Agenda Item Wording:
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Valley Strong Ballpark Outfield Fence & Batter’s Eye Replacement Project Award- Authorize the City Manager to sign the construction contract with Forcum/Mackey Construction, Inc., in the amount of $915,000 for the Valley Strong Ballpark Outfield Fence & Batter’s Eye Replacement Project.
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Deadline for Action: 5/5/2025
Submitting Department: Community Development
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Rebecca Keenan, Senior Civil Engineer, Rebecca.Keenan@visalia.city 713-4541;
Christopher Crawford, City Engineer,Chris.Crawford@visalia.city 713-4331;
Jason Huckleberry, Engineering & Building Director, Jason.Huckleberry@visalia.city 713-4495
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to sign a construction contract with Forcum/Mackey Construction, Inc., in the amount of $915,000 for the Valley Strong Ballpark Outfield Fence & Batter’s Eye Replacement Project. A draft of the contract is attached and may be subject to minor modifications upon approval of the City Attorney and City Manager.
Background Discussion:
On February 25, 2025, the City of Visalia Purchasing Division issued RFB 24-25-42 to obtain bids for the construction of the Valley Strong Ballpark Outfield Fence & Batter’s Eye Replacement project. On March 25, 2025, the City received no bid packages in response to this solicitation. As allowed by the City’s purchasing policy, the City requested bids from two potential bidders for the project as RFB 24-25-42A. On April 22, 2025, the City received two bids in response to this second solicitation. Forcum/Mackey Construction, Inc., submitted a total bid amount of $915,000, and Seals Construction Inc. submitted a total bid amount of $1,290,000. Forcum/Mackey Construction, Inc., was determined to be the lowest bidder by comparing the “Total Bid Amount” of each bidder. This low bid is 27% under the engineer’s estimate of $1,250,000.
This project will replace approximately 290 lineal feet of existing, 12-foot-tall plywood outfield fence attached to new steel posts, reconstruct approximately 41 lineal feet of an existing iron-framed gate and fence, plus reconstruct the north face of an existing red storage barn making up a portion of the outfield fence line, all located at Valley Strong Stadium. The project will also install athletic padding on the fence and remove & replace an existing batter’s eye structure. The improvements will be constructed to comply with Minor League Baseball/Major League (MiLB/MLB) requirements.
The project was issued with one bid item, “Total Bid Amount”, for all work included in RFB 24-25-42A, to meet Minor/Major League Baseball requirements. The solicitation also included three (3) deductive alternatives to evaluate potential cost savings items. The following are the three (3) deductive alternatives:
1. Deductive - Metal Paneling at Back of Batter’s Eye (east side)
2. Deductive - Metal Paneling at Back of Fencing System (exterior side)
3. Deductive - Storm Drain System
The following table summarizes the bids received:
TABLE 1
|
Bid Results CP0641: Valley Strong Outfield Fence & Batter’s Eye |
|
Description |
Engineer’s Estimate |
Forcum/Mackey Construction |
Seals Construction |
|
TOTAL BID AMOUNT: All work included in RFB 24-25-42A, to meet Minor/Major League Baseball (MiLB/MLB) requirements |
$1,250,000 |
$915,000 |
$1,290,000 |
|
DEDUCTIVE ALT 1: Metal Paneling at back of batter’s eye (east side) |
-$27,000 |
-$31,500 |
-$30,000 |
|
DEDUCTIVE ALT 2: Metal Paneling at back of fencing system (exterior side) |
-$24,000 |
-$11,500 |
-$50,000 |
|
DEDUCTIVE ALT 3: Storm drain system |
-$21,000 |
-$14,000 |
-$18,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
RECOMMENDED AWARD: TOTAL BID AMOUNT |
$1,250,000 |
$915,000 |
$1,290,000 |
The City of Visalia may select to reduce the scope of work and contract award by any of the listed deductive alternative bid amounts. After staff review of the bids with First Pitch Entertainment (FPE), the project team recommends awarding the TOTAL BID AMOUNT of $915,000. City staff and FPE discussed incorporating deductive alternative no. 1, in the amount of -$31,500, which would result in a reduced construction cost of $883,500; however this action is not recommended at this time. Applying deductive alternative bid no. 1 would eliminate the metal paneling from the back of the batter’s eye, which could be a reasonable cost savings approach. Since the batter’s eye will be subject to impacts from flying baseballs, eliminating the back metal paneling will simplify any needed replacement and/or “pounding out” of any dented front panels. However, one drawback to eliminating the backside metal paneling may be that the exposed back could become an attractive nuisance for nesting birds.
City staff and FPE discussed possibly implementing a maintenance agreement to address any issues related to nesting birds. However, details related to how this maintenance would be implemented have not been developed and agreed to. Staff and FPE will continue these discussions over the next few weeks, and if mutually agreeable verbiage is achieved in a timely fashion, deductive alternate no. 1 may be implemented through a future change order. It should be stressed that this maintenance agreement must be mutually agreed to within the next few weeks (prior to the contractor ordering materials), or there could be other unintended cost impacts.
The project team also reviewed the possibility of applying Deductive Alternatives 2 and 3 but does not recommend applying them. Deductive alternative no. 2 would eliminate the metal paneling at the back of the fencing system. The new outfield fence will be constructed of wood sheathing, attached to galvanized pipe posts that are set in 7-foot deep footings. The side of the fence that is facing the play field will be covered with 3-inch-thick padding, in compliance with MiLB/MLB requirements. The fence will be supported by 2x6 wood “wind girts”, which will provide the lateral support to resist wind loads and impacts. Although the backside metal paneling is not structurally necessary, staff recommend installing it to dissuade climbing or tampering with the fence. Deductive alternative no. 3 would eliminate a small storm drain system that was incorporated into the project design to provide drainage to the area just south of the existing outfield gate. This gate is the main access for field maintenance, however the dirt area can sometimes become muddy during rain events. Installing the storm drain system will direct the water away from the gate entrance.
