Agenda Item #13.2
For Council Meeting of: March 4, 2025
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: DAN HENNESSEY, DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT SUBJECT: COFFEY PARK AND FOUNTAINGROVE NEIGHBORHOOD ROADS DISASTER RECOVERY CONTINGENCY ACTION AGENDA ACTION: MOTION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended by the Transportation and Public Works Department that Council, by motion, authorize additional construction contingency funds for the Coffey Park and Fountaingrove Neighborhood Roads Disaster Recovery Project, Contract Number C02258, in the amount of $2,000,000, increasing the authorized total contract amount to $22,031,245.97.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This action will increase contingency funds to the existing construction contract with Argonaut Constructors, Inc. of Santa Rosa, California in the amount of $2,000,000 for a total contingency of $3,044,282.97.
BACKGROUND
After the 2017 Tubbs Fire, the City of Santa Rosa, in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, began a debris removal operation to remove hazardous burned material from the Coffey Park and Fountaingrove neighborhoods of the City. This operation included thousands of truck trips on residential roads not designed to accommodate such heavy loading. These residential roads experienced significant damage as a direct result of the required debris removal operations which has led to premature pavement failure on residential streets within the City of Santa Rosa.
The City Materials Lab assessed all damaged streets, identified approximately 33 miles of residential streets that require rehabilitation and strengthening, and prepared a preliminary cost estimate. City staff then determined there was insufficient funding for the project. To obtain adequate funding, City staff requested Council to approve an allocation of funding, an application of funding, and the execution of a grant agreement from the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program. The California Department of Housing and Urban Development approved a CDBG-DR grant in the amount of $13,835,903.19 for fire damaged road repairs that would be applicable to the Coffey Park and Fountaingrove Neighborhood Road Disaster Recovery Project.
City staff decided that an in-house design was in the best interest of the City and moved forward with the standard procurement method for construction.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL REVIEW
On March 23, 2021, the City Council, by Resolution No. RES-2021-052, approved an allocation of funding, an application for funding and the execution of a grant agreement and any amendments thereto from the CDBG-DR program and/or Community Development Block Grant Mitigation Funds (CDBG-MIT) program.
On April 13, 2021, the City Council, by motion, revised Resolution No. RES-2021-052, which authorized certain City staff to enter into agreements and execute other documents with California Housing and Community Development (HCD) for CDBG projects CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT, developed in response to the 2017 Tubbs Fire, to include the total allocation of CDBG funds.
On July 13, 2021, the City Council reviewed a Study Session presentation discussing the use of one-time monies that identified this project as a candidate to receive PG&E settlement and CDBG funds.
On September 26, 2023, the City Council awarded construction contract No. C02258, Coffey Park and Fountaingrove Neighborhood Roads Disaster Recovery Project, in the amount of $18,986,963 to the lowest responsible bidder, Argonaut Constructors, Inc. of Santa Rosa, California, and approved a 5.5% contract contingency, authorizing a total contract amount of $20,031,245.97. The engineer’s estimate for the project was $16,524,815. The contingency percentage was decreased for the project based on the bid price exceeding the engineer’s estimate and the need to move the project forward to serve City of Santa Rosa residents.
ANALYSIS
The project was advertised on June 29, 2023, and bids were received on August 10, 2023. The Council awarded the construction contract to Argonaut Constructors, Inc., and staff issued a Notice to Proceed on November 27, 2023. Argonaut Constructors, Inc. mobilized and began construction on January 8, 2024. The length of the contract is 371 working days, and completion is anticipated in August of 2025.
During construction, the following bid item quantity adjustments were identified:
Lower and Adjust Existing Manholes to Grade: Locations for digouts were not specified during the design phase; instead, these locations were determined during paving. As a result, manholes within these areas were not fully accounted for during the bidding process, resulting in an additional cost of $101,400.
Lower and Adjust Existing Cleanout and Water Valve Boxes to Grade: Similarly, the locations for digouts were determined at the time of paving, and valves and cleanouts in these areas were not fully accounted for in the original bid, resulting in a cost overrun of $680,000.
Roadway Excavation and Asphalt Concrete Surface: Following the 2017 Tubbs Fire, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and other utilities collaborated on a joint utility trench to repair damaged utility lines. Initially, the PG&E trenching areas were not included in the total paved area. However, in order to ensure the long-term durability and quality of the roadway, it became clear that repaving these sections, including the PG&E-trenched areas, was essential. Additionally, it was discovered that the initial calculation for the area of roadway to be replaced was underestimated. As a result of these reasons, an additional cost of $1,713,579.17 was required to complete the necessary work.
Asphalt Repair/Digout: The digout repair estimates were based on surface area percentages at the time of design. However, the actual areas marked out by the City Materials Lab during construction were smaller than originally estimated, leading to a cost savings of $57,052.08.
Curb and Gutter: Additional curb and gutter replacements were required to meet ADA transition requirements, leading to a cost increase of $109,141.20.
Curb Ramp: Twenty-four curb ramps were replaced with regular sidewalk due to safety concerns. Additionally, the field-reduced square footage of the curb ramps resulted in a cost savings of $101,177.44.
Valley Gutter: The need to replace valley gutter sections was less than anticipated, resulting in a cost reduction of $42,936.96.
Install Survey Monuments: The contractor successfully preserved monuments that were initially expected to be disturbed, leading to a cost reduction of $18,700.
Traffic Signal Detector Loops: Additional detector loops were required, resulting in an added cost of $11,200.
Type A Detector Handholes: Additional Type A detector handholes were discovered during construction, resulting in an overage of $3,000.
Change Orders: Change orders were issued for an official Caltrans-described partnering process at the request of Argonaut Constructors, Inc., additional plug paving, extra work due to deficiencies in base, night work to mitigate accessibility issues resulting in a total of $137,719.27 in additional costs.
Total Adjustments: $2,537,773.16
Original Contingency: $1,044,282.97
Additional Contingency Needed: $1,493,490.19
Increasing the authorized contingency amount by $2,000,000 will cover the additional current need and provide further contingency funds to allow the project to promptly address unforeseen conditions that may arise during the remainder of the project. The additional contingency will increase the total contract amount to $22,031,245.97. Any unused contingency funds would be used on other pavement maintenance projects. If approved, this modification would increase the overall contract contingency from 5.5 percent to 16.0 percent.
FISCAL IMPACT
No additional funding is being requested from the General Fund. Funds for this project were previously appropriated in Fiscal Year 2023/24 Capital Improvement Program budget. The additional contingency will be funded through existing Transportation and Public Works Department (TPW) funds that come from the TPW contingency account and other, smaller accounts with insufficient funding and no project delivery plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(c) because it involves the repair and replacement of existing City streets and related facilities. The project is also categorically excluded from the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) pursuant to 40 C.F.R. § 1501.4 and 24 C.F.R. § 58.35(a).
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not applicable.
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Location Map
Attachment 2 – Summary of Bids
Attachment 3 – Notice to Proceed
PRESENTER
Dan Hennessey, Director of Transportation and Public Works Gregory Mariscal, Supervising Engineer
COFFEY PARK AND FOUNTAINGROVE NEIGHBORHOOD ROADS DISASTER RECOVERY CONTINGENCY ACTION PAGE 3 OF 3