DATE:
April 26, 2022
CATEGORY:
Consent
DEPT.:
Public Works
TITLE: Planned and Emergency Facilities
Projects, Projects 18-18 and 20-18,
Recycling Center Building Retrofit—
Various Actions
RECOMMENDATION
1. Transfer and a ppropriate $400,000 from the Capital Improvement Program Reserve to Planned and Emergency Facilities Projects, Project 20-18, for the Recycling Center Building Retrofit. (Five votes required)
2. Approve plans and specifications for the construction of Planned and Emergency Facilities Projects, Projects 18 -18 and 20-18, Recycling Center Building Retrofit, and authorize staff to advertise the project for bids.
3. Authorize the City Manager or desig nee to award the construction contract to the lowest responsible bidder if the bid is within the project budget.
BACKGROUND
The City -owned property at 935 Terra Bella Avenue is home to the Mountain View Recycling Center (Figure 1). City residents may dr op off a wide variety of items for recycling and reuse at this location rather than traveling to the SMaRT ® Station in Sunnyvale . Residents may also purchase extra gar bage stickers for excess trash and obtain On-Call Plus Clean -Up Vouchers to the SMaRT Station. The Recycling Center is also a California Redemption Value (CRV) buy-back site for cans and bottles. Overall, the Recycling Center is a key facility for diverting waste from landfill and supports achieving the City’s Zero Waste policy adopted on June 19, 2018.
The site includes a building that was constructed in 1968 and is essential for Recycling Center operations. Approximately two-thirds of the building footprint is a warehouse-type facility that is used to support operations, and the remaining one -third is a two-story office and employee area. The first floor of this two-story section of the building includes a public counter area and a single large locker room with a two-stall restroom. The second story, or interior upper-mezzanine level, includes an office area, kitchen, storage room, and a unisex single-stall restroom.
Planned and Emergency Facilities Projects, Projects 18-18 and 20-18, Recycling Center Building Retrofit—Various Actions
April 26, 2022
Figure 1: Mountain View Recycling Center Location Map
The Recycling Center is operated by Recology under the terms of its agreement with the City to provide collection services for recyclable materials, organic materials, and solid waste. The current agreement is a 10 -year agreement effective July 1, 2021, with an option to extend the term for up to four years. This agreement requires that Recology operate public buy -back services for bottles and cans, offer resident recycling drop -off services, provide a local business office, and provide a container storage facility in Mountain View, all of which are housed at the Recycling Center site. In order to meet the terms of its agreement to provide these services, Recology leases 935 Terra Bella Avenue from the City for an annual rent of $241,884.
In 2018, the interior upper-mezzanine level suffered extensive damage during rainstorms due to a deteriorating roof. The office area experienced some flooding, and the storage room had a partially collapsed ceiling. While the warehouse portion of the building remained operational, it was necessary to move all employees out of the office area immediately. In 2019, the City replaced the roof, preventing any further water damage. However, the interior upper-mezzanine level remains unsuitable for occupancy due to significant residual damage. The City beg an evaluating options for repairs but was delayed in developing solutions and completing design due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
PROJECT SITE
N
Planned and Emergency Facilities Projects, Projects 18-18 and 20-18, Recycling Center Building Retrofit—Various Actions
April 26, 2022
With the office area unavailable, Recology arranged to rent a portable office trailer housed in the front parking lot, which was approved under a temporary use permit. However, the trailer is not a permitted use as a long -term solution and is inadequate for the general operation al needs of the Recycling Center. Recology has continued to pay full rent for the land and building, and the City is reimbursing Recology approximately $10,000 a year for the rental cost of the trailer.
Park Feasibility Study
At the June 30, 2020 Council meeting, staff was directed to determine the feasibility of converting the Recycling Center site into a park. A feasibility study is include d as a planned Fiscal Year 2023-24 project in the five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) adopted by the Council in June 2021. The feasibility study would be completed in 2024 and, should it be determined to move forward with converting the property into a park and funding is available for design and construction, the site would have to be vacated around 2 027 for construction to begin. T he Recology collection agreement , approved by Council on October 27, 2020, includes a provision that allows the City to require Recology to vacate the property should the City determine , at a future date , to construct a park on the property . If the City directed Recology to vacate the property, the City would confer with Recology at least 18 months prior to determine the feasibility of relocating any or all of the services to another location within Mountain View city limits. Should there be no available and suitable location within the City, Recology would have to be relieved of contractual obligations to lease land and operate a recycling center in Mountain View.
