Item Number: 2
City Council / Board of Directors
Public Hearing
Meeting of: March 5, 2024
Submitted By:
Joe Slegers, Building Official
Subject:
Award of Construction Contract to Monet Construction, Inc. and Notice of Exemption for the New Library Renovation and Expansion, Project JM24-051 Recommendation:
That the Honorable City Council:
1) Conduct the Public Hearing and receive testimony regarding the proposed project and contract;
2) Close the Public Hearing;
3) Find the proposed project categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) under CEQA Guidelines Section 15332 – In-Fill Development Projects;
4) Approve a Construction Agreement in the amount not to exceed $8,621,000.00 to Monet Construction, Inc. for the City Library Renovation and Expansion, Project JM24- 051; and
5) Authorize the City Manager or his designee to execute change orders in an amount not to exceed $862,100.00 in total, representing a 10% project contingency.
Fiscal Impact:
Acting in accordance with the staff recommendation will result in a fiscal impact of $9,483,100.00, as summarized below.
Description Amount
Construction Agreement Total $8,621,000.00
Maximum Contingency (10%) $862,100.00
Fiscal Impact $9,483,100.00
The Building Forward Library Infrastructure Program Grant, provided by the California State Library, will only fund construction costs related to the base building and expansion of the clubhouse specifically designated for library space. Therefore, the services 3 5
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provided by Monet Construction, Inc. will be funded by a combination of the Building Forward Grant Account (Fund 270) Accounts 2706030-55070-21379 and 2706030- 52110-21379, and Measure P (Fund 105) Account 1056030-52300-80075. Below is a summary of the available budget, construction agreement compensation, and remaining budget funds.
Account Available Funds
2706030-55070-21379 - State Grant Account $4,752,734.00 2706030-52110-21379 - State Grant Account $3,732,051.90 1056030-55060-80075 - Measure P Account $2,759,507.00
Total $11,247,474.00
Description Amount
Available Funds $11,244,292.90
Construction Agreement Compensation $8,621,000.00
Maximum Contingency (10%) $862,100.00
Remaining Budgeted Funds $1,761,192.90
Strategic Plan Goal:
The City of Victorville Strategic Plan 2023-2026 identifies multi-year strategic goals and various strategies to work toward achieving those goals. The New Library Renovation and Expansion Project assists in achieving Goal E, Invest in Infrastructure, create a healthy and livable community by maintaining the City’s assets through investment in infrastructure and innovations. Strategy 2 calls for implementation of the Library Master Plan to complete the relocation and expansion of the library to improve and enhance library services in the community.
Background:
Through the Master Plan process, it was determined that the current library facility has inadequate space to serve the City’s current population. The current library facility has a footprint of 8,229 square feet. The City needs approximately 14,990 square feet to serve the current population.
In May 2021, space became available at the Green Tree Golf Course Clubhouse (Clubhouse), prompting staff to investigate the potential for the Library’s relocation. The Clubhouse location was consistent with certain Master Plan recommendations in that it is centrally located, has natural lighting desired for library facilities, and has an improved outdoor area for programming and use by library patrons. Due to a more recent construction date, the Clubhouse site also provides a higher level of code compliance, including enhanced levels of ADA accessibility for visiting patrons. Because of these findings, staff elected to proceed and seek the services of an architectural design firm to redesign the Clubhouse into the City Library.
On March 15, 2022, Council unanimously awarded TR Design Group a contract to conceptualize the Clubhouse as a space that would accommodate both library services and golf operations. With funding for the design and construction supported solely by 3 5
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Measure P, the scope of this project would only include the reconfiguration of the existing building footprint and would yield approximately 12,750 square foot of library space.
On November 4, 2022, staff was notified that the California State Library selected the Victorville City Library to receive $9,035,105.00 in Building Forward Grant funds. At the January 17, 2023, regular meeting, Council adopted Resolution No. 23-001, approving a budget amendment for Fiscal Year 2022/2023 to appropriate $9,035,105.00 in both revenue and expenditures related to the Building Forward Library Infrastructure Program Grant as awarded by the California State Library.
By receiving the State Grant, staff was able to revisit the Master Plan recommendations and explore an expansion of the Clubhouse to meet the space needed for the current population. On February 7, 2023, Council unanimously approved to increase the scope of services with TR Design Group to include a 5,094 square foot expansion of the Clubhouse facility, achieving and exceeding the Master Plan goal of producing a total of 17,844 square feet of Library space, which exceeds the current need by 2,854 square feet.
