Agenda Item Wording:
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Award Sole Source Design Contract: Authorize the City Manager to award a sole source professional design services contract to 4Creeks, Inc., for the 30% engineering design of the Shirk Street Widening Project from Walnut Avenue to Noble Avenue for an amount not to exceed $289,048.
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Deadline for Action: 2/18/2025
Submitting Department: Community Development
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Estrella Velasquez, Associate Engineer, Estrella.Velasquez@visalia.city, 713-4164
Diego Corvera, Senior Civil Engineer, Diego.Corvera@visalia.city, 713-4209
Chris Crawford, City Engineer, Chris.Crawford@visalia.city, 713-4331
Jason Huckleberry, Engineering and Building Department Director, Jason.Huckleberry@visalia.city, (559) 713-4495
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to award a sole-source professional design services contract to 4Creeks, Inc., for design of the Shirk Street Widening Project from Walnut Avenue to Noble Avenue for an amount not to exceed $289,048.
Background Discussion:
Roadway Widening:
The purpose of the “Shirk Street Widening Project” is to increase vehicle capacity on Shirk Street from Walnut Avenue to Noble Avenue by adding additional north/south lanes and to provide for an efficient flow of traffic in support of the increase in development within the surrounding area. In addition, the Circulation Element of the 2030 City of Visalia General Plan, adopted October 14, 2014, identifies Shirk Street as a widening project from Caldwell Avenue to State Route 198. Shirk Street is to be widened from 2 to 4 lanes with center medians to become an arterial status roadway.
Sole Source Justification:
Staff recommends that the design contract for Shirk Street be sole sourced to 4Creeks Inc. because they have been retained by the adjacent developers to provide off-site engineering design through a segment of the proposed improvements that are located in the City’s capital improvement project area. The scope of work for the requested services would require 4Creeks to further expand on what has already been designed for the subdivision’s off-site improvements and to extend the design for the widening of Shirk Street from Walnut Avenue to Noble Avenue. Additional improvements that need to be designed for a complete widening design include structural design of the pavement, roadway median, street lighting, interconnect conduit, utility verification, striping & signage, bicycle facilities, traffic signal design for the intersection of Shirk Street and Tulare Avenue, sewer and storm infrastructure and identifying right-of-way needs. The consultant will also design frontage improvements such as sidewalk, parkway landscaping, and similar improvements for the segment of Shirk Street which will be the responsibility of the adjacent developers.
City staff is recommending a sole sourced consultant, because it is believed that there are substantial cost savings associated with this option by 1) taking advantage of 4Creeks’s survey and engineering work already completed for the off-site portion of their private residential development; 2) developing efficiencies by minimizing the level of effort and avoiding overlapping work. Therefore, to meet the infrastructure needs of this area, the City Staff recommends the immediate start of the preparation of plans through the sole source of a design contract to 4Creeks, Inc., of Visalia, CA.
The total contract award to 4Creeks, Inc., will be in the amount not to exceed $289,048 to provide professional design services to produce 30% plans and cost estimates. As development continues along Shirk Street, both north and south of the project limits, it is critical to formalize the Shirk Street design to ensure clear expectations are set. This will allow for efficient design progression and coordination along this stretch of Shirk Street between the City capital project, current development projects, and future development projects. A 30% engineering design will provide a baseline for drainage, utilities, striping and overall roadway configuration between the concurrent project limits at the Shirk Street and Walnut Avenue intersection and the Shirk Street and HWY 198 interchange.
Fiscal Impact:
The design contract for the Shirk Street widening project will be funded through various City local funds, see table below. There are currently sufficient funds within the budgeted CIP to fund the sole source design services contract award to 4Creeks, Inc.
See below the project funding breakdown.
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Shirk Street Widening Walnut Avenue to Noble Avenue CIP0656 |
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Project Funding Sources FY 24/25 |
|
|
Wastewater Trunkline (231) |
$44,000 |
|
Storm Sewer Construction (221) |
$249,000 |
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Transportation Impact (241) |
$1,327,400 |
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Measure R Local (131) |
$135,800 |
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Measure R Regional (133) |
$726,600 |
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Total Project Funding |
$2,482,800 |
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|
|
|
Estimated Project Costs - 30% design |
|
|
Project Management |
$132,000 |
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Design Services (4Creeks Inc Sole Source Contract, 30% design) |
289,048 |
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Total Estimated Project Costs |
$421,048 |
|
|
|
|
Surplus (Deficit) |
$2,061,752 |
The current estimated cost for construction is $10,873,600 and is not currently funded. The appropriation amounts needed from each fund for the construction phase is identified in the Capital Improvement Program in the fiscal year 2026-27 planning year.
Prior Council Action:
None
Alternatives:
Solicit design services through formal RFP procurement procedures. This could take additional time and could have a negative impact on the project schedule for the Elliott Subdivision (located just east of Shirk St. and south of Tulare Ave.). This could also result in additional cost to the City in the future if the projects are not coordinated appropriately.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to authorize the City Manager to award a sole source professional design services contract to 4Creeks, Inc., for the 30% engineering design of the Shirk Street Widening Project from Walnut Avenue to Noble Avenue for an amount not to exceed $289,048.
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Environmental Assessment Status:
None
Attachments:
1. Project Location Map
2. Consultant Disclosure Form
3. 4Creeks 30% Design Proposal
4. 4Creeks Fee Breakdown