February 28, 2023 Page 1 of 3
Public Works
DATE: February 28, 2023
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Daniel Chavarria, PE, Director of Public Works
Lina Velasco, Director of Community Development
SUBJECT:
Contract with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.
(WJE) for Historic Resource Evaluations
FINANCIAL IMPACT: Portions of the contract relating to Point Molate will be paid using Account String: 01917090-400201-PM902 and
Port work using Account String: 40163080-400201-36004
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
Click or tap here to enter text.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The Winehaven Historic District and Shipyard No. 3
Historic District have several vacant structures, including damaged and deteriorated structural and enclosure
components. City staff is seeking evaluation and related design services to assess what temporary shoring,
structural repairs, or enclosure repairs are necessary to mitigate the further deterioration of these buildings.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a sole-source contract with Wiss, Janney,
Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE), in an amount not to
exceed $250,000, for a term ending June 30, 2024, to
provide evaluation and related design services of certain historic structures at Winehaven Historic District and
Shipyard No. 3 Historic District – Public Works (Daniel Chavarria 510-620-5478/Lina Velasco 510-620-6841).
This item was continued from the February 21, 2023,
meeting.
AGENDA
REPORT
February 28, 2023 Page 2 of 3
DISCUSSION:
The Winehaven Historic District and Shipyard No. 3 Historic District have several vacant structures. City staff has observed damaged and deteriorated structural and enclosure components to these structures. To evaluate and repair these issues, City staff is seeking approval of a sole-source contract with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE) in an amount not to exceed $250,000, for a term ending June 30, 2024. These evaluations identify what temporary shoring, structural repairs, or enclosure repairs are necessary to mitigate further deterioration to avoid any significant loss of integrity of these historic structures.
Project Objectives
Except for the Fire Station, the buildings to be evaluated at both sites are vacant and their building enclosure materials are generally deteriorated and are damaged in numerous locations, allowing water and animal intrusion and continued deterioration of historic materials.
The overall goals of this Scope of Work are:
Investigation Phase
Assess the condition of the buildings at the two sites, focusing on their structure and building enclosures.
Determine what temporary shoring, structural, and enclosure repairs are recommended to mitigate the further deterioration of these buildings for a period of approximately five years (or possibly longer for the Cafeteria).
Design Phase
Design the recommended repairs and prepare Construction Documents suitable for obtaining construction permits and publicly bidding the projects.
Previous Work Completed by WJE
The Cafeteria Building was constructed at Richmond Shipyard No. 3 in 1943 and is a contributing resource within the Richmond Shipyard No. 3 Historic District. Available original construction documents indicate that the building’s use and floor plan were revised multiple times, unlike most of the other buildings at the shipyard. The one-story wood-framed building is clad with painted wood siding and has gravel-surfaced bituminous low-slope roofing.
WJE previously documented the Cafeteria Building as part of a Historic Structures Report for the overall Richmond Shipyard No. 3. The proposed Scope of work will update that conditions assessment completed in 2013.
In July 2010, WJE was engaged by the City of Richmond to perform an emergency stabilization assessment of seven buildings (Buildings 1, 6, 10, 13, 17, 60, and 63) at the Winehaven National Historic District. The purpose of that assessment was to February 28, 2023 Page 3 of 3
identify conditions that pose an immediate hazard of collapse. WJE prepared a report dated July 20, 2010, describing their findings from that investigation (see Attachment 3).
In 2011, the City of Richmond engaged Plant Construction to perform emergency stabilization based on the recommendations described in the July 2010 WJE report.
WJE was engaged by Plant Construction to provide engineering services to design the stabilization. This work was completed circa August 2011.
Since the emergency stabilization work was limited to those conditions that were observed to be hazardous at the time of the previous site observations, and since the stabilization work was not intended to include protection of the building from weather, further deterioration of portions of the building that had not been stabilized was likely. As a result, the City of Richmond, engaged WJE to conduct follow-up inspections of the buildings to assess whether any significant further deterioration had occurred and whether additional stabilization would be needed. This report was completed in 2012 (see Attachment 4).
The proposed scope of work would also expand upon the previously completed work to include the following buildings: 28 cottages (buildings 31 through 54 and 56 through 59), a Winemaster’s House (building 60), and a Fire Station (building 63). The buildings were originally constructed in multiple periods between 1910 and 1919, with some buildings including more recent additions and modifications. The buildings are contributing resources located within the larger Winehaven Historic District. The buildings are typically constructed of wood framed walls and roofs with concrete foundations. The building enclosure of the cottages and Winemaster’s House include stucco and painted wood siding, composite shingle roofing and wood gutters. There may be wood shingles under the stucco.
The Fire Station enclosure is constructed of corrugated metal siding, composite shingle, and low-slope built-up roofing. The Fire Station is currently leased, while the other buildings have been vacant since the Navy’s departure in 1995.
CONCLUSION:
The requested contract and scope of services will assist the City in developing a repair plan for these historic structures to mitigate the further deterioration of these buildings and ensure there is no significant loss of integrity of these historic structures while rehabilitation of these structures can take place.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Contract
Attachment 2 – Sole Source
Attachment 3 – Winehaven National Register Historic District 2010 Emergency Stabilization Assessment
Attachment 4 – Winehaven National Register Historic District 2012 Annual Condition Assessment