BACKGROUND:
In December 2021, California State Parks awarded Cathedral City $8,498,000 of Statewide Park Program (SPP) Round 4 grant funds for the Dream Homes Park Project (Project). Following the notice of award in February 2022, the City received authorization from California State Parks to proceed with the design and construction of the Project.
In June 2022, Verde Design, Inc. was awarded a Design Professional Services Agreement for Professional Landscape Architect, Design, and Engineering Services of the Dream Homes Park to prepare final design and engineering plans, contract bid documents, and provide technical oversight during the construction of the Dream Homes Park.
In August 2023, the City Council authorized the procurement of specialized park equipment and amenities via existing cooperative purchasing agreements. Examples of the specialized equipment purchased include shade structures, exercise equipment, site furnishing (benches and barbeque pits), etc. The advantage of using cooperative purchasing agreements is that the City can "piggyback" on existing bids from other large federal, state, and local agencies. The cooperative purchasing process allows the City to get the lowest available price for the required items, avoiding the time necessary for the competitive bidding process.
At that time, City Staff recommended excluding the restroom/storage facility from the procurement of specialized park equipment and amenities cited above and return to City Council later when the design of the facility was completed. Now that the design of the restroom/storage facility has been completed, Staff is ready to procure the facility via a cooperative purchase agreement.
DISCUSSION:
City Staff and Project Designer have been working with Romtec, Inc. (Romtec) for the design and construction of the restroom/storage facility at Dream Homes Park. Romtec specializes in pre-engineered restroom/storage facilities and had recently worked with the City in the design and installation of the restroom facility at the Cathedral City Community Amphitheater Park.
The proposed restroom/storage facility is approximately 372 square feet consisting of four (4) single all-gender restrooms, two (2) of which will be ADA compliant, and a storage room. Three (3) restroom sinks, one (1) traditional water drinking fountain, and one (1) water drinking fountain with bottle filler are attached to the exterior of the building. Additional key components featured with the restroom/storage facility are the use of automatic locks for the individual restrooms, and automatic shut-off valves for the exterior sinks that will activate and deactivate daily when the park opens and closes. A detailed proposal from Romtec, including the restroom/storage facility renderings, has been attached to this Staff Report.
Romtec has provided plans and specifications and the cost proposal to furnish and install the restroom/storage facility at prevailing wage rates. The cooperative purchase with Romtec, Inc. is made available to the City through Sourcewell.
Staff is recommending that the City Council authorize the City Manager to execute purchase orders and any other required documents with Romtec, Inc. for the purchase and installation of the Dream Homes Park restroom/storage facility in the not to exceed amount of $440,061.52.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Initial funding for the Dream Homes Park Project comes from Proposition 68 Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program Grant (Prop 68 Grant) awarded to the City in the amount of $8,498,000. The award covers 100% of the eligible costs.
At the November 8, 2023, City Council Meeting, the City Council approved amendments to the budget from the General Fund (100), the City’s Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Plan (331) and the Environmental Fund (246) to provide funding for the Project as shown below.
Project Funding
Description Amount
Prop 68 Grant (331) $ 8,498,000.00
General Fund (100) $ 2,481,211.00 Coachella Valley Association of Government (331) $ 534,404.51 Environmental Conservation Fund (246) $ 108,000.00
Total $11,621,615.51
To date, the City has entered into agreements (encumbrances) as needed for consultant services during the Project design phase and cooperative purchase agreements for Park equipment and the perimeter wall. This cost to construct and install the restroom/storage facility was also included in the park construction estimate.
The budget amendment at the Council Meeting on November 8, 2023, considered funds in the amount of $585,000.00 for the construction of the Dream Homes Park restroom/storage facility. Romtec’s proposal for the construction and installation of the restroom/storage facility is in the amount of $440,061.52.
Staff recommends that the amount of $144,938.48 resulting from the difference between the estimated construction cost and the actual Romtec’s proposal for installation and construction of the restroom/storage facility remains within the overall Project budget as contingency for any unforeseen Project construction cost.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
GOAL B: COMMUNITY INVESTMENT
Objective: Cathedral City roads, gateways, public spaces, and other city infrastructure are well planned, designed, constructed, and maintained.