818 |
|
Estimated Surplus (Deficit) |
$ 197,602 |
The Wastewater Fund (431) will fund the component of the project to relocate the existing sewer main. As the culvert is related to the street, the SB1 Road Maintenance Fund and State Highway Account funds will fund the replacement of the culvert and associated road improvements.
Prior Council Action:
May 19, 2025 - Adoption of Resolution No. 2025-35 to authorize the City Manager to sign the Fiscal Year 2024/25 Claim to TCAG for RSTP Funds in Exchange for State Highway Account Funds and appropriate $930,390 towards Giddings Street Culvert Replacement Project.
December 16, 2024 - Council authorized the City Manager to award a design contract with 4Creeks, Inc. for the design of the Giddings Street Culvert Replacement Project for $260,700; appropriate $50,000 from the Wastewater Fund and appropriate $250,000 from the SB1 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Fund.
June 17, 2024 - Adoption of Resolution No. 2024-29 to authorize the City Manager to sign the Fiscal Year 2023-24 Claim to TCAG for RSTP Funds in Exchange for State Highway Account Funds and appropriate $889,030 towards Road Rehabilitation.
Alternatives: None recommended.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to authorize the City Manager to award a contract with Dawson-Mauldin, LLC for RFB 24-25-60, Mill Creek Culvert Replacement Project, in the amount of $1,403,118.
Environmental Assessment Status: NEPA Environmental Assessment does not apply.
CEQA Review: Notice of Exemption posted February 21, 2025.
Deadline for Action: 6/30/2025
Attachments:
1. Contractor Ownership Disclosure Form
2. Project Location Map
3. Sample Construction Contract