Agenda Item Wording:
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4Creeks Design Contract - Authorize the City Manager to bypass the public bidding process and award a professional design services contract to 4Creeks, Inc., for the design of Riggin Avenue Widening from Roeben St to Akers St for an amount not to exceed $470,035.
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Deadline for Action: None
Submitting Department: Administration - Public Works
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Diego Corvera, Civil Engineer, diego.corvera@visalia.city, 559-713-4209
Frank Senteno, City Engineer, frank.senteno@visalia.city 559-713-4331
Nick Mascia, Assistant City Manager, nick.mascia@visalia.city, 713-4323
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that City Council authorize the City Manager to bypass the public bidding process and award a professional design services contract to 4Creeks, Inc. for design of Riggin Avenue Widening from Roeben St. to Akers St. for an amount not to exceed $470,035.
Background Discussion:
In accordance with City Council discussions and priority of the widening of the corridors that comprise the conceptual “Ring-Roads”, this item is the design award to further Council’s goals to design and ultimately construct Riggin Avenue between Roeben St and Akers St. The Ring-Road corridors include Riggin Avenue, Shirk Street, Visalia Parkway, and future Road 148. This report focuses on the Riggin Avenue specifically the section between Roeben St and Akers St.
This will be the final segment of Riggin Avenue that needs to be widen within City limits, establishing the Riggin Ave corridor to its ultimate width. The subject project is funded through the Transportation Impact Fees (TIF) and Measure R Regional funding.
Development Status:
Commercial and residential development is proceeding along the northside of Riggin Ave between Shirk St and Akers St. The opening of the commercial site associated with the Carleton Acres development at the northeast corner of Riggin Ave and Shirk St will entail the widening of Riggin Ave from Shirk St to Roeben St, this CIP project will then widen the Riggin Ave from Roeben St to Akers St. The Carleton Acres development is tentatively scheduled to be presented to LAFCO on 12/06/2023, following this process, development is expected to progress to site permitting in early January 2024. If this occurs, it is anticipated that development construction will be completed within the next 18 months, leaving only this ½ mile stretch of Riggin Ave from Roeben St to Akers St as the last unimproved section of Riggin Ave.
Development Progressing as Planned:
This City project will eliminate the choke point between Roeben St to Akers St, improving traffic safety and congestion along the corridor and will serve as the timely catalyst to relocate the Southern California Edison (SCE) power poles to their ultimate location ahead of the commercial site opening. The SCE pole relocation process can take 12-14 months, without the City project this segment of Riggin Ave would remain a choke point and it’s improvement would be extensively delayed due to SCE and adjacent developer timelines.
Current entitlements for the commercial site at the northeast corner of Riggin Ave and Shirk St require Riggin Ave between Shirk St and Akers St to be widened to 4-lanes ahead of opening day. Due to the upfront cost of this widening, the developers have stated the financial burden of that requirement will make their development untenable. In an effort to work with the adjacent developers and get Riggin Ave fully widened, the City is proposing this CIP to keep development moving forward with current offsite plans for Shirk St to Roeben St. The developers will reimburse the City for their responsible share of roadway frontage construction cost for the Riggin Widening project Roeben St to Akers St in accordance with the final recorded Development Agreement and established areas of benefit.
This project will increase vehicle capacity along Riggin Avenue by adding additional east/west lanes and will provide for an efficient flow of traffic in support of the increase in development within the surrounding area. Improvements to widen Riggin Avenue between Roeben St. to Akers St. from a two-lane road to a four-lane divided road will include curb and gutter, median, median street lighting, median landscape and irrigation, storm drainage, utility pole relocations, signalization of Roeben St and Riggin Ave intersection, and interconnect conduit.
The total project cost for this segment of Riggin Avenue is currently estimated to be $6,075,000. Measure R Regional funds were appropriated to supplement the funding needed for this project as the TIF Fund can only be used for certain improvements such as the travel lanes and medians. Council approved the appropriation of funds towards this project during the City Council meeting held on September 18, 2023.
Although an exact project schedule for this segment has yet to be determined, Staff is attempting to have this project coupled with the city CIP Riggin (Kelsey to Shirk) segment and the Carlton Acres development project in order to have the SCE transmission poles, running throughout all three projects, relocated at one time under one SCE project. Assuming this occurs, then the roadway project is expected to follow behind the Riggin Widening Project Kelsey St to Shirk St and start as soon as late 2024. This will keep the project in line with development to the north which is anticipated to be open late 2025, and the SCE pole relocation timeline.
