Consent Item 4n
STAFF REPORT
City Council Consent Item
DATE: June 16, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
FROM: Mat Nyberg, Deputy City Engineer
THROUGH: Amy Nilsen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Authorize the City Manager to Award Phase 1 of the Carson Woods Road Waterline Upgrade Project (CIP# 9124) to Mercer-Fraser Company and establish a maximum contract amount of $100,000 and contribute $40,000 to the County of Humboldt for paving Cason Woods Rd
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Authorize the City Manager to award Phase 1 of the Carson Woods Road Waterline Upgrade Project (CIP# 9124) to Mercer-Fraser Company and establish a maximum contract amount of $100,000 and contribute $40,000 to the County of Humboldt for paving Cason Woods Rd.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The residents on Carson Woods Road receive water service from the City of Fortuna. All of the residences north of Sunny Heights drive receive water delivery through a 1¼” pipe, which is severely undersized for the normal residential demand and precludes fire water service. For comparison, city standards require each single-family residences to be serviced by a 1” line and fire hydrants to be serviced by a 6” line. This project will bring the water line up to city standards and provide fire hydrants along the length of the project area.
Construction of the project began in 2024 and was being performed by the City of Fortuna water crew when unexpected staffing levels prevented completion. City staff installed approximately 1200’ of 8” C900 water main beginning at the south end of the project and worked north toward the bridge. Corporation stop valves and saddles were placed on the water main at each service lateral during construction, but the service laterals were not installed. Two fire hydrants were installed. The portion of the roadway that was damaged from trenching for the water main was patched with cold-mix asphalt.
Mercer-Fraser Company will complete the installation of approximately 485’ of 8” C900 water main, one fire hydrant, connection of 14 service laterals and activation of approximately 1650’ of water main.
A bid alternate was included in the contract for rehabilitation of approximately 8,000 square feet of pavement. Since the project area is in Humboldt County jurisdiction, this portion of the project will be completed by the County of Humboldt in early August. The City of Fortuna will contribute $40,000 to the County of Humboldt in lieu of repaving the trench work for this project.
Consent Item 4n
The Phase 1 of the Carson Woods Road Waterline Upgrade Project bid package was released and publicly advertised on May 22nd, 2025. The bid period ended on June 4th, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at which time the City received seven responsive bids shown in the table below:
Bidder Base Bid Total
Mercer-Fraser Company $83,483
John Gray Construction $92,471
RAO Construction $112,650
GR Sundberg $139,042
Wendt Construction Co $142,196
Wahlund Construction $238,200
Stimpel-Wiebelhaus Associates $338,900
The apparent low bid was submitted by Mercer-Fraser Company with a total bid price of $83,483.00. City staff have confirmed that the bid received from Mercer-Fraser Company was fully responsive and that they have active licenses and registrations.
If the project is awarded, staff anticipate being under contract by late June. Mobilization and construction are anticipated to begin in early July. The draft Notice of Potential Award is included as Attachment A.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The project is funded through the City Water Capital Reserve Funds (Fund 510) with fiscal year funding of $225,000. The total anticipated costs to complete Phase 1 of this project are shown in the table below. Any remaining budgeted funds will be utilized for the next phase of the project, which will include a bridge crossing and extending the water line to the end of the road.
Item Cost
Contract Mercer-Fraser Company $83,483
Construction Contingency (20%) $16,517
Paving (Humboldt County) $40,000
Total $140,000
Consent Item 4n
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
Motion to Authorize the City Manager to award the Carson Woods Road Waterline Upgrade Project (CIP# 9124) to Mercer-Fraser Company and establish a maximum contract amount of $100,000 and contribute $40,000 to the County of Humboldt for paving Cason Woods Rd. Consent agenda vote.
Attachments:
• Attachment A – Draft Notice of Potential Award