Public Works Transportation Committee May 26, 2026
AGENDA REPORT TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM:Liam Garland City Administrator Director, Oakland Public WorksSUBJECT: Construction Contract Award to S.J. Amoroso Construction Co., LLC, and Professional Services Agreement (PSA) Amendment to Shah Kawasaki Architects for the Lincoln Recreation Center Project DATE:April 10, 2026City Administrator Approval Date: RECOMMENDATION Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt The Following Pieces Of Legislation: 1) Awarding A Construction Contract For Project 1004857 Lincoln Recreation Center Expansion/Renovation Project To S.J. Amoroso Construction Co., LLC, The Lowest Responsive And Responsible Bidder, In Accordance With Contractor’s Bid, Project Plans And Specifications, For An Amount Of Twenty-Eight Million Four Hundred Thirty-Seven Thousand Dollars ($28,437,000.00); And Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Findings 2) Amending Resolution 89491 C.M.S. To Increase The Professional Services Agreement With Shah Kawasaki Architects By An Amount Not-To-Exceed Eight Hundred Forty-Eight Thousand Seven Hundred Ninety- Seven Dollars ($848,797.00), Bringing The Total Contract Amount From Three Million Twenty-Eight Thousand Eight Hundred Forty-Nine Dollars ($3,028,849.00) To Three Million Eight Hundred Seventy-Seven Thousand Six Hundred Forty-Six Dollars ($3,877,646.00); And Waiving The Competitive Request For Proposal/Qualifications Requirement; And Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Findings EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Approval of the proposed resolution will authorize the City Administrator to award and execute a construction contract in an amount of twenty-eight million four hundred thirty-seven thousand dollars ($28,437,000.00) for the Lincoln Recreation Center Expansion/Renovation Project (Project) with S.J. Amoroso Construction Co., LLC (Amoroso), the lowest responsive and Jestin Johnson (May 13, 2026 14:45:08 PDT)
May 13, 2026
Jestin D. Johnson, City AdministratorSubject: Lincoln Recreation Center Contract Award and PSA Amendment Date: April 10, 2026 Page 2 Public Works Transportation Committee May 26, 2026
responsible bidder; and toincrease the existing professional services agreement between the City of Oakland (City) and Shah Kawasaki Architects (SKA) by an amount not-to-exceed eight hundred forty-eight thousand seven hundred forty-seven dollars ($848,747.00), bringing the total contract amount from three million twenty-eight thousand eight hundred forty-nine dollars ($3,028,849.00) to three million eight hundred seventy-seven thousand six hundred forty-six dollars ($3,877,646.00), to complete design services and provide construction administration support for the Project.The Project is funded by a combination of federal, state, and local sources totaling $34,394,045.21. The Project’s Statewide Park Program Grant – Proposition 68 (Prop 68) and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) – Community Resilience Centers Program grants carry a funding expenditure and project completion deadline of December 31, 2027. Construction is required to begin no later than August 2026. BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY Lincoln Recreation Center is located at 250 10th Street, Lincoln Square Park, within Council District 2 which is one of the City’s original seven public squares designed in the 1860s (see Attachment A – Project Location Map). The Lincoln Recreation Center is managed by Oakland Parks, Recreation and Youth Development (OPRYD) and occupies one corner of the 1.75-acre urban block park in Oakland’s Chinatown neighborhood. The Lincoln Recreation Center building was constructed in the late 1970s as a 7,500 square-foot structure. It is the only public recreation center and park in Chinatown and Downtown Oakland with park staff, public restrooms, and active programming on-site. The Lincoln Recreation Center hosts programs and classes year-round serving patrons from preschoolers to seniors, including a thriving summer camp program. The facility has received only minor capital improvements since its inception. However, as the most-used recreation center in the City and with the construction of multiple high-rise residential buildings in Chinatown and Downtown Oakland, the center requires significant expansion to meet growing community demand. In November 2016, the Measure KK General Obligation Bonds were approved by the voters of Oakland to fund $600 million of vital infrastructure improvements and anti-displacement and affordable housing projects. The expansion plan for the Lincoln Recreation Center was prioritized and adopted through the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget process for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-2021. Lincoln Recreation Center is the highest-scored parks project per the CIP prioritization process adopted by City Council on October 16, 2018, under Resolution No. 87376 C.M.S. On June 24, 2019, the City Council adopted the FY 2019-21 Biennial Budget with Resolution No. 87759 C.M.S. that allocated $1,700,000.00 in Measure KK funds to the project. Additional Measure KK funding from the FY 21-23 Biennial Budget with Resolution No. 88717 C.M.S. allocated $2,341,200.00 to the project. In November 2022, the Measure U General Obligation Bond was approved by voters of Oakland to fund $850 million in infrastructure improvements and anti-displacement and affordable housing projects authorized in Resolution No. 89314 C.M.S. On May 23, 2023, staff Jestin D. Johnson, City AdministratorSubject: Lincoln Recreation Center Contract Award and PSA Amendment Date: April 10, 2026 Page 3 Public Works Transportation Committee May 26, 2026
