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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-07-08 - AGENDA REPORTS - TMF CONST BID PLANS (2)Agenda Item: CITY OF SANTA CLARITA AGENDA REPORT UNFINISHED BUSINESS City Manager Approval: Item to be presented by: Christopher Price DATE: July 8, 2003 SUBJECT: TRANSIT MAINTENANCE FACILITY, PROJECT NO. F0003 — APPROVE PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS AND AUTHORIZE TO ADVERTISE FOR CONSTRUCTION BID DEPARTMENT: Transportation and Engineering Services RECOMMENDED ACTION City Council receive a presentation from Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, Inc.; approve the construction plans and specifications; make the necessary findings that the use of the design -build process for the compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station will reduce project costs, expedite completion, and/or provide design features not achievable through the design -bid -build method; and authorize advertising for bids for the Santa Clarita Transit Maintenance Facility, Project No. F0003. BACKGROUND The proposed Transit Maintenance Facility (TMF) project includes property acquisition, design, and construction of a permanent facility to accommodate the operation, maintenance, and administrative functions of the City's transit system. Key components of this facility include an administrative office building, a bus maintenance building, an automated bus wash, diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations, and fleet and staff parking. Upon acquisition of the Rye Canyon Business Park site in October 2001, staff initiated the design phase of the project. The City subsequently entered into a contract with the consulting team of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, Inc. on May 14, 2002, for the architectural and engineering design of the facility. The consultant's scope of work included the schematic design development for the ultimate facility, and preparation of final plans, specifications, and estimates for the construction of the initial phase of the project. The design of the facility (except for the CNG fueling station) has been completed, plans have been routed through plan check, and the City is ready to advertise and bid the construction of the Santa Clarita Transit Maintenance Facility upon City Council approval. One unique approach to this project is that this facility is designed to be a high-quality project that is environmentally sensitive, by using state-of-the-art energy efficiency and sustainable building methods. It is the City's intent to, at a minimum, attain a "Certified" project status as defined in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). When complete, this project will likely be the first LEED Certified project in the City and will be a demonstration of the City's commitment to greener development and responsible public policy. The project is now LEED registered and listed on the USGBC web site, including LEED-related project information. As part of the sustainable design effort for this project, listed below are some of the features incorporated into the design of this facility: • Straw bale insulated exterior walls to optimize the insulation of the administration building. • Under -floor HVAC system through a raised -floor plenum to optimize energy performance in the administration building. • Day -lighting for both the administration and maintenance buildings, via clerestory glazing and skylights. • Installing building materials high in recycled content, e.g., carpeting, timber, concrete, steel, and tile. • Water efficient landscaping. • Stormceptor for storm water management. Another unique operational component of this project, is the compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station. Given that CNG will be a new fuel technology for Santa Clarita Transit fleet operations and maintenance, staff researched and conducted a thorough evaluation of this technology, including hiring an alternative fuel consultant to prepare an "Alternative Fuel Selection Report." Based on experiences of other transit agencies and having visited similar facilities, staffs analysis finds that the design -build process would be the most advantageous approach for the design and construction of the CNG fueling station. Compared to the conventional design -bid -build process, the design -build process would help expedite the station's completion, reduce its costs, provide design features not achievable through the conventional method, and most importantly be in the best interest of the City as a transit operator by minimizing any future operational and maintenance risks of this new highly sophisticated technology. In this preferred design -build methodology, the City will contract the design, construction, and delivery of an operational CNG fueling station separate from the construction contract of the Transit Maintenance Facility. The turnkey contractor of the CNG fueling station will also be responsible for its operation and maintenance for a defined period of time. The contractor will be selected competitively based on "performance type" specifications which describe the City's objectives and requirements. Contractors will submit proposed designs with their competitive proposals, and the City will be selecting between competing design approaches and pricing. Although design -build contracts are usually available to general law cities, because Santa Clarita is a transit operator, it may utilize an exception by the legislature in furthering transit needs in the state. Before entering into a design -build contract, the City, as a transit operator, must make written findings that the design -build process will accomplish one of the following objectives: 1. Reduce project costs; 2. Expedite the project's completion; and/or 3. Provide design features not achievable through the design -bid -build method. Staff is confident that utilizing the design -build method for the design and construction of the CNG station will deliver the best value to the City. Furthermore, based on its extensive experience with similar type projects, the Federal Transit Administration finds the design -build method highly effective and encourages its utilization for transit construction projects. Based on growth projections of the City's transit system over the next 20 years, this facility will address both the current facility inefficiencies and future service expansion. The City's existing transit facility, built in 1969, is located in the Valencia Industrial Park and was not designed for bus maintenance. The facility currently services a fleet of 80 vehicles, but is adequate for only 25 to 30 vehicles. The facility has no on-site fueling capacity, automated bus wash, or adequate parking for the City's transit fleet. The fleet is currently parked at three off-site locations, with the farthest site six miles away. The existing facility has been identified in three separate external audits as severely deficient in all respects. These inefficiencies increase operating costs by an estimated $1 million annually. Due to funding limitations, the construction of the facility will be phased. Phase I of the proposed TMF project consists of the design and construction of a portion of the facility to meet the existing needs and short-term expansion of the Santa Clarita Transit system for the next five to ten years. Phase I would address all deficiencies and would provide a compressed natural gas (CNG) station to meet new regulations. At ultimate build -out, the TMF would accommodate 150 buses, providing approximately 45,000 square feet for fleet maintenance and 26,000 square feet for operations and administrative functions. ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS Other action as determined by the City Council. FISCAL IMPACT The proposed Transit Maintenance Facility (TMF) is a federally funded transit project, with 80 percent of the total project cost funded by Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants and 20 percent of the project cost to be funded by local match contributions. Based on the project funds approved by the City Council for the Fiscal Year 2003-2004 budget, Phase I of this project is now fully funded. ATTACHMENTS None