Notwithstanding the exploration of conversion of the site to another use in the future, the City has an obligation as a landlord to repair the building for use by the City’s tenant, Recology, in support of operating the Recycling Center and meeting Recology’s other collection agreement requirements.
ANALYSIS
Staff has evaluated various options to repair the building. Due to its age, the building does not meet current building codes and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements for the interior upper -mezzanine level area. With concurrence from Recology as the tenant, it was determined that the most cost -effective solution would be to demolish the interior upper - mezzanine level offices, kitchen, storage room, and restroom and convert the space to unimproved attic spac e. Conversion of the space to any other use would trigger extensive structural upgrades to meet current building codes. To replace the uses provided in the upper mezzanine level, the public counter area and locker room on the first floor would be demolished and retrofitted to provide new office and ADA-compliant restroom facilities (see Figure 2).
Recology has indicated that they do not need a locker room for their employees nor a public counter area to provide customer service.
Planned and Emergency Facilities Projects, Projects 18-18 and 20-18, Recycling Center Building Retrofit—Various Actions
April 26, 2022
To comply with ADA, the project includes installation of an accessible walkway in the parking lot, partial asphalt replacement, restriping, and other surface improvements. The project also includes replacement of the existing gas -fired heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ( HVAC) equipment with an all -electric system to help meet the City’s sustainability goals and rooftop screening to meet the City building requirements.
Figure 2: Partial Ground-Floor Retrofit Plan
N
Planned and Emergency Facilities Projects, Projects 18-18 and 20-18, Recycling Center Building Retrofit—Various Actions
April 26, 2022
In January 2021, the City executed a professional services agreement for $50,000 with Marek Stoklosa Architect, Inc., from Planned and Emergency Facilities Projects, Projects 18 -18, for the design of the project. As the project scope was defined, additional funding support from Planned and Emergency Facilities, Project 20-18, was allocated to the project.
Plans and specifications for the project are complete and available for viewing in the Public Works Department. If Council approves the recommended actions and a responsive bid within the project budget is received, construction is anticipated to begin in August 2022 and be completed by the spring of 2023.
Environmental Clearance
This project has been determined to be Categorically Exempt in accordance with the requirements of Section 15301 (“Minor Alterations to Existing Public Facilities”) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Recycling Center Building Retrofit has been funded as a subproject from two annual Non-Discretionary CIP projects : (1) Planned and Emergency Facilities Projects, Project 18 -18, which is funded with $550,000 from the Construction/Conveyance Tax Fund; and (2) Planned and Emergency Facilities Projects, Project 20-18, which is funded with $1,300,000 from the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Reserve Fund and $752,000 from the Construction/Conveyance Tax Fund for a total of $2,052,000. This subproject was budgeted with $100,000 from Project 18-18 and $300,000 from Project 20 -18 for a total of $400,000 . The remaining balance of funding in both Projects 18-18 and 20-18 have already been expended or allocated to other facility projects.
Planned and Emergency Facilities Projects, Projects 18-18 and 20-18, Recycling Center Building Retrofit—Various Actions
April 26, 2022
The estimated total project cost is as follows:
Construction (including contingency) $529,000
Consultant Services 119,000
City Project Management 27,000
Construction Inspection and Testing 25,000
Permits, Printing, and Miscellaneous 21,000
Project Contingency 30,000
Subtotal $751,000
City Administration 49,000
TOTAL ESTIMATED COST: $800,000
PROJECT BUDGET $400,000
PROJECT SHORTFALL $400,000
The project shortfall is attributed to the added scope for replacing the HVAC system, increase in construction costs, and cost rise related to material supply -chain impacts. Staff recommends appropriating and transferring $400,000 from the CIP Reserve Fund to Planned and Emergency Facilities Projects, Project 20 -18, Recycling Center Building Retrofit, providing a total project funding of $800,000. The CIP Reserve Fund has funding available for the recommended transfer.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Modify the scope of the repairs and retrofit.
2. Provide other direction.
Planned and Emergency Facilities Projects, Projects 18-18 and 20-18, Recycling Center Building Retrofit—Various Actions
April 26, 2022
PUBLIC NOTICING—Agenda posting.
Prepared by:
David O. Printy
Principal Project Manager
Reviewed by:
Edward Arango
Assistant Public Works Director/
City Engineer
Approved by:
Dawn S. Cameron
Public Works Director
Audrey Seymour Ramberg
Assistant City Manager/
Chief Operating Officer
DOP/TS/4/CAM
978-04-26-22CR
201868
cc: APWD—Arango, PCE —Shah, PPM —Printy, SMA —Goedicke, PA —Li, SMA —Doan, File, [email protected]