recommended to the City Council the FY 23-25 CIP, including projects proposed to be funded with Measure U bond funds. On June 26, 2023, the City Council approved the FY 23-25 CIP budget with Resolution No. 89804 C.M.S. The Project is funded by a combination of Measure KK and U funding, the Statewide Park Program Grant – Prop 68 ($8,500,000.00) authorized under Resolution No. 88353 C.M.S., the CDFA – Community Resilience Centers Program ($9,250,000.00) authorized under Resolution No. 89804 C.M.S., and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – Community Project Funding ($2,000,000.00) authorized under Resolution No. 89804 C.M.S.to enable the Project to operate as both a community recreation center and a resiliency hub. The HUD grant added scope requirements to design the facility to meet federal resiliency center standards, including rooftop solar panels, on-site battery storage, “Clean Air” heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) systems, and storage capacity for refrigerated medicine. On March 16, 2021, City Council passed Resolution No. 88541 C.M.S. granting authorization for the City Administrator to enter into a professional services agreement with SKA for professional architectural and engineering services for the Lincoln Recreation Center Expansion/Renovation Project in an amount of $1,528,849.00. SKA was selected through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process in 2020, in accordance with the OMC, to provide community engagement, facility design from schematic to construction documents phase, and design support during construction. The professional services agreement was subsequently amended through Resolution No. 89491 C.M.S. to complete design services, construction support services, and as-needed grant support to assist the City to seek future grants for the project, bringing the total contract amount to $3,028,849.00. The Project will greatly expand and improve recreation amenities and services to the community. The Project will construct a new two-story, 22,221 square-foot recreation and resiliency center that also includes park improvements. The work includes, but is not limited to, demolition of the existing recreation center and existing park elements, construction of the new recreation and resiliency center which will accommodate a commercial kitchen, multiple classrooms and multi-purpose rooms, a stage area for performances, gymnasium, second-floor outdoor garden, offices, elevator, and restrooms. The Project also includes improvements to planting, pathways, and lighting throughout the park, and improvements to facilitate new utilities.ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES The Project will replace outdated infrastructure with a new recreation and resilience hub that improves community access to recreation and provides a space designed to support residents in times of natural disasters. The City issued a notice inviting bids on May 16, 2025. Notifications were distributed by several means identified in the Public Outreach section below. On July 31, 2025, the City Clerk received five bids as shown in Table 1 from non-local general contractors for the Lincoln Recreation Center project as shown on Attachment B: Bid Summary (dated August 4, 2025). Amoroso was deemed the lowest, most responsive and responsible bidder. During March and Jestin D. Johnson, City AdministratorSubject: Lincoln Recreation Center Contract Award and PSA Amendment Date: April 10, 2026 Page 4 Public Works Transportation Committee May 26, 2026
April of 2026, the two lowest bidders, BHM Construction LLC and Lathrop Construction Associates, Inc., were not willing to hold their bids; therefore deeming them non-responsive. Table 1: Project Bids Received Company Bid Amount Engineer’s Estimate$31,194,159.00BHM Construction LLC (Napa, CA)$25,863,000.00Lathrop Construction Associates, Inc. (Benicia, CA)$26,829,400.00 S.J. Amoroso Construction Co. LLC(Redwood City, CA)$28,437,000.00Zovich & Sons, Inc. (Hayward, CA)$28,999,000.00EF Brett & Company, Inc. (Petaluma, CA)$28,700,000.00Because the Project has federal grant funds through HUD, the City’s Local/Small Local Business Enterprise (L/SLBE) requirements did not apply. The local geographic preferences are not allowed except where expressly mandated or encouraged. The federal procurement standards required open competition, proper documentation, and affirmative outreach to small and minority-owned businesses. These requirements were met through broad public advertisement and solicitation of the notice inviting bids and targeted outreach through various forms of outreach to publications serving Black, Latino, and Asian communities, including the Oakland