City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: JULY 14, 2026 FROM: PARKS, RECREATION AND COMMUNITY
SERVICES DEPARTMENT
WARD: 2
SUBJECT: AWARD BID 8216 TO H L HITCHCOCK CONSTRUCTION INC. OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA, THE GAGE CANAL MULTI-PURPOSE RECREATIONAL TRAIL PROJECT, IN THE AMOUNT OF $4,304,325; AND AUTHORIZE A 10% CHANGE ORDER AUTHORITY UP TO $430,432.50, FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $4,734,757.50 ISSUES:
Award Bid No. 8216 to H L Hitchcock Construction Inc. of Rancho Cucamonga, CA, for the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail project, in the amount of $4,304,325; and authorize a 10% change order authority up to $430,432.50, for a total contract amount of $4,734,757.50.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Award Bid No. 8216 to H L Hitchcock Construction Inc. of Rancho Cucamonga, CA, for the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail project, in the amount of $4,304,325; Authorize a 10% change order authority in an amount up to $430,432.50 for project changes including, but not limited to, unforeseen conditions or necessary design changes, for a total contract amount of $4,734,757.50; and Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the Construction Agreement with H L Hitchcock Construction Inc., including making minor and non-substantive changes.
BACKGROUND:
The Gage Canal runs through the City in a City-owned water utility corridor. The City proposes constructing Phase I of the Gage Canal Trail project within an approximately two-mile stretch of the corridor starting from Palmyrita Avenue, running southwest along the edge of the Box Springs Mountain Reserve, and then south across Spruce Street ending at the UC Riverside Campus at Blaine Street. The project will include a paved asphalt bikeway with a parallel decomposed granite surface trail, along with landscaping, irrigation, lighting, and trail support amenities.
On October 1, 2019, the City Council adopted a resolution authorizing the submission of a grant application for the California Natural Resources Agency Urban Greening Grant Program in the amount of $3,708,509, for the design and implementation of the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail Phase I.
On April 1, 2020, the City of Riverside entered into a grant agreement with the State of California Natural Resources Agency for the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail Phase I in the amount of $3,708,509. (https://resources.ca.gov/grants/urban-greening) On December 14, 2021, the City of Riverside entered into a consultant agreement with Alta Planning + Design for the planning and design of the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail Phase I Improvements in the amount of $532,431.65.
On January 31, 2023, the City of Riverside Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (PRCSD) was notified by the California Department of Parks and Recreation that they were being awarded $1,400,000, in Recreational Trails Program grant funding for the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail Improvements project.
On March 14, 2023, the City Council authorized the rejection of all bids for Bid No. 7914 for the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail Improvements project, because bids came in too high and exceeded funding availability. City Council authorized staff to rebid the project with revised bid specifications once the additional $1,400,000 grant funding from the Recreational Trails Program was available from the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
On February 26, 2024, the City Council authorized an increase in change order authority of the project design consultant, Alta Planning + Design, Inc., to 20% in the amount of $106,486.33, increasing the not to exceed total compensation amount to $638,917.98, to have the consultants complete additional environmental studies as needed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation in order to proceed with the grant agreement for the $1,400,000 Recreational Trails Program grant funding.
On April 3, 2026, the City of Riverside entered into a Recreational Trails Program grant agreement with the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation for the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail Phase I in the amount of $1,400,000. (https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24324).
DISCUSSION:
Purchasing Overview
On January 26, 2026, the City’s Purchasing Division (Purchasing) issued Bid No. 8216 on PlanetBids seeking prospective bidders to construct the Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail project. This project is Phase I of the Gage Canal Trail Improvements and develops approximately two miles of the Gage Canal into a multi-use recreational and commuter trail accommodating bicycles, skates, and scooters.
A summary of the bid notifications and activity are summarized in the following table:
Table 1 – Bidding Notification Summary
Action
Number of Vendors
City of Riverside Vendors Notified
747
Vendors who downloaded the RFP
150
Pre-Bid meeting Hosted
N/A
Questions and Answers Received
40 Addenda Released
5 Bid Submittals Received
15 On March 19, 2026, a total of fifteen (15) bids were received. All responses were found to be responsive and responsible. The lowest responsive and responsible bid was received from H L Hitchcock Construction Inc. in the amount of $4,304,325, which is 10% under the anticipated construction costs.
The bid results are listed in the table below:
Table 2 – Bid Results Summary
Bidder
Location
Bid Amount
Rank
H L Hitchcock Construction Inc.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
$4,304,325.00
1 Three Peaks Corp.
Calimesa, CA
$4,503,950.00
2 ACCU Construction, Inc.
Tustin, CA
$4,762,111.43
3 Pub Construction Inc
Diamond Bar, CA
$4,777,028.28
4 Zeco Inc.
Yorba Linda, CA
$4,969,000.00
5 Deark E&C, Inc
Fullerton, CA
$4,970,000.00
6 Addison-Miller Inc.
Orange, CA
$5,121,824.63
7 Environmental Construction, Inc.
Woodland Hills, CA
$5,136,274.00
8 Matcon General Engineering Inc
Corona, CA
$5,267,465.64
9 Los Angeles Engineering, Inc.
Covina, CA
$5,719,000.00
10 RG General Engineering Inc
Norco, CA
$5,731,682.00
11 Leonida Builders Inc.
Acton, CA
$5,905,000.00
12 KASA Construction, Inc.
Chino, CA
$6,070,000.00
13 Roadway Engineering & Construction Corp.
Perris, CA
$6,387,400.00
14 Empire Equipment Service, Inc.
Riverside, CA
$6,979,520.73
15 Engineer’s Estimate:
$4,750,000.00
This action is pursuant to Purchasing Resolution 24101, Section 508 which states, “Contracts procured through Formal Procurement shall be awarded by the Awarding Entity to the Lowest Responsive and Responsible Bidder.” The Purchasing Manager concurs that the recommended action is compliant with Purchasing Resolution 24101, Section 508.
