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Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 5.C
Meeting Date: February 9, 2022
From: John Corella, Director of Engineering/Public Works Title: Consulting Agreement with HR Green for On Call Capital Projects Program Management Consulting Services and
Electronic Plan Check Services
City Council
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve a Professional Services Agreement with HR Green, Inc. to provide On Call Engineering Program Management Consulting Services for Capital Projects and Electronic Plan Check Services for the amount of $150,000 and $50,000, respectively for a not to exceed total of $200,000; and, authorize the City Manager to execute the Agreement.
BACKGROUND:
Moving into 2022 the Cathedral City is still experiencing rapid growth with new ly submitted developments in the planning stages. This development expansion is a great opportunity for the City.
Even though these new development projects are submitted through the City’s Planning Department, the City’s Engineering Department is significantly involve d in t he preplanning process, the entitlement process (Planning Commission) and the actual construction process. Evidence of these efforts can be recently seen on Date Palm Drive with the new Tower Market and Amazon projects and their related improvements.
The City also has a robust Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) with many projects that have been approved in the FY 2021-22 and 2022 -23 Budget. Significant projects upcoming this spring and summer are as follows:
• SB-1:
o Century Park Neighborhood Street Rehabilitations
o Landau Blvd/McCallum Way Traffic Signal and Related Improvements • Community Development Block Grant ( CDBG) for Via De Anza Street Rehabilitation
• Maintenance of Effort (MOE):
o Sarah Road Street Pavement Rehabilitation
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o Ramon Road Rubberized Emulsion Aggregate Slurry (REAS) o Corral Road REAS
o Avenida Los Ninos Surface Widening
• Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG):
o Date Palm Drive north of I-10 to Varner Road Widening Design o Canyon Shore Traffic Signal
• Federal Highway Bridge Program (FHBP):
o Ophelia Bringas Bridge Completion
o Ramon Road Bridge Design Support
o Vista Chino Bridge Design Support
• Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 5:
o East Palm Canyon Bicycle Lanes Construction
o Cathedral Canyon Multi-Use Path and Bicycle Lane Design Completion o Date Palm Drive Sidewalks, Bicycle Lane and Bridge Widening (east side) Design Completion
• Proposition 68 Grant Award:
o Dream Homes Park Design
• Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP):
o Cycle 9 – 12 Intersection Improvements Design
o Cycle 9 – Date Palm and Varner Safety Improvements Design o Cycle 10 – Ramon Road/La Paloma (High-Intensity Activated CrossWalK) (HAWK) Signal Design
• Park Improvements
o Panorama Dog Park Construction
o Various Improvements Century, Ocotillo, Panorama, Soccer and 2nd Street Parks
• Agua Ca liente Band of Cahuilla Indians ( ACBCI) for Date Palm Drive Improvements Planning and DesignCity Wide Programs
o Sign Inventory Program
o Pavement Management Roadway Assessment
In conjunction with the above work, there are several projects listed within the C IP that will need to be planned and worked on to meet schedules in the late summer and fall.
DISCUSSION:
The above discussed CIP projects represent the City’s success in acquiring grants, securing agreements with various funding partners, applying incre ased gas tax revenues to critical projects and well thought out application of General Funds to satisfy the City’s Maintenance of Effort ( MOE) requirements. The above also represents a significant amount of experienced resources required to manage the projects to completion. Currently, the Engineering Department is down one engineering position.
The City’s new development project queue is increasing for the Engineering Department. Understanding that development is cyclical, we need to address the development expansion while “the market is hot” in the short term and later staff will evaluate its impact on long term organizational structure. This is a good challenge for the City to have.
To support the overall workload and thinking outside the box , St aff is requesting
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additional consulting management support to be provided for the Department, specifically for the City’s CIP Engineers. This on call consulting management support is to provide the City’s existing Staff with an available experienced consultant, initially for two mornings a week (5 hours each day), that can coach and mentor our engineers on specific project questions, ensure key project timelines are being met, assist with the use of other on call consultants and assist Staff with project related requests and Staff Reports.
The CIP management staff support is proposed to be provided by HR Green, Inc. (HR Green). HR Green, Palm Desert office, amongst other services, specializes in supporting municipalities in situations just as we are experiencing which is a rapid expansion with limited resources to adequately address the need s and Staff limited in experience. HR Green’s consultant to support the Director is Tim Jonasson, PE, who once was the long -time serving Director of Engineering/Publ ic Works for the City of La Quinta. With HR Green, Mr. Jonasson has worked with other cities in Southern California to support similar situations as we are experiencing now.
Having an experienced on call engineer supporting the Department, will free up time for the Director to focus on the development expansion that is currently taking place in the City. This additional time will allow the Director to have more hands -on coordination with the developers and their respective consultants as well as the City’s consultants that are supporting the City’s development project review process.
Initially HR Green would be working two ( 2) mornings a week (5 hours each day ) to support the CIP Project Staff. This may increase and/or decrease depending on certain milestones in various projects being completed and others being initiated. The estimate for these services is $150,000 and will be paid at the hourly rates in the proposal.
In addition to the above, HR Green also offers plan check services. Currently, most of the developer plan checking and study reviews are contracted out to consultants supporting City Staff . Staff is requesting HR Green be added to the list of available consultants providing plan check services. The estimate for these services is $ 50,000 and will be paid according to the services provided . Note: The newly adopted fee structure takes into account internal or external plan and study review services collected in advance of the after-entitlement development process.
HR Green has su bmitted a proposal, which has been reviewed and is in line with current support services provided by similar consultants. Staff is recommending a Consulting Services Agreement be authorized for a period of one (1) year in the not to exceed amount of $ 200,000, of which $150,000 for On Call CIP Program Management Services and $50,000 for Electronic Plan and Study Review Services.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The General Fund Engineering Professional and Technical Services account, 100-156- 8601, for FY 2021 -22 has avai lable funding for the $67,000 portion of the Agreement that may be incurred during the remainder of this fiscal year . This will not require a budget amendment
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The General Fund Engineering Professional and Technical Services account, 100 -156- 8601, for FY 2 022-23 may require up to $133,000 of the Agreement to be incurred through the end of the term of the Agreement. If the Engineering department is able to maintain budgeted staffing levels, there may be a need for a budget adjustment. If so, a request will be submitted to City Council for approval.
ATTACHMENTS:
HR Green Pacific Proposal - Cathedral City, CA - On-Call CIP Program Management Agreement for Services - HR Green, Inc. (1) w_Insurance