Post, El Mundo, World Journal and Korea Times. Despite our best efforts, no local contractors bid on the project. City Council approval of this resolution is needed to award a contract and start construction August 2026. This approval will help ensure that Oakland Public Works (OPW) can begin construction to meet the State grants deadlines to complete the Project by December 31, 2027. Without City Council approval, the City will be unable to move forward with construction and would be forced to forfeit $17,750,000 in grant funding. Waiver of Competitive Request for Proposal/Qualifications Requirement And To Amend The Professional Services Agreement With SKA The proposed action to amend SKA’s Professional Service Agreement is required to complete the Project design and construction support of Lincoln Recreation Center Project. SKA is a small local certified business. The original Professional Service Agreement is from project planning phase through 95% design of the project. The first amendment was to complete design of the recreation center, provide construction support, and provide as-needed grant support services for the project. This amendment is necessary to provide complete design services to meet recently received grants to include the project as a resilience center. To incorporate these guidelines, SKA was required to incorporate resiliency features into the recreation center. The addition of the resiliency center function to the Lincoln Recreation Center significantly increases the original scope of expansion for 11,000 square feet to the new scope of 22,221 square feet. The additional Project scope to be added includes rooftop solar panels, on-site battery storage, “Clean Air” – heating, ventilation, and cooling systems, and storage capacity for refrigerated medicine. OMC Section 2.04.051 requires a competitive request for proposals/qualifications (RFP/Q) proposals solicitation process. However, OMC Section 2.04.051 B permits the Council to waive Jestin D. Johnson, City AdministratorSubject: Lincoln Recreation Center Contract Award and PSA Amendment Date: April 10, 2026 Page 5 Public Works Transportation Committee May 26, 2026
this RFP/Q requirement upon a finding and determination that it is in the best interests of the City to do so. As the consultant selection process in 2020 adhered to the City’s OMC for competitive process and the solicitation notice stated that the selected consultant team will provide planning through construction support services, the proposed amendment adheres to the original intent. To continue the design services started since 2021 as originally specified and to avoid any project disruption or delay to complete the scope outlined in the analysis above, staff recommend that it is in the City’s best interest to waive the competitive RFP/Q requirement and amend the City’s agreement with SKA. RELATED PLANNING EFFORTS This project will replace a code deficient recreation center with a new code-compliant, sustainable facility. These goals align with several City plans as described in this report section.Oakland Strategic Plan (2025 – 2028) The City’s Strategic Plan 2025-2028identifies five priorities: streamlining operations, fostering cross-departmental collaboration, enhancing communication and coordination, optimizing workforce management, and aligning the budget with Citywide priorities. The Project supports the priority to align budget with Citywide priorities by delivering on the City's Measure KK and U bond commitments for public safety infrastructure investment in Chinatown, and supports cross-department collaboration through the multi-department coordination among OPW, OPRYD, and the Department of Work Place and Employment Standards required to advance the project identified in the Strategic Plan 2025 - 2028. Oakland 2045 General Plan – Safety Element The Safety Element aims to protect residents, workers, and visitors from seismic and geologic hazards, fire hazards, hazardous materials, flooding, and other potential hazards that risk life and property. The Element uses an equity lens through its hazards analysis and prioritizes vulnerable communities in the development of its goals, policies, and actions. The Project directly implements the Safety Element's goals by replacing a 1970’s era building that is seismically deficient with a modern, code-compliant recreation and resilience center in the heart of Chinatown which would greatly benefit recreation access and life safety in times of need. Local Hazard Mitigation Plan The Local Hazard Mitigation Plan serves as a meaningful guide to increasing the City’s community's resilience in the face of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, extreme heat and fires. This plan strives to document potential hazards that the City of Oakland is most vulnerable to, assess risks to the city's residents, buildings and critical facilities, and develop a mitigation strategy to reduce the risk of exposure and allow a swift and organized recovery should a disaster occur. The Project advances the mitigation strategy for critical facilities by replacing a non-code compliant recreation center with a modern recreation and resilience hub designed to current seismic and building code standards ensuring continued emergency operations following a major earthquake or other natural hazard event. 2030 Equitable Climate Action Plan Jestin D. Johnson, City AdministratorSubject: Lincoln Recreation Center Contract Award and PSA Amendment Date: April 10, 2026 Page 6 Public Works Transportation Committee May 26, 2026
