CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: October 02, 2023
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS
SUBJECT: ADOPT RESOLUTION ___-23 AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER
TO EXECUTE A DESIGN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT
WITH ROBERT NEBOLON ARCHITECTS FOR THE CITY HALL
POND, FOUNTAIN, PLAZA PAVING AND DONOR MEMORIAL
REHABILITATION PROJECT AND APPROVE THE COMBINING OF
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS CP-22-2 CITY HALL
FOUNTAIN RENOVATION PROJECT AND CP-22-3 CITY HALL POND
PLUMBING SYSTEM REPAIRS
SYNOPSIS
The City Council is requested to authorize the City Manager to execute a Design Professional Services Agreement with Robert Nebolon Architects (Consultant) to perform architectural design services for the City Hall Pond, Fountain, Plaza Paving, and Donor Memorial Rehabilitation Project (Project). The agreement requires the Consultant to identify existing deficiencies, evaluate options, and provide schematic designs that enhance the architectural style of Pleasant Hill City Hall and environs. The City Council is also requested to approve combining of two Capital Improvement Plan projects, CP-22-2 City Hall Fountain Renovation Project, and CP-22-3 City Hall Pond Plumbing System Repairs, into one project.
DISCUSSION
Background
Pleasant Hill City Hall. Pleasant Hill City Hall is located at 100 Gregory Lane. The facility, constructed in 1991, consists of three structures including a two-story office building, council chambers, and community room, totaling 32,803 square feet. Highly acclaimed architect Charles Moore designed the facility whose characteristics were inspired by concepts of community and public service. Features such as the fountain, pond, garden, connecting walkways, and use of nonpotable well water represent an ecological balance between the natural and built environment.
Several components of City Hall have been selected for renovation and/or replacement, as follows:
Pond: The lake system was originally constructed in 1989 during construction of City Hall and was filled with water in 1991. Although not originally designed for wildlife, it is now home to turtles and koi fish. An onsite well supplies "hard water" for the lake. The existing "small pond" is connected to the larger lake via pipes beneath the concrete walkway. The system is interconnected - the same well water circulates between the lake, fountain, and HVAC heat pump. The existing lake is concrete lined and shallow. It suffers from poor water quality, algae, and sediment.
The lake system has experienced significant changes over the past thirty years through routine maintenance overseen by City staff and an outsourced capital improvement project, completed in 2011.
Fountain: The City Hall Fountain was built in 1991 as part of the construction project for City Hall. The colors used in the tile fountain were selected to reflect a prior Sister City relationship that no longer exists. The hard and abrasive well water that flows through the fountain has removed most of the grout and finish protective coating of the ceramic tiles. City staff performs routine maintenance and cleaning of the fountain and associated small ponds.
Plaza: The original concrete walkway consists of exposed aggregate concrete and patterned strips of decorative, engraved tiles, black and brown tiles, and smaller blue tiles. There are approximately 664 personalized, engraved tiles. Over time, the elastomeric seal along the tile edges has failed, allowing water to settle beneath the tiles, and ultimately resulting in cracked tiles. A capital improvement project replaced 65 broken, engraved tiles in 2003. Other routine maintenance includes patching and sealing.
Donor Memorial: There are approximately 664 donor tiles in place in the Courtyard, which will be removed as part of this project. The engraved tiles were made possible by the Pleasant Hill Foundation, a volunteer group of Pleasant Hill citizens. Tiles were designed to allow individuals, community groups, and businesses an opportunity to be a part of the new City Hall complex. Proceeds from tile sales and donations funded the purchase and inscription of the tiles. The excess money raised from the sales went to design and construct the Rose Trellis.
Proposed Project. The first phase of the project is to provide schematic drawings of the pond, fountain, plaza paving, and donor memorial that enhance the existing architectural style of Pleasant Hill City Hall. The conceptual drawings may consider the following elements:
Pond: The consultant will help to develop options, such as preserving the existing interconnected pond system; creating an urban ornamental pond that provides aesthetic enjoyment; or replacing the existing “small pond” with a koi/turtle pond. Each option is affected by the existence, and quantity, of koi and turtles. The Consultant will also evaluate the existing piping/pumping system to determine if it would be beneficial or necessary to separate the features that utilize well water (lake, koi/turtle pond, fountain, and heat pump) from each other via physical barriers and new piping systems.
Fountain: Staff will work with the Consultant to develop options, including the rehabilitation and/or re-design of the fountain to compliment City Hall and the Community Rooms; removal and replacement of the fountain tiles with a new, high quality material that is resistant to abrasion; or chlorinating the fountain water supply, which will provide a more attractive appearance, require less maintenance, and extend the life of the fountain facility along with eliminating algae growth.
