Agenda Item Wording:
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Appropriation of Funds - Authorize an additional appropriation of $110,000 for the design phase of the Valley Strong Stadium Retaining Wall Project from the Baseball Fund (157).
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Prepared by:
Cody McLaughlin, Associate Engineer, Cody.Mclaughlin@visalia.gov, 713-4595
Dolores Verduzco, Financial Analyst, Dolores.Verduzco@visalia.gov, 713-4540
Rebecca Keenan, Senior Civil Engineer, Rebecca.Keenan@visalia.gov, 713-4541
Chris Crawford, City Engineer, Chris.Crawford@visalia.gov, 713-4331
Jason Huckleberry, Eng. & Bldg. Director, Jason.Huckleberry@visalia.gov, 713-4495
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the additional appropriation of $110,000 for the design phase of the Valley Strong Stadium Retaining Wall Repair Project from the Baseball Fund 157.
Summary:
During the fall of 2022 annual site walk with the Rawhide staff, it was noted that the retaining wall located on the south side of the complex along the pitching bullpen has developed a separation from the concrete panels at the top of the concourse. City Engineering staff followed up with a site visit to assess the wall and determine the possible extents of investigation and work required to resolve the issue. Staff determined the retaining wall required a structural engineer to properly assess the structural integrity of the wall; to determine the steps to follow regarding research and testing lab investigation; and to identify design solutions to stabilize/rectify the retaining wall. Funds from this appropriation will be used for the needed assessment, research, investigation, and design solutions.
Background Discussion:
The City’s Valley Strong Ball Stadium houses the Rawhide baseball team. The Stadium was expanded in 2007 when the right field was improved to include raised grass seating/concourse area. To do this a retaining wall was built to hold the soil infill that created the raised seating/concourse area along the first base line.
The retaining wall has since begun to pull away from the backfill creating some visible hairline cracking in the wall, a gap between the concrete pad and the wall, and a visible curve in the once straight wall. The movement of the wall has also caused the upper concrete pad (concourse) to sink below its original pour line. The concern with the wall pulling away is that the gap may continue to expand, allowing water to fall between the concrete pad and the wall in the backfilled soil. As the soil becomes more saturated the soil pressures applied on the wall increase, forcing the retaining wall to pull away at a faster rate.
In 2023 City Council authorized the appropriation of $35,000 for preliminary engineering and preliminary investigation efforts. City staff procured a consultant structural engineer for the preliminary engineering and investigation efforts and to provide expert opinion and next-step recommendations to resolve the issue. Staff and the design consultant assessed the wall and did not believe there to be a catastrophic failure of the wall in the near future, but without resolution to the existing issue the wall will continue to destabilize over time. A secondary adjacent retaining wall to the bullpen was also identified for evaluation and remediation due to visible cracks. This secondary retaining wall is the adjacent wall that perpendicularly abuts the initial retaining wall being investigated, this secondary wall is being included within the design scope of work. Through preliminary engineering and investigation, it was determined that further investigation and data collection done by collecting soil samples and generating a soils report through a geotechnical engineer should reveal further data necessary to move forward with a design including construction drawings, calculations, specifications and a construction cost estimate. In order to move forward with the design of the project a project budget has been established for the design phase. Upon appropriation of the requested funds, City staff will move forward with the design of the project and target the most efficient and cost-effective solutions for the retaining walls. Staff would look to complete the design by summer of 2026 and move to the construction phase of the project next offseason fall-winter of 2026 and have construction complete before spring training begins.
Fiscal Impact:
The total estimated design budget for the project totals $145,000. Previously, $35,000 was appropriated to begin the preliminary engineering, investigation and design. This has been accounted for in the project design budget as those efforts have been incorporated into the design phase of the project. Staff has included a design contingency amount in the project budget to account for any potential additional investigations or additional design tasks for the design consultant due to the unknown nature of the backfilled soil behind the retaining walls. Refer to the Project Budget Summary below.
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Rawhide Retaining Walls (CP0616) |
|
Design Budget |
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Drafting/Surveying |
$8,000 |
|
Staff Time |
$42,000 |
|
Geotechnical Testing |
$25,000 |
|
Consultant Design: |
$50,000 |
|
Design Contingency: |
$20,000 |
|
Project Design Cost: |
$145,000 |
|
Current Project Budget: |
$35,000 |
|
Project Budget Deficit: |
$110,000 |
Due to the above-identified budget deficit, Staff recommends that the funds for the design of repairing/stabilizing the rawhide stadium retaining walls be appropriated the Baseball Fund (157) in the amount of $110,000. Once the project has moved far enough into the design phase, City staff will return to council at a later date with an estimated construction budget for the construction phase of the project.
This project is not included 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 (construction to be complete by December 31, 2025); and the Clubhouse/Batting Cage (construction to be complete by March 23, 2026). This project is considered corrective maintenance and will be paid for out of the Baseball Fund.
Prior Council Action:
04/17/2023: Authorized the appropriation of $35,000 for preliminary engineering for the Rawhide Retaining Wall Repair Project from the General Fund.
Other: NA
Alternatives: None Recommended
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to authorize the additional appropriation of $110,000 for the design phase of the Valley Strong Stadium Retaining Wall Repair Project from the Baseball Fund (157).
Environmental Assessment Status: NA
CEQA Review: NA
Deadline for Action: 10/20/2025
Attachments: Existing Site Photos