This agenda item aligns with the City’s 2030 Equitable Climate Action Plan Building Actions. B-1 - Eliminate Natural Gas in New Buildings B-2 – Plan for All Existing Buildings to be Efficient and All-Electric by 2040 B-5 - Require All Major Retrofits of City Facilities to be All-Electric A-2 - Enhance Community Energy Resilience CL-2 - Phase Out Fossil Fuel Dependency in All City Agreements and Contracts The Project replaces a gas-dependent City facility with a new all-electric essential services building targeting LEED Gold certification as the project goal. As a public safety facility in Chinatown/Downtown area, the new recreation center will also function as community resilience infrastructure with modern energy systems independent of natural gas. These efforts help meet the City's Equitable Climate Action Plan Actions listed above. FISCAL IMPACT Sufficient funding for the construction contract award to Amoroso (see Table 2) and amendment to SKA’s professional service agreement (see Table 3) are available in the funding sources shown below. Table 2: Project Construction Funding Sources Fund Source Organization Account Project Program Amount2105 HUD92270 Capital Projects 57211Building Construction1004857 Lincoln Project IN06 Project Delivery Program $2,000,000.002134 Prop 6892270 Capital Projects 57211 Building Construction1004857 Lincoln Project IN06 Project Delivery Program $8,414,923.112159 CDFA 92270 Capital Projects 57211Building Construction1004857 Lincoln Project IN06 Project Delivery Program $9,250,000.005332Measure KK 92270 Capital Projects 57211 Building Construction1004857 Lincoln Project IN06 Project Delivery Program $2,729,122.105335Measure KK 92270 Capital Projects 57211 Building Construction1004857 Lincoln Project IN06 Project Delivery Program $7,000,000.005340 Measure U 92270 Capital Projects 57211Building Construction1004857 Lincoln Project IN06 Project Delivery Program $4,000,000.00Total Construction Amount $33,394,045.21 Table 3: Professional Services Funding Source Jestin D. Johnson, City AdministratorSubject: Lincoln Recreation Center Contract Award and PSA Amendment Date: April 10, 2026 Page 7 Public Works Transportation Committee May 26, 2026
Fund SourceOrganization Account Project Program Amount5340 Measure U 92270 Capital Projects 54411 Architectural Services1004857 Lincoln Project IN06 Project Delivery Program $1,000,000.00PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST As the Project commenced, a series of five (5) meetings with the community and focus groups were conducted in 2020 to develop the concept plan for the recreation center. The meetings identified and prioritized the community’s need for activities, adjacencies, safety, beautification and resiliency. With the information obtained from these meetings, the City applied for and received various grants to help with construction cost of the project. The Project was endorsed by the Park and Recreation Advisory Committee on September 14, 2022, Design Review Committee on October 26, 2022, Landmarks Preservations Advisory Board on June 12, 2023, and approved by the Planning Commission on September 20, 2023. As the Lincoln Recreation Center Projects continues into the construction phase, on-going monthly update meetings have continued with community groups, OPRYD, Sustainability and Resilience Division, and OPW. For this construction solicitation, OPW-Project & Grant Management Division (OPW-PGM) worked with Capital Contracts Division (CCD) to conduct public outreach through enhanced notifications, legal ads, and a pre-proposal meeting. Outreach was done through the following means: City of Oakland iSupplier system which includes City certified firms, registered General Contractors, plan rooms and builder’s exchange. Printed legal notice in the Oakland Tribune, Daily Pacific Builder, El Mundo, Oakland Post, The Korea Times and the World Journal publications. Outreach by SKA informing potential contractors of this upcoming construction opportunity. The City’s iSupplier’s system also distributed notifications of solicitations to Oakland-certified local and non-local contractors; regional trade and business groups. Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Oakland Black Board of Trade & Commerce, Bay Area Business Roundtable, and the Construction Bidboard. Within a few days of registering in iSupplier, contractors can access and review proposal requests in this system by searching for specific projects based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. Prior to the start of the Project construction, the immediate neighboring residents and establishments affected by the work will be notified of the construction activities and receive Project contact information. Temporary construction fencing, protective mitigation measures, and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) shall be implemented to minimize disruptions to the public.
