CITY OF SAN MATEO
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CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 17 Section Name: CONSENT CALENDAR Account Number: 82-4681 File ID: 26-10899 TO: City Council
FROM: Alex Khojikian, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Public Works Department
MEETING DATE: March 16, 2026
SUBJECT:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Resiliency Center Program Manager — Amendment RECOMMENDATION:
Approve Amendment No. 1 to the agreement with ELS Architecture & Urban Design for professional program management services for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Resiliency Center Tasks 2 and 3 in the amount of $314,560, for a new agreement total of $345,655; establish a contingency reserve in the amount of $34,000; and authorize the Public Works Director to execute the amendment in substantially the form presented and issue amendments within the contingency amount.
BACKGROUND:
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center (King Center) was originally constructed in 1968 and partially remodeled in 1987. The facility includes a full-court gymnasium, swimming pool, offices, childcare spaces, and multi-purpose rooms. A comprehensive, phased renovation is planned, guided by a 2025 Facilities Assessment that documents existing conditions, identifies priority improvements, and provides cost estimates. Renovations will be implemented as funding becomes available and are intended to modernize the facility so it can continue to serve as a vital community hub and ultimately function as a Resilience Center. To date, the City has been awarded an $850,000 federal earmark for the Resilience Center and staff plans to include $4 million from the City’s Capital Reserve in the upcoming five-year Capital Improvement Program for upgrading the King Center, per Council direction at the October 20, 2025, meeting when staff presented the 2025 Facilities Assessment.
The King Center will be improved through four coordinated phases structured to align with anticipated grant funding requirements and sequenced to meet eligibility milestones, ensuring the timely obligation and expenditure of funds.
Improvements to the King Center will be guided by a phased planning and implementation process that aligns with anticipated funding opportunities while prioritizing community engagement and shared visioning. The process will begin with organizational and preparatory efforts, including environmental review coordination, technical assessments, and development of a comprehensive work plan to guide future phases.
Subsequent phases will focus on evaluating and addressing key issues identified through public input and technical analysis. These issues may include the condition and functionality of the pools and locker rooms, accessibility and circulation challenges, building systems and code compliance, kitchen capacity and food service needs, drainage and roofing concerns, and opportunities to improve how the facility connects to surrounding streets and adjacent community spaces.
The City will work collaboratively with stakeholders to assess how the King Center can best serve evolving community needs, including consideration of its potential role as a Resilience Center during emergencies. Programming, design, and construction decisions including potential reconfiguration of spaces, expanded hygiene facilities, commercial kitchen
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upgrades, or other enhancements will be shaped by this engagement process, technical feasibility, and funding requirements. This phased approach ensures that funding timelines can be met while maintaining flexibility to incorporate community priorities and refine project scope as the project progresses.
To guide the project through program development, pre-design, design, construction, and closeout, the City sought to retain a Program Manager. The Program Manager’s responsibilities begin with assisting in the solicitation of design proposals based on the approved Work Plan and continue through oversight of design subconsultants, public outreach, and coordination with City staff and the City Council to ensure clear communication throughout the project. The Program Manager will work closely with the designated City Representative and multiple City departments by reviewing design work products, coordinating interdepartmental reviews, supporting grant opportunities, assessing constructability, supporting value engineering, and helping to ensure the design meets City objectives and community needs.
Once construction documents are completed, the Program Manager will collaborate with the Public Works Facilities Division to bid the Project phases, manage clarifications and addenda, assist with bid evaluation and contract award, and coordinate with the City’s Construction Management and Inspection Consultant prior to and during construction. During construction, the Program Manager will act as the City’s representative for design oversight, assist with issue resolution, monitor progress in coordination with the Construction Management team, provide regular updates to the City Council, and keep the public informed. The Program Manager will also participate in site walkthroughs, punch-list review, and project closeout activities. Throughout the Project, the Program Manager will lead community outreach efforts, facilitate public meetings, convey community input to the design team, and balance design objectives, community expectations, and budget constraints. These responsibilities require strong communication skills, experience with high-profile civic projects, and the ability to manage competing interests. Facilitation and outreach subconsultants may be included as needed.
In August 2025, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) outlining five (5) tasks:
Task 1: Verification of Existing Conditions
Serve as the City’s representative throughout the Program, Pre-Design, Design, Construction, and Project Closeout phases of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, Pool Renovation, and Resilience Center Project.
Task 2: Concept Design and Community Engagement
Conduct meetings involving the City management team, along with interviews of staff and relevant agencies identified by the City. The community engagement process for the King Center will include three in-person workshops and three corresponding virtual workshops, supported by provided advertising graphics and workshop materials. These workshops will consist of an open-house format to gather input on community needs, a presentation of concept design alternatives to obtain feedback on preferences, and a presentation of the final selected design to gather input on refinements. Additional outreach will include meetings with community groups and interested parties, online surveys, and content development for a City-hosted project website. This phase also includes two City Council meetings and up to ten meetings with City staff and agencies to review and develop program requirements. The design team will prepare two to three design concepts to improve the existing pools and locker rooms, along with concepts for other building areas requiring updates, seismic upgrades, and improvements needed to support a resilience center.
Task 3: Schematic Design
Further develop the preferred final option selected in Task 2, including plans, sections, and elevations of the design along with technical input from aquatics, structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing consultants. This task will also include a final phasing plan for the facility, including anticipated resiliency measures, and a cost estimate for the proposed design.
Task 4: Construction Phase
Collaborate with the City’s Construction Manager and Inspection team to monitor construction progress, schedule, and budget; attend project meetings; prepare monthly updates; support stakeholder communications; and assist with change management.
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Task 5: Project Closeout
Assist City staff with punch-list review, final pay documentation, budget reconciliation, and coordination of move-in and startup operations.
On September 4, 2025, the City received three (3) proposals which were evaluated based on understanding of the scope of services, experience delivering similar public projects, and adequacy of staffing. The City executed an agreement with ELS Architecture and Urban Design for $31,095 to complete Task 1, as they received the highest average score of 91.2 out of 100.
Task 1 was completed in February 2026 and produced a comprehensive work plan outlining outreach procedure, identifying required consultants, and establishing a schedule with milestones and deliverables. This work provided the foundation for defining the scope of Tasks 2 and 3.
Based on the successful completion of Task 1, staff recommends amending the professional services agreement with ELS Architecture and Urban Design. Their performance has positioned the City to advance the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Resiliency Center Project within the projected budget and timeline. Staff has reviewed and negotiated the proposed scope and fee and recommends approval of the amendment. Staff also recommends establishing a 10% contingency reserve ($34,000) to account for any unforeseen issues in implementing Tasks 2 and 3.
BUDGET IMPACT:
There is sufficient funding in the King Resiliency Center (46f036) project budget to fund this amendment.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
Approval of this amendment is not a project subject to CEQA, because it is an organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5).)
NOTICE PROVIDED
All meeting noticing requirements were met.
ATTACHMENTS
Att 1 – Amendment No. 1
Att 2 – Original Agreement
STAFF CONTACT
Steve Wu, Facilities & Fleet Services Manager
[email protected]
(650) 522-7345