Plaza Paving: Alternatives may include removing and replacing the strips of tile with an alternative material that compliments the surrounding buildings and water feature. New strips/surface material will be skid resistant and ADA compliant. The exposed aggregate concrete will remain in place and will be cleaned (pressure washed).
Donor Memorial: The Consultant will strive to create appropriate ways to honor the donors who contributed to the construction of Pleasant Hill City Hall. The memorial will be protected from the elements and visible to the public.
Funding. The Project is identified in the FY 2022/2027 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) as two separate projects: CP-22-2 City Hall Fountain Renovation Project, and CP-22-3 City Hall Pond Plumbing System Repairs. Both projects are funded through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). A total of $160,000 may be used for design services. The combined total budget for both projects is $870,000.
In order to minimize project administration costs and simplify project accounting, staff recommends that CP-22-2 City Hall Fountain Renovation Project, and CP-22-3 City Hall Pond Plumbing System Repairs, be combined into a single project with a combined budget. This would result in more efficient use of staff time since it would no longer be necessary to track time and expenses against each separate element of the combined project.
Analysis
The initial project scope of work included complete evaluation of the piping/pumping system, conceptual design, and construction plans and specifications. Staff issued the first Request for Proposals (RFP) on December 21, 2022, to 22 qualified engineering, architectural, and landscape architectural firms, and also posted the RFP in online plan rooms. Gates & Associates and Jett Landscape submitted project proposals for the City’s consideration by the February 28, 2023 deadline. Staff interviewed both consultants; however, it was later determined that the approved budget would not be adequate for such a large project. Therefore, all proposals were rejected.
Staff reviewed the original project descriptions included in the approved CIP (which were essentially rehabilitation and minor improvements) and compared them to the lessons learned during the first RFP. The largest takeaways were the effects of the presence of wildlife and its promotion of sediment build up and degradation of water quality, as well as the mineral composition of well water that has compromised the pumping/piping system. Staff re-evaluated the project and decided to engage a consultant to help develop options and goals that will ultimately increase the service life of these facilities, correct system deficiencies, and reduce maintenance costs.
The revised project scope of work includes only conceptual design. Staff issued a second RFP on August 4, 2023, to qualified architectural and landscape architectural firms, including Gates & Associates, Jett Landscape, Robert Nebolon Architects, Mark Scott Associates, Newell Arnerich, Einwillerkuehl Landscape Architecture, Five Star Landscape, and Bay Area Waterscapes. Gates & Associates, Jett Landscape, and Robert Nebolon submitted project proposals for the City’s consideration by the August 25, 2023 deadline.
Staff reviewed each proposal and determined Robert Nebolon Architects (RNA) as the most qualified firm. RNA’s team consists of architects, water feature/fountain consultant (CMS Collaborative Water Feature Consultants), and Kevin Keim, the director of the Charles Moore Foundation, who will provide guidance and commentary during the conceptual design process.
The RNA team has previously completed relevant projects including architectural preservation and restoration of the Charles Moore Residence in Orinda, CA (RNA) and the City Manager House in Oakland, CA (RNA); and mechanical and electrical system design of the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C. (CMS).
After engaging a design firm, staff anticipates returning to the City Council toward the end of this year or beginning of next with conceptual design options and preliminary cost estimates for review and discussion.
FISCAL IMPACT
Robert Nebolon Architect’s proposal is in the amount of $33,300. Due to the complexity of the piping/pumping system and anticipation of in-depth discussions, staff recommends a contingency $6,700 (approximately 20%), bringing the total architectural design cost to $40,000. Engineering staff has confirmed with the finance department that these funds are available.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made through posting of the City Council agenda on the City’s official notice bulletin board, at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center and at the Pleasant Hill Police Department. The agenda and staff report are posted on the City’s web page.
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION
Staff requests the City Council to adopt a resolution for the following:
1. Authorize the City Manager to execute a design professional services agreement with Robert Nebolon Architects in an amount not to exceed $33,300 with a project contingency of 20% in the amount of $6,700 for a total architectural design cost of $40,000.
2. Combine CP-22-2 City Hall Fountain Renovation Project, and CP-22-3 City Hall Pond Plumbing System Repairs, into one project with a single, combined budget for a total budget of $870,000.
ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDED ACTION
None recommended.
ATTACHMENT(S):
Proposed Resolution
Exhibit 1 – Agreement
Prepared by: Deirdre Castillo, Senior Civil Engineer
Reviewed by: Ananthan Kanagasundaram, City Engineer
Approved by: Ethan Bindernagel, City Manager