Jestin D. Johnson, City AdministratorSubject: Lincoln Recreation Center Contract Award and PSA Amendment Date: April 10, 2026 Page 8 Public Works Transportation Committee May 26, 2026
COORDINATION This Project has been coordinated with OPRYD, DWES, CCD and appropriate division within OPW. The Finance Department has reviewed this report, and the resolution has been reviewed for form and legality by the Office of the City Attorney. RACE AND EQUITY In accordance with OMC 2.29.170.1 that directs City departments to “intentionally integrate, on a Citywide basis, the principle of ‘fair and just’ in all that the City does in order to achieve equitable opportunities and outcomes for all people and communities,” the proposed professional services contract amendment will enhance OPRYD ability to serve the City’s residents in Chinatown/Downtown Oakland, who are in a highly disadvantaged area that has been significantly impacted by racial disparities in health, housing, access to jobs and climate change. The Oakland Equity Map identifies the project site as located in a Highest Priority Neighborhood, serving a predominantly Asian American and low-income community that has experienced substantial population growth without corresponding investment in public infrastructure. The Project will enable significant facility improvements to the HVAC system, quality of public spaces, and accessible features for all ages. The improvements will support the Lincoln Recreation Center in providing services to Oakland residents and patrons of all ages, races and abilities that enhance the equitable disbursement of recreational services, programs, staffing, facilities, and resources in order to decrease disparities in life outcomes of marginalized communities and to facilitate equity of opportunity throughout the City. CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) A Consistency Determination Checklist (Attachment C – CEQA Determination) was prepared in August 2023 under the requirements of CEQA for the Lincoln Recreation Center Expansion/Renovation Project. The Project site is located within the Lake Merritt Station Area Plan (LMSAP) area. In December 2014, the City of Oakland certified the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the LMSAP (SCH No. 2012032012), which evaluated the environmental impacts of anticipated development within the Plan Area, including improvements to Lincoln Square Park and its recreational facilities consistent with LMSAP Policy OS-8. Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15162, the City of Oakland, as the Lead Agency, has determined that the Project does not involve new significant environmental effects beyond those analyzed in the LMSAP EIR, nor would it substantially increase the severity of previously identified significant effects. No substantial changes are proposed in the Project, and no substantial changes have occurred with respect to the circumstances under which the Project would be undertaken, that would require major revisions to the LMSAP EIR. No new information of substantial importance has arisen that was not known and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time the LMSAP EIR was certified.
Jestin D. Johnson, City AdministratorSubject: Lincoln Recreation Center Contract Award and PSA Amendment Date: April 10, 2026 Page 9 Public Works Transportation Committee May 26, 2026
Therefore, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15162, no subsequent EIR, supplemental EIR, or addendum to the LMSAP EIR is required. The Consistency Determination Checklist evaluated potential project-specific environmental effects across all CEQA resource categories, including aesthetics, shadow and wind, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, energy, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, land use and planning, noise, population and housing, public services, parks and recreation facilities, transportation, tribal cultural resources, and utilities and service systems. Based on the results of the Consistency Determination, it has been determined that the Project will not have a significant effect on the environment beyond those previously identified and analyzed in the LMSAP EIR. The Project is legally required to incorporate and comply with the applicable mitigation measures identified in the LMSAP EIR and the City’s Standard Conditions of Approval, which will reduce any potential environmental impact to a less-than-significant level. The City Administrator filed a Notice of Determination with the Clerk of the County of Alameda for this Project. This proposed amendment to the professional services agreement is exempt under CEQA, Public Resources Code Section 21065 and CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(4) and (5), as they involve government fiscal activities, which do not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant impact on the environment, and it is also an organizational or administrative activity of government that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes to the environment. The amendment is also exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) (No Significant Effect on the Environment) because the professional services amendment authorizes design and construction support services that will not, in themselves, result in direct or indirect physical changes to the environment. Each of the above exemptions provides a separate and independent basis for CEQA compliance.
Jestin D. Johnson, City AdministratorSubject: Lincoln Recreation Center Contract Award and PSA Amendment Date: April 10, 2026 Page 10 Public Works Transportation Committee May 26, 2026
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt The Following Pieces Of Legislation: 1) Awarding A Construction Contract For Project 1004857 Lincoln Recreation Center Expansion/Renovation Project To S.J. Amoroso Construction Co., LLC, The Lowest Responsive And Responsible Bidder, In Accordance With Contractor’s Bid, Project Plans And Specifications, For An Amount Of Twenty-Eight Million Four Hundred Thirty-Seven Thousand Dollars ($28,437,000.00); And Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Findings 2) Amending Resolution 89491 C.M.S. To Increase The Professional Services Agreement With Shah Kawasaki Architects By An Amount Not-To-Exceed Eight Hundred Forty-Eight Thousand Seven Hundred Ninety- Seven Dollars ($848,797.00), Bringing The Total Contract Amount From Three Million Twenty-Eight Thousand Eight Hundred Forty-Nine Dollars ($3,028,849.00) To Three Million Eight Hundred Seventy-Seven Thousand Six Hundred Forty-Six Dollars ($3,877,646.00); And Waiving The Competitive Request For Proposal/Qualifications Requirement; And Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Findings For questions regarding this report, please contact Henry Choi, CIP Coordinator at [email protected] or (510) 238-3340. Respectfully submitted, LIAM GARLAND Director, Oakland Public Works Reviewed by: Jimmy Mach, Acting Assistant Director Bureau of Design & Construction Prepared by: Henry Choi, CIP Coordinator Project and Grant Management Division Attachments (3) Attachment (A): Project Location Map Attachment (B): Bid Summary Attachment (C): CEQA Determination Attachment (D): Project Renderings