The Forcum/Mackey bid package was reviewed and found to be in compliance with the City’s requirements. Staff also contacted the contractor’s listed references, and all three expressed satisfaction with the work. Forcum/Mackey worked on the Terrabella Fire Station No. 21 project for the County of Tulare, and the County representative reported that they were good to work with. They also completed the gate modification and site lighting project at Willson Elementary School for the Tulare City School District. The school district representative reports that the company was always very receptive and timely. Forcum/Mackey also worked on the City of Visalia’s Fire Station 56 Project, which was recently completed in 2024. City staff reports that the contractor performed well on that project as well.
Fiscal Impact:
There is currently $1,355,600 appropriated for the outfield fence and batter’s eye from the Baseball Fund. With the received bid the updated total budget for this project is $1,223,800, which is under the budgeted amount. The updated budget amount includes construction costs, contingencies, and support costs such as professional design services and materials testing services. No additional appropriation is requested at this time.
TABLE 2
|
BUDGET SUMMARY CP0641 |
|
Outfield Fence with Padding + Batter’s Eye |
|
Current Project Budget - CP0641 |
$1,355,600 |
|
Design |
Cost |
|
Design Consultant |
$146,200 |
|
Misc. pre-construction costs |
$1,600 |
|
Design Subtotal: |
$147,800 |
|
Construction |
|
|
Construction (this award) |
$915,000 |
|
Construction Contingency (10%) |
$91,500 |
|
Construction Subtotal: |
$1,006,500 |
|
Construction Support |
|
|
Materials Testing, Special Inspections & Staking |
$69,500 |
|
Construction Support Subtotal |
$69,500 |
|
Grand Total Outfield Fence & Batter’s Eye |
$1,223,800 |
|
Current Amount Budgeted |
$1,355,600 |
|
CP0641 Balance |
$131,800 |
The miscellaneous preconstruction costs shown in Table 2 are for costs related to underground utility locating, CEQA, and legal advertisements.
Although this project shows a surplus, this is one of three projects covered under the agreement that was executed in 2024 between the City of Visalia and First Pitch Entertainment, LLC. That agreement covered projects related to upgrading the sports lighting to LED (recently completed); the Outfield Wall/Padding/Batter’s Eye (this project); and the Clubhouse/Batting Cage (design-build project currently underway). The following is an overall budget update of these three projects.
TABLE 3
|
BUDGET SUMMARY |
|
VALLEY STRONG BALLPARK |
|
COV - FPE Contract Budget |
$7,656,698.00 |
|
Lighting Final Cost CP0642 |
Cost |
|
"MiLB Lighting Upgrades LED upgrade 8 poles + Accent Lighting 4 poles FINAL COST" |
$845,118.82 |
|
Lighting Total: |
$845,200 |
|
Outfield Fence & Batter’s Eye Estimate CP0641 |
|
|
Bid Award Amount |
$915,000 |
|
Construction Contingency |
$91,500 |
|
Support Costs |
$217,300 |
|
Outfield Fence & Batter’s Eye Total: |
$1,223,800 |
|
Clubhouse & Batting Cage Estimate CP0758 |
|
|
Construction Cost |
$4,830,000 |
|
Construction Contingency |
$235,700 |
|
Support Costs |
555,400 |
|
Clubhouse & Batting Cage Total: |
$5,621,100 |
|
Grand Total |
$7,690,100 |
|
COV - FPE Contract Budget |
$7,656,698 |
|
Balance |
-$33,402 |
The overall budget has been updated to reflect the most recent estimates provided by the Clubhouse & Batting Cage Design-Builder. The estimated construction cost for the clubhouse has increased by $115,590 over the amount reported at the March 3, 2025, City Council meeting. This increase is attributable to ongoing industry-wide rising construction costs related to materials and labor. The total construction cost shown in Table 3 above includes the previously reported unforeseen electrical upgrades and the industry-wide increases. It should be noted that despite these increases, the total clubhouse & batting cage project cost shown above is less than the amount reported at the March 3, 2025, City Council meeting. This is due to the elimination of the consultant construction manager services from the project. At the February 3, 2025, City Council meeting, Council authorized staff to hire Vanir Construction Management to provide the construction management services for a cost not to exceed $221,150. In an effort to control and reduce project costs, and through discussions with First Pitch Entertainment, city staff from the Engineering and Building Department have been reallocated to perform in-house construction management services on this project. While reallocating staff to the project may impact other on-going city projects, it was determined that the City had knowledgeable and experienced staff for the work and anticipate a successful project with a significant reduction in overall project cost.
Going forward, the Clubhouse & Batting Cage Design-Builder anticipates that they will start securing costs with vendors and subcontractors in May 2025. Therefore, staff will return to Council this June with updated costs for the clubhouse.
Prior Council Action:
October 7, 2024: City Council voted to approve Contract Amendment No. 2 to Zeltmacher Structural Design Engineering Inc. for design services related to the outfield fence replacement project, and the Batter’s Eye, in the amount of $35,800 and to appropriate $855,600 from the baseball fund.
Alternatives: None recommended.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to authorize the City Manager to sign a construction contract with Forcum/Mackey Construction Inc., in the amount of $915,000 for the Valley Strong Ballpark Outfield Fence & Batter’s Eye Replacement Project.
end
Environmental Assessment Status: None required.
CEQA Review: City of Visalia Environmental Document #2024-17, Notice of Exemption for the Recreation Ballpark Stadium Fence Replacement was filed at the Tulare County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder’s Office on May 9, 2024.
Attachments:
1. Location Map
2. Ownership Disclosure
3. Draft Contract