City Council
259 N. Wilma Avenue
Ripon, CA 95366
MEMO
To: Honorable City Council
From: Spencer Schroen, Associate Civil Engineer
Date: 08/19/2026
Subject: Community Center Parking Lot Expansion
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Award the contract for the Community Center Parking Lot Expansion Project to Dirt Dynasty, Inc in the amount of $2,586,477; authorize the Mayor to execute the construction contract and related documents on behalf of the City; and authorize the transfer of $400,000 from the General Department Capital Fund to the Parks & Recreation Capital Fund to provide sufficient funding for the project, including the recommended 10 percent construction contingency (funding source:
Parks & Recreation Capital Fund).
BACKGROUND:
Staff has completed the re-advertisement of the Community Center Parking Lot Expansion Project for construction bids. The project is intended to improve parking capacity, circulation, and the quality and safety of the City's baseball facilities. The project includes the following improvements:
Relocation of the middle baseball field: Relocate the middle baseball field to the west to accommodate approximately 40 new parking spaces and provide a connection between the two existing parking lots.
Parking lot improvements: Reconstruct the existing parking lots with concrete pavers and provide new lighting and storm drainage improvements. Baseball field improvements: Reconstruct the north and relocated middle baseball fields, including new backstops, dugouts, fencing, and other field improvements to provide safer and higher-quality facilities for the City's youth baseball programs.
The engineer's estimate for the complete project is $2,257,175. The Parks & Recreation Capital Fund currently has $2,488,973 available for the project.
Previous Bid
At the July 2026 City Council meeting, the City Council rejected the sole bid received for the project in the amount of $3,108,581. The bid exceeded the engineer's estimate by approximately $851,000. The City Council directed staff to re-advertise the project in an effort to obtain additional competition and more favorable construction pricing.
Re-Advertisement and Bids Received
In response to the previous bid, staff revised the bidding strategy to provide the City with greater flexibility and discretion in determining the scope of work to be awarded. The Base Bid includes the primary project improvements described above but excludes improvements to the rear parking lot (see attached figure). The Alternate Bid includes the rear parking lot improvements.
Contractors were required to submit both a Base Bid and a Base Bid + Alternate amount. The bid documents reserved the City's right to determine which scope of work would be awarded based on the City's available funding and project priorities. To provide staff with this discretion while protecting the integrity of the bidding process, Contractors were instructed to submit these amounts in a separate envelope from all other bid documents, but excluding all information about each bidder1, their proposed contractors, subcontractors, or suppliers. Once the bidding deadline expired, a City bid evaluation team would then evaluate these anonymized amounts to determine whether the Base Bid or the Base Bid + alternate scenario best met those funding and project priorities. This process was conducted in accordance with Public Contract Code Section 20103.8(d).
On August 11, 2026, after the conclusion of the bid submission deadline, the City received 10 bids. The City's bid evaluation team reviewed the anonymized Base Bid and Base Bid + Alternate amounts and, in consideration of the City's available funding and the net benefits a completed project would provide, determined that the apparent low bidder would be based on the Base Bid + Alternate amount.
1 The bid form did include a place for the contractor’s name. When the bids were received, the City Clerk redacted the name of each contractor prior to providing to the Engineering Department staff to evaluate. This was done to ensure the staff that were evaluating the bids could not show any preference.
DISCUSSION:
On August 11, 2026, bids for the Community Center Parking Lot Expansion Project were opened; 10 blind bids were received as summarized below:
Staff recommends that the City Council award the Base Bid + Alternate to Contractor No. 8 in the amount of $2,586,477.
Once the evaluation process was completed, only the apparent low bidder's bid submittal was opened for review; all other bidders' submittal remains sealed. At that time, Contractor 8 was determined to be Dirt Dynasty, Inc. The Dirt Dynasty, Inc bid package was reviewed and Dirt Dynasty, Inc was found to be a responsive and a responsible contractor.
Awarding the complete project under a single construction contract provides several benefits:
Lower overall project costs. Completing the entire project under one contract avoids the costs associated with a future second procurement, including additional mobilization, engineering and staff costs associated with preparing and administering another bid, and the potential for higher construction costs in the future. More consistent final product. Constructing both parking lots under one contract provides greater consistency in materials, colors, grades, drainage, and other site improvements and avoids potential coordination issues associated with completing the work in separate phases.
Current construction pricing. Awarding the complete project now allows the City to take advantage of the competitive pricing received through the current bidding process and avoids the risk of future construction cost increases. Reduced disruption to the Community Center. Completing both parking lots during a single construction period will minimize the duration and frequency of constructionContractor Number
Base Bid Base + Alternate Bid Notes
8 2,107,777 2,586,477 Lowest Base +
Alternate Bid
2 2,037,435 2,606,785 Lowest Base
Bid
9 2,335,494.21 2,803,098.46
10 2,331,170 2,822,186
4 2,346,395 2,824,545
11 2,333,534 2,857,009
5 2,398,510.27 2,923,332.77
6 2,418,998.55 2,932,632.55
7 2,619,394 3,137,494
1 2,906,850 3,957,850
*Contractor #3 was unresponsive and not included in the summary. **Contractors ranked according to lowest Base + Alternate Bid price. related impacts, traffic control, and temporary restrictions on access to the Community Center.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The recommended project budget is $2,845,124, consisting of the recommended Base Bid + Alternate amount of $2,586,477 and a 10 percent construction contingency of approximately $258,647.
Based on the current available balance in the Parks & Recreation Capital Fund, awarding the complete project would result in a funding shortfall of approximately $356,151.
If the City Council concurs with staff's recommendation to award the Base Bid + Alternate, staff recommends that the City Council also authorize a transfer of $400,000 from the General Department Capital Fund to the Parks & Recreation Capital Fund to fully fund the project, including the construction contingency.
As of July 1, 2026, the General Department Capital Fund has approximately $1.6 million in unobligated funds.