Alternative - Development Schedule or Plans Change
If commercial development falls through or otherwise deviates from this tentative schedule and does not widen Riggin Ave from Shirk St to Roeben St, it is still the City’s intent to have all the SCE poles between Shirk St and Akers St relocated in coordination with the adjacent owners; the City will have this cost reimbursed through an established area of benefit that will require payment as part of development permitting process.
The widening of Riggin Ave from Roeben St to Akers St will need to be reevaluated. Staff will return to City Council with alternatives for the widening of Riggin Ave between Shirk St and Akers St for Council consideration.
Bypass the Public Bidding Process:
Staff recommends selecting 4Creeks and bypassing the public bidding process to perform this work as they are the engineers of record for the commercial offsite design for Riggin Ave Shirk St to Roeben St and the engineers of record on the City CIP - Riggin Ave Widening Kelsey to Shirk project. They are intimately familiar with the existing and proposed conditions of the adjacent developments and the City project in this area. Their background and design progress thus far will allow for seamless design transition for this widening project.
Therefore, City staff is recommending the bypassing of the public bidding process to select a consultant, because it is believed that there are cost savings associated with this option by 1) taking advantage of engineering work already completed for the area along Riggin Avenue; 2) developing efficiencies by minimizing the level of effort and avoiding overlapping work; and 3) reducing staff time and costs involved in a request for proposal process.
Other Riggin Avenue Widening Projects Status:
• Riggin Ave. - Akers St. to Demaree St.
o Design - Completed.
o Construction - Completed
• Riggin Ave. - Kelsey St. to Shirk St.
o Currently in Design
o Construction - Anticipated start late second quarter of 2024.
• Riggin Ave. - Mooney Blvd. St. to Conyer St.
o Design - Completed.
o Construction - Anticipated start in first quarter of 2024.
Fiscal Impact:
See below the following summary of the current budget for the design of the project:
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Riggin Avenue Widening from Roeben St to Akers St (CP0398) |
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Design Funding Source |
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Measure R Regional Fund (133) |
$3,000,000 |
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Transportation Impact Fee Fund (241) |
$3,075,000 |
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Total Project Funding |
$6,075,000 |
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|
|
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Riggin Ave Widening Roeben St to Akers St Design Budget |
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Design Consultant - 4Creeks (Base) |
$370,440 |
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Optional or Fix-fee Tasks |
$ 99,595 |
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Staff time Estimate (Project Management) |
$ 30,000 |
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Project Design Contingency (5%) |
$ 25,000 |
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Total Design Cost |
$525,035 |
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|
|
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Project Budget |
$6,075,000 |
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Remaining funding for construction |
$5,549,965 |
The consultant fee encompasses the full development of PS&E documents that will be construction ready once completed. The base fee also includes ROW assistance and appraisal services as part of the project development. The optional tasks include CEQA compliance, Federal authorization assistance, and construction staking, these tasks may ultimately not be needed. The consultant fee, with optional tasks, is under the industry average of design fees near 10-12% of construction costs. As such, staff believes this fee to be reasonable. Any funds remaining from the TIF fund will be returned to the fund.
Prior Council Action:
September 19, 2023 - Authorized the City Manager to execute a Measure R Supplemental Agreement with the Tulare County Transportation Authority (TCTA), and appropriate $3,000,000 from the Measure R Regional Fund (133) and $3,075,000 from the Transportation Impact Fee Fund (241) in order to fund the Riggin Avenue Widening from Roeben to Akers Project.
Alternatives:
Solicit design services through a formal RFP procurement process; likely adding 6-months to the project schedule and missing the opportunity to coordinate SCE pole relocation in tandem with the Riggin - Kelsey to Shirk and Private Development Projects.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to authorize the City Manager to bypass the public bidding process and award a professional design services contract to 4Creeks, Inc., for the design of Riggin Avenue widening from Roeben St to Akers St for a not to exceed amount of $470,035.
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Environmental Assessment Status:
EIR for the Carleton Acres Specific Plan includes this section of Riggin Ave- EIR has been recorded and completed - CEQA State Clearing House #2021050418
CEQA Review:
EIR certified - CEQA State Clearing House #2021050418
Attachments:
1. Location Map
2. Consultant Disclosure Form
3. COV Project Scope