2001 E. First St. Suite 160 Santa Ana, CA 92705 (714) 245‐9270 Fax (714) 245‐9275 [email protected] September 13, 2022
Ryan Wright
Parks & Recreation Director
City of Diamond Bar
Department of Public Works
21810 Copley Drive
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
Subject: Proposal for Additional Professional Services for the Canyon Loop Multi-Use Trail City Project No. 25517
Dear Ryan:
Richard Fisher Associates (RFA) is submitting this Proposal for Additional Professional Services for the Canyon Loop Trail enhancement project, as it has been 38 months since RFA submitted the original Proposal for Design Services for this project. In addition to more than the 3 years which have past, within this window of time; so, too, have the precise requirements for the Scope of Services for Professional Design Services; the complexity of the project; and now, our knowledge of the apparent successful Contractor to provide the construction services.
As you and other involved City staff members are well-aware, the environmental issues and the mitigation procedures have mushroomed into a significant amount of field analysis, mitigation measures, the design approach to the project, and nearly a year of dormancy for our design services for this project, while the environmental assessments for this project were developed. Secondly, (and its timing being of significance) after the completion of 95% submittal of the drawings, the City made a determination that the Design Safety Factor for the Gabion Walls needed to be enhanced, and to a greater level than is the industry standard for these retention structures. This has caused a moderately-significant amount of additional engineering design work and plan preparation revisions to accomplish this new requirement, at virtually the end of the Construction Document preparation phase of this project.
All of the above-described activities either already have, or will be, impacting RFA’s costs to provide professional services to the City in order to successfully accomplish this project.
In the start-and-stop design work efforts over this three-year period, where following each re-start effort the design team must perform a limited amount of re-acquaintance with the project (not build into the original design services budget), and the significant modifications to nearly 100% complete Plans and Specifications to accommodate the higher gabion wall safety factor, the RFA Design Team finds itself with unbilled design fees of $8.173.39 on this project. We respectfully request that the City of Diamond Bar review this cost overrun, which was totally outside of our design team’s control, and agree to an equitable level of reimbursement of these costs.
Secondly, we are obviously now moving forward into the construction phase of the Canyon Loop Trail Project. Assuming the apparent low-bidder will be awarded the construction contract for this project, RFA has had two previous park development projects in which this contractor has be the awarded bidder. Our firm’s experiences in both of these other projects proved to us that we had to provide an exceptional level of “hand-holding” and required inspection control to get these projects successfully built. We respectfully request that our Construction Support Services budget, approved in our July 2019 Consulting Services Agreement, be increased to be able to provide the level of construction support we are confident will be required to get this project constructed in compliance with the approved Construction Documents. 2001 E. First St. Suite 160 Santa Ana, CA 92705 (714) 245‐9270 Fax (714) 245‐9275 [email protected] Therefore, we herein request the approved budget for Construction Support Services be increased from $7,925.00 to $12,100.00; an increase of $4,775.00, as we move forward into construction.
For all of the above reasons, we continue to offer to the City of Diamond Bar our commitment to provide our very best talents and depth of experience to assure the highest of successes with the Canyon Loop Multi-Use Trail Project.
We are available to answer any questions this supplemental Proposal has not clarified adequately.
Respectfully,
RICHARD FISHER ASSOCIATES
Richard A. Fisher, President
Registered Landscape Architect #1429