Agenda Item
City Council
Item #: 3.5. 7/11/2023 File #: 23-0431
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Tom Kisela, City Manager
FROM: Christopher Cash, Public Works Director
1. SUBJECT
Agreement with Meridian Rapid Defense Group LLC for event protection barriers at various city events at the Plaza.
2. SUMMARY
The City implements five complete plaza closures annually for city and non-profit events. Currently, the City is using multi-layers of concrete K-rails at the perimeter of the closure. Staff analyzed the safety, efficiency, and cost of replacing all K-rails with different types of closure devices and recommended the Meridian Archer barrier system. Staff is recommending approval of a five-year agreement, with an optional three-year extension with Meridian Rapid Defense Group LLC in the total amount of $375,000, with an annual amount of $75,000.
3. RECOMMENDED ACTION
Approve the agreement with Meridian Rapid Defense Group LLC in the total five-year amount of $375,000 for event protection barriers at various city events at the plaza; and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute on behalf of the City.
4. FISCAL IMPACT
The total expenditure for this agreement is $375,000, with the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 annual amount of $75,000 to be funded through General Fund (100).
5. STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Goal 1: Provide for a safe community
b: Provide and maintain infrastructure necessary to ensure the safety of the public.
Goal 4: Provide outstanding public service
b: Provide facilities and services to meet customer expectations.
6. DISCUSSION AND BACKGROUND
Public Works has been working with our Police and Fire Departments to find an alternative for K-rail placement during Plaza closures. The City implements five complete plaza closures annually for city and non-profit events as follows:
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Item #: 3.5. 7/11/2023 File #: 23-0431
1. Rotary Car Show - In April
2. May Parade - In May
3. International Street Fair - Labor Day weekend
4. Treats in the Street - In October
5. Tree Lighting Ceremony - In December
The closure of major arterial and residential streets around the plaza restricts general vehicular traffic into the event area and provides a safer environment for the public attending these events.
Currently, the City is using multi-layers of K-rails at the perimeter of the closure. K-rails are mainly used for traffic division. However, no crash data supports it as a closure barrier. Alternatively, Anti- Terrorism Vehicle Barriers would create a visible and physical barrier for vehicles attempting to access the event area. To achieve this, the City has selected Meridian Rapid Defense Group LLC (Meridian), which is the sole manufacturer of the U.S. and internationally patented and trademarked Archer 1200 Anti-Terrorism Vehicle Barrier. It has been approved and designated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Safety Act as Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology (QATT).
The Act provides legal liability protections to Meridian, its customers, and end users of the designated QATT products. In addition, the Archer is approximately 700 lbs. and is moved using the Archer Hauler, allowing for the fastest deployment and take down.
Meridian is a locally based company in the City of Pasadena. Several other cities such as Pasadena, Beverly Hills, and Carlsbad have been using the Meridian barrier for their large events, including the Rose Bowl.
Public Works utilizes significant staff resources and equipment to load, stage, setup, take down, and restock all these K-rails for each event. Staff performed a trial run at the October 2022 “Treatsin the Street”event, and it took Meridian 15 minutes to set one segment of closure at Chapman and Grand.
This saved a considerable amount of time as it typically takes City crews about one hour to set up per segment with the traditional K-rail system. Our Police and Fire Departments were part of this trial run, and they support and concur with this new device.
The estimated cost to rent the required number of Meridian barriers is $15,000 per event. As part of this rental cost, Meridian will also provide all the labor to set up and take down. The cost savings for the City is approximately 50% compared to setting up the concrete K-rails. That said, similar savings will be passed on to the non-profit events. The City will seek reimbursement from the non- profits for the actual cost from Meridian and any other City support.
The initial term of the agreement is five years commencing July 24, 2023, with the option to extend the agreement an additional three years at the City’ssole discretion. The initial five-year term will be performed at the proposed unit pricing and is contingent upon the City Council appropriating the necessary funding each fiscal year as part of the annual budget adoption.
First implementation is anticipated to be at the 2023 International Street Fair.
7. ATTACHMENTS
· Equipment Rental Agreement
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