Agenda Item A.9
CPMS CONSENT CALENDAR
Meeting Date: July 21, 2026
TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
SUBMITTED BY: Matthew R. Fore, General Services Director SUBJECT: Goleta Community Center Skylight Project – Reject All Bids and Authorize New Notice Inviting Bids, and Budget Transfer from Fund 217 to CIP No. 9127
RECOMMENDATION:
A. Reject all bids and authorize staff to advertise a notice inviting construction bids for the Goleta Community Center Skylight Replacement Project; and B. Authorize a Budget Appropriation Transfer of $ 201,682 from the Fund 217 Operating Budget to Capital Improvement Project No. 9127 (Goleta Community Center Campus Refresh) for the purchase of replacement chairs and tables and upgrades to the security camera system, as discussed in the Fiscal Impacts Section.
BACKGROUND:
In recent years, the skylight in the dining room at the Goleta Community Center (GCC) has fallen into disrepair and is curre ntly covered by tarps secured by sandbags due to chronic leaks experienced during rain events. The glass of the skylight was painted over many years ago, and the interior shade system is inoperable. Based on its age and condition, on October 21, 2025, Coun cil authorized staff to advertise a notice inviting construction bid s for the Goleta Community Center Skylight Replacement Project (Project), which is part of the Goleta Community Center Campus Renovation Project (CIP Project No. 9127).
DISCUSSION:
GCC Skylight Project Bids
On April 9, 2026, bid documents were published to the PlanetBids portal . The bid was advertised on the City’s bid opportunities page , posted on the City Hall announcements board, and advertised in the Santa Barbara I ndependent on April 9, 2026. Pre -bid meetings were conducted at the Project site on April 21 and 29, 2026. 1 Meeting Date: July 21, 2026
The bids were opened virtually via PlanetBids on June 8, 2026. The City received a total of four (4) bids. A summary of the bids and the Engineer’s Estimate are shown below in Table 1.
Table 1 – Bid Summary
Engineer’s
Estimate
Pueblo
Construction
Newton
Construction
SBS
Corporation
Edwards
Construction
Group
$270,000 $488,313 $496,000 $557,196 $565,484
Comparison to
Engineer’s
Estimate
81% 84% 106% 109%
The October 2025 Engineer’s Estimate for this Project was $270,000. As shown in Table 1, bids received exceeded the Engineer’s Estimate by a range of 81 percent - 109 percent.
For this reason, staff recommends that Council reject all bids and authorize sta ff to advertise a new notice inviting construction bids for the Project.
GCC Strategic Plan Funds
To maintain momentum on other GCC improvement projects separate from the skylight replacement, staff is also requesting a budget appropriation transfer re lated to implementation of the Goleta Community Center Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan), as explained below.
On April 18, 2023, Council adopted the Strategic Plan which establishes a vision for the GCC as a “welcoming, safe, inclusive, and accessible place where everyone can go to gather, learn, and play .” The Plan also identifies five overarching goals to achieve the proposed vision. The five goals have a total of 14 objectives, 25 strategies, and 98 tactics which guide specific actions that will be implemented over a three- to five-year period.
Since 2023, General Services and Neighborhood Services have completed or made significant progress toward s completing several improvements outlined in the Strategic Plan including upgrades to the wireless network , paint and flooring improvements , and installation of a hydration station. Many of the remaining Strategic Plan elements are on hold pending upgrades to the electrical system and completion of the Americans with Disabilities Act Project (CIP No. 9121).
In Fiscal Year 2024 -25, Council appropriated additional funds to be used to implement tangible elements of the Strategic Plan . Neighborhood Services and General Services propose to use the remaining funds from Fiscal Year 2025-26, approximately $201,000, toward the purchase of replacement chairs and tables and upgrades to the security camera system. Completion of these projects will extend beyond Fiscal Year 2026 -27.
Therefore, the purpose of this Council action is to transfer the Strategic Plan funds from the GCC operating budget (Fund 217) to the GCC Campus Refresh Project (CIP No. 9127) Fund 101, which will automatically carry-over from one fiscal year to the next. 2 Meeting Date: July 21, 2026
GOLETA STRATEGIC PLAN:
City-Wide Initiative: 5. Strengthen Infrastructure
Strategic Goal: 5.4 Protect and maintain our City-owned facilities and critical operational assets.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
GCC Skylight Project:
There are no immediate fiscal impacts associated with the recommendation to reject skylight bids. Table 2 outlines the current available budget for the construction and replacement of the skylight . Based upon bids received, there is currently ins ufficient budget to complete the project. For example, using the lowest rejected bid, the projected shortfall is approximately $321,000 . Prior to advertising the new bid opportunity, staff would obtain a new Engineer’s Estimate and evaluate potential optio ns to reduce the Project cost including: 1) value engineering the design; 2) directly purchasing the skylight from the manufacturer; and 3) redoubling outreach efforts to contractors to increase competition and the number of bids received.
Authorization to issue a Notice Inviting Bids does not commit the City to award a construction contract but allows staff to proceed with the competitive bidding process using existing appropriations. Once bids are received and evaluated, staff would return to Council with a request to appropriate additional funds from the Public Facilities and Building Maintenance Reserve or other eligible funding source to cover any remaining funding gap. As of the publication of this Council Agenda Report, the Public Facilities and Building Maintenance Reserve balance was approximately $1 million.
Table 2 – Project Budget
Fund Type Account Budget YTD
Actuals*
Total Available
Budget
General 101-90-9127-57070 $140,891 $135,931 $4,960
CDBG Grant 402-90-9127-57070 $223,140 $60,925 $162,215
Available
Budget
$364,031 $196,856 $167,175
Lowest
Rejected Bid
$488,313
Current
Shortfall/(Use
of Reserves)
$(321,138)
*Includes actual expenditures and encumbrances
Budget Appropriation/Transfer of GCC Strategic Plan Funds Staff recommends a budget appropriation transfer from the GCC operating budget (Fund 217) to CIP No. 9127 – Goleta Community Center Campus Refresh in Fund 101 as shown in Table 3.
3 Meeting Date: July 21, 2026
Table 3 – Fiscal Year 2025-26 Budget Appropriation Transfer Request Fund Fund Name Transfer From/To Amount
217 Community Center 217-6510-51200 ($201,682)
101 GCC Campus Refresh 101-9127-57040 $201,682
The transferred funding will be used for replacement tables and chairs and upgrades to the security camera system. Proces sing the transfer as part of the Fiscal Year 2025 -26 year-end closing process will place the appropriation within the multi-year capital project budget, allowing any unspent appropriation to carry forward into future fiscal years in accordance with the Cit y’s capital project carryover policies until the identified improvements are completed.
ALTERNATIVES:
Council may elect not to authorize the new advertisement of the GCC Skylight bid. Doing so would lead to further degradation of the existing skylight and would pose substantial risk to operations located within the dining room and would cause continued and costly on-going maintenance to the skylight structure.
Council may also elect not to transfer the GCC Strategic Plan funds. Staff would then request carry-over of these funds at the conclusion of each fiscal year until purchase of the tables and chairs and installation of the security camera system was complete. Should the carryover request be denied, the funds would revert to fund balance in the General Fund and could be used for a variety of purposes.
LEGAL REVIEW BY: Isaac Rosen, City Attorney
APPROVED BY: Robert Nisbet, City Manager
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