Construction Contract Award
The PRCSD recommends that a construction contract in the amount of $4,304,325 be awarded to H L Hitchcock Construction Inc. for the Project according to the following bid schedules:
Table 3 – Bid Schedules
Base Bid Schedule
I-A
Residential Segment - Scope includes a class I asphaltic concrete paved trail and a stabilized decomposed granite trail, including interpretive signage and vehicular swing gates. 1 $522,375.00
I-B
Residential Segment - Scope includes all planting (excluding enhanced entry area shrubs/groundcovers included within Bid Schedule II), tree tagging, and irrigation. 1 $220,500.00
I-C
Box Springs Segment - Scope includes a class I asphaltic concrete paved trail and a stabilized decomposed granite trail, including interpretive signage and vehicular swing gates. 1 $932,155.00
I-D
Box Springs Segment - Scope includes all planting (excluding enhanced entry area shrubs/groundcovers included within Bid Schedule II), tree tagging, and irrigation. 1 $362,250.00
I-E
Industrial Segment - Scope includes a class I asphaltic concrete paved trail and a stabilized decomposed granite trail, including interpretive signage and vehicular swing gates. 1 $618,555.00
I-F
Industrial Segment - Scope includes all planting (excluding enhanced entry area shrubs/groundcovers included within Bid Schedule II), tree tagging, and irrigation. 1 $319,725.00
ADDITIVE BID SCHEDULE
II-A
Residential Segment - Installation of "Enhanced Entry Plazas", to include expanded concrete pavement areas, planters, misc. furnishings (bike racks/drinking fountains/boulders/railings/benches/trash receptacles), and surrounding decorative planting (shrubs/groundcovers) and associated irrigation. 1 $212,330.00
II-B
Box Springs Segment - Installation of "Enhanced Entry Plazas", to include expanded concrete pavement areas, planters, misc. furnishings (bike racks/drinking fountains/boulders/railings/benches/trash receptacles), and surrounding decorative planting (shrubs/groundcovers) and associated irrigation. 1 $224,280.00
II-C
Industrial Segment - Installation of "Enhanced Entry Plazas", to include expanded concrete pavement areas, planters, misc. furnishings (bike racks/drinking fountains/boulders/railings/benches/trash receptacles), and surrounding decorative planting (shrubs/groundcovers) and associated irrigation. 1 $271,535.00
II-D
Installation of New fitness equipment at all various "Enhanced Entry Plaza" locations as specified in the plans. 1 $24,000.00
II-E
Residential Segment - Installation of smart solar lighting system as specified in the plans. 1 $102,400.00
II-F
Box Springs Segment - Installation of smart solar lighting system as specified in the plans. 1 $172,210.00
II-G
Industrial Segment - Installation of smart solar lighting system as specified in the plans. 1 $116,360.00
II-H
Installation of High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) street crossing including signage and striping located at the Columbia Avenue intersection of the trail improvements 1 $205,650.00
TOTAL
$4,304,325.00
The Public Works Department will provide funding for and manage and inspect the portion of the construction work involving installation of the High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) street crossing at the Columbia Avenue intersection of the trail improvements.
The Public Works Director concurs with this report.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of the actions of this report is $4,734,757.50, which includes Change Order Authority of $430,432.50 and is shown in Table 4 below. Sufficient funds are available in the accounts listed in Table 5 below. Additional maintenance costs will result from implementation of this project. The annual on-going maintenance costs are estimated to be $75,000. These additional maintenance funds will be identified and requested in future budgets to ensure that the project is maintained to meet City and grantor agency standards.
Table 4. Project Costs
Task
Amount
Construction Contract (H L Hitchcock Construction Inc.) $ 4,304,325.00
Construction Contingency, Administration, Permits, and similar $ 430,432.50
Subtotal (Total Fiscal Impact)
$ 4,734,757.50
PW Construction Inspection and Administration (Traffic Signal) $ 5,000.00
Total
$ 4,739,757.50
Table 5. Project Funding
Fund
Project
Account
Amount
Grants & Restricted Programs
Gage Canal Trail – Phase 1
9409200-440220
$ 2,931,547.92
9409220-440120
$ 1,400,000.00
Measure Z
9409209-440301
$ 197,559.58
Measure A
New Traffic Signals
9834130-440313
$ 210,650.00
Total Project Funding
$ 4,739,757.50
Prepared by: Jordan Maus, Project Manager
Approved by: Pamela M. Galera, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Certified as to
availability of funds: Julie Nemes, Interim Finance Director Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: Rebecca McKee-Reimbold, Interim City Attorney Attachments:
Award Recommendation
Gage Canal Trail Phase I – Map
Bid Price Extension Letter (H L Hitchcock)
Presentation
Gage Canal Multi-Purpose Recreational Trail Projecth Page 5