October 13, 2026
Agenda Item No. 6
TO:
HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
David A. Webb, Public Works Director - 949-644-3311, [email protected] PREPARED BY:
Tom Sandefur, Assistant City Engineer - 949-644-3321, [email protected] TITLE:
Witte Hall – Notice of Completion for Contract No. 7444-3 (19F11) ABSTRACT:
On January 9, 2024, the City Council awarded Contract No. 7444-3 for the Witte Hall project to AMG & Associates, Inc. The project included building a 9,815-square-foot lecture hall, addressing all necessary utilities, and renovating the renamed Stahr Courtyard and Central Library parking lot. The work is now complete and staff requests City Council acceptance and closure of the contract.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
a) Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; and b) Accept the completed work and authorize the City Clerk to file a Notice of Completion for the project.
DISCUSSION:
Overall Contract Cost/Time Summary
Awarded Contract Amount
Final Total Contract Amount
Total Contract Change Amount
Percent Contract Cost Change
$19,068,000
$ 20,498,664
$1,430,664
7.5%
Allowed Contract Time + Approved Extensions (Days) =
562
Actual Time Used (Days)
593
The work necessary for the completion of this contract consisted of preparing the site for the new buildings; surveying; grading the site; installing all necessary utilities; pouring foundations; constructing Witte Hall and the Stahr Courtyard; landscaping the site; and instructing staff on new facility capabilities.
At the February 25, 2025, City Council meeting, the City Council choose not to share the cost for increasing the video screen size. Following the Council meeting, the Library Foundation of Newport Beach (LFNB), formerly known as the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation, decided to self-fund the larger screen and provided a check to the City of Newport Beach (City) for this work and other miscellaneous changes totaling $114,451. Furthermore, LFNB provided additional funds to cover design fees for these items.
The contracted work has been completed to the satisfaction of the Public Works Department. A summary of the construction cost is as follows:
Original Bid Amount:
$
19,068,000
Actual Cost of Bid Items Constructed
$
19,068,000
Total Change Orders
$
1,316,213
Total LFNB Additional Construction Costs:
$
114,451
Final Contract Cost:
$
20,498,664
The final total contract amount was $20,498,664, which was approximately 7.5% higher than the original bid amount. This cost increase was due to a variety of construction items related to the complex nature of this building such as curtain wall connections, HVAC conduit conflicts, underground utilities alignments, and increasing the landscaping scope to provide a uniform plant palette. The contractor submitted over $2,900,000 in change order requests which, through review, validation and negotiation, were eventually settled to $1,316,213 in additional costs.
A summary of the project schedule milestones is as follows:
Estimated Start of Construction per Annual Baseline Schedule February 1, 2024
Actual Start of Construction Per Notice to Proceed
February 9, 2024
Estimated Completion per Annual Baseline Schedule
December 23, 2025
Substantial Completion Date Inclusive of Extra Work
June 25, 2026
The project was substantially completed on June 25, 2026, six months after the original contract completion date of December 23, 2025. The contractor submitted a Time Impact Analysis (TIA) showing 312 days of possible City-responsible delays. After City review of the claim, 92 additional days (plus 5 rain days) were added to the contract accounting for the approved change order work. The City claimed that the contractor was responsible for the remaining contract delays and liquated damages were used to negotiate the final change order amount and additional contract time.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Witte Hall project was funded from the Fiscal Year 2025-26 Capital Improvement Program budget. Pursuant to the Third Amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding between the City and the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation (now known as the Library Foundation of Newport Beach) (Contract C-7444-4), approved by the City Council on January 9, 2024, concurrently with the construction contract award, the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation committed to funding 50% of the total project costs. Funds for the construction contract were expended from the following accounts:
Account Description
Account Number
Amount
Misc. Cooperative Projects Fund
13501-980000-19F11
$
10,838,777
Parks & Community Centers Facilities Financial Plan (FFP) 56201-980000-19F11
$
9,659,887
Total:
$
20,498,664
The FFP is a long-term financial plan to fund the construction and renovation of significant community serving facilities.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
On January 9, 2024, the City Council found this project exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15301 (Class 1 – Existing Facilities) and 15303 (Class 3 – New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures) of the California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3 and CEQA Guidelines, because this project has no potential to have a significant effect on the environment.
NOTICING:
The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item).
ATTACHMENT:
Attachment A – Location Map
Witte Hall – Notice of Completion for Contract No. 7444-3 (19F11) October 13, 2026
CITY OF CITY OF
CITY OF
CITY OF
City Council Staff Report COUNCIL STAFF REPORT City Council Staff Report COUNCIL STAFF REPORT NEWPORT BEACH NEWPORT BEACH City Council Staff Report COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
City Council Staff Report COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
NEWPORT BEACH
NEWPORT BEACH