On June 20, 2023, staff presented Council with a conceptual design of the new Library design including a 5,094 square foot, Children’s Library expansion (Attachment A).
Council unanimously approved the conceptual design and granted staff and TR Design Group authorization to continue with generating the construction drawings. Staff has subsequently applied for the required Site Plan approval with an Environmental Exemption through the Planning Department, which was ultimately approved by the Planning Commission on November 3, 2023. A CEQA Notice of Exemption was provided through that process and has been recorded with San Bernardino County on December 4, 2023.
Discussion:
In December 2023, TR Design Group completed the construction drawings, materials specifications, and supporting documents for the new Library. After staff review and approval, a Notice Inviting Bids (NIB) was advertised. On December 13, 2023, staff posted the NIB on the City’s website, in the San Bernardino Sun, and in the Victorville Daily Press. A mandatory job walk was conducted on January 3, 2024, with bids due on February 1, 2024. The following is a summary of bids received.
Contractor Location Bid
Monet Construction, Inc. Tujunga, CA $8,621,000.00
Kemcorp Construction, Inc. Ontario, CA $8,950,000.00
Saifco Construction Company Westlake Village, CA $8,950,000.00 RC Construction Services Redlands, CA $9,464,000.00
ACC Construction, Inc. Cypress, CA $10,000,000.00
Aztec Telecom Corona, CA $10,622,166.07
After review and tabulation of the bid proposals, it was determined that Monet 3 5
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Construction, Inc. is the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. Staff recommends that the City Council award a Construction Agreement (Attachment B) to Monet Construction, Inc. for the New Library Renovation and Expansion, Project JM24-051 in the amount not to exceed $8,621,000.00.
With a project of this size and due to the nature of the existing construction, minor modifications and scope additions are inevitable. The scope of this project includes the removal of finished surfaces and the exploration of the conditions within existing assemblies. The roof is currently known to have leaks and the infiltration of water may have caused damage that will not be apparent until the roof and ceiling assemblies are removed during the demolition stages. In addition, the expansion of the building requires excavation at depths of up to fifteen feet. Staff anticipates possible uncovering of water, sewer, or other utility lines that may need to be rerouted around the new building footprint. Staff anticipates encountering these and other items that could possibly add to the original scope of work in order to accomplish construction per plans. These situations, and situations similar in nature, typically constitute change orders. The timely execution of change orders is imperative to a project’s schedule, which will require completion by March of 2026 to comply with the deadlines within the grant award, and overall cost.
Municipal Code 2.28.180 (b) states, “the city manager shall have the authority to execute change orders; provided however, that if a single contract change order (or the cumulative amount of change orders on a given public project) exceeds fifteen percent of the total contract price or two hundred thousand dollars (whichever amount is less), the city manager shall obtain city council approval prior to executing the change order.” Due to the anticipated unforeseen situations mentioned above and to streamline the change order approval process, staff requests that the City Council proactively authorize the City Manager or his designee to execute change orders in an amount not to exceed $862,100.00 in total, representing a 10% contingency, as needed for project management. This 10% contingency is in line with the grant application and other documentation which has been provided to the California State Librarian for approval of the grant funding. Any change orders above the 10% contingency would be presented to the City Council for approval. Final project cost inclusive of change orders will be reported back to the City Council later as part of the Notice of Completion.
Pursuant to Section 15332 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) entitled “In-Fill Development Projects”, new construction of a building on a site less than five acres in size can be found Categorically Exempt from CEQA if the project meets certain benchmarks. In accordance with the noted CEQA Section 15332, staff finds that the subject proposal meets said benchmarks and is Categorically Exempt from CEQA because:
•The project site is less than five acres in size and substantially surrounded by urban development;
•The proposal is consistent with the underlying General Plan and zoning regulations;
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•The site has no value as habitat for rare, endangered, threatened, or special status species as it is currently paved and fully improved;
•The development can be served by all required utilities and public services; and •Approval of the project will not result in any significant effects to traffic, noise, air or water or quality.
Staff is available for questions.
Attachments: A. Conceptual Library Design
B. Construction Agreement