City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council approve a professional services agreement with
Lawrence R. Moss & Associates, Inc. for planning, public outreach and design
services for the Ballona Creek Bikeway Project (P-900) adjacent to Overland
Avenue.
BACKGROUND:
California voters approved the Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and
Beaches Protection Act of 2002 (Proposition 50) on November 5, 2002. Proposition
50 authorized the State Legislature to appropriate $100 million for the acquisition,
restoration, protection and development of river parkways. These funds may be
used for river parkway projects that relate to at least two of the following areas;
recreation; habitat; flood management; conversion to river parkways; and,
conservation and interpretive enhancements. The Santa Monica Mountains
Conservancy (SMMC) is authorized to award grants to governmental agencies for
river parkway project that meet the requirements of Proposition 50.
In 2003/2004 the City implemented the Ballona Creek Pedestrian Bridge
Replacement project. As part of the original project design concept, the areas
adjacent to the entrances to the bridge were proposed to be improved with
enhanced hardscape and landscape treatments. As a result of the higher then
anticipated cost of the project, the scope of the design was reduced and the
Meeting Date: 07/09/07 Item Number: A-3
AGENDA ITEM: Approval of a Professional Services Agreement with Lawrence
R. Moss & Associates, Inc. for Planning, Public Outreach and Design Services for
the Ballona Creek Bikeway Project (P-900) Adjacent to Overland Avenue.
Contact Person/Dept.: John Rivera,
Senior Management Analyst
Phone Number:
(310) 253-5616
Fiscal Impact: Yes [x] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification:
Lawrence R. Moss & Associates, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Los Angeles
County Department of Public Works, County of Los Angeles Public Library, Culver City
Unified School District, Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, Santa
Monica Bay Restoration Commission and Ballona Creek Renaissance by letter dated
June 29, 2007. Homeowners adjacent to Ballona Creek (07/03/07) and Master
Notification List on July 3, 2007.
Department Approval:
Charles D. Herbertson (06/28/07)
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (by H. Iker) (07/02/07)
City Controller Approval:
Marlee Chang (07/03/07)
City Manager Approval:
Jerry B. Fulwood (07/03/07) City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
improvements at the northern end of the bridge, along the Ballona Creek Bike Path
were eliminated.
On December 29, 2006, Staff submitted a Proposition 50 grant application to the
SMMC for the purpose of implementing and enhancing the improvements along the
bike path which had been eliminated from the Pedestrian Bridge project.
Specifically, the grant requested $60,000 for planning and design services through
construction documents, including required environmental documents for the
proposed construction project and a safety/security study to be performed under the
direction of the Culver City Police Department. On January 22, 2007, the Santa
Monica Mountains Conservancy adopted Resolution No. 07-03, authorizing the grant
for the project planning and design of the Ballona Creek Overland Project (Named
locally as the Ballona Creek Bikeway Project).
On May 15, 2007, Public Works mailed out a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking
the services of a qualified planning and design firm(s) to conduct public outreach
workshops, prepare conceptual plans, grant application exhibits and construction
plans and specifications for the proposed Ballona Creek Bikeway Project (Project),
located between Overland Avenue and the pedestrian bridge west of Overland
Avenue. The goal is to have the planning and design activities completed in time to
submit the project for construction funding for the next Rivers and Parkways grant
cycle in October 2007. The Project is located adjacent to or near the Julian Dixon
County Library, Culver City High School, Culver City Middle School, Farragut
Elementary School, and LA Goal adult learning. The Project is intended to transform
this segment of the creek and bike path by enhancing the beauty of the creek, and
providing a peaceful and beautiful way station for travelers along this segment of the
bike path as well as amenities for library patrons, school students and nearby
residents. The proposed construction project would have the following features:
• Removal of concrete embankment and replacement with a retaining wall and
terraced landscaping with native, drought tolerant plants and irrigation along the
upslope side of the bike path (between the bike path and the school properties
and library)
• Enhanced fencing between the bike path and the school property and between
the bike path and creek
• Enhanced entry gate at the service roadway entrance to the creek located off of
Overland Avenue and adjacent to the Julian Dixon county library.
• A rest area with benches, water fountain and trash receptacles
• Installing lighting along this portion of the bike path.
• Installing educational displays regarding this section of Ballona Creek including
information on storm water pollution prevention utilizing the nearby CDS unit.
• Provide for five years of maintenance. City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
The design process will include at least two community meetings to obtain public
input on the project design and safety/security study and comply with the City’s
Open Space Zone requirements. It is anticipated that the Project will be exempt
from the Comprehensive Plan requirements.
DISCUSSION:
As stated above, Public Works staff prepared and sent out an RFP for planning and
design services on May 15, 2007. Attached for your information is the May 15, 2007
RFP which includes a detailed description of the Project (Attachment No. 1). The
RFP was sent to nineteen design firms. The following nine firms submitted
proposals, which included their cost for the requested services
The Proposals were evaluated by staff from the Public Works, Parks, Recreation
and Community Services (PRCS) and Community Development Departments,
including the Public Works Director/City Engineer, PRCS Director, Senior Planner,
PWD Senior Management Analyst and PWD Associate Analyst. The evaluation was
based on criteria established in the RFP, and five firms were interviewed.
Based on the review of the proposals and interviews, Staff unanimously
recommends that Lawrence R. Moss & Associates, Inc. (LRM) be selected. While
all nine firms submitting proposals are capable of successfully completing the
Project, this selection is based on LRM’s ability to provide all the requirements of the
RFP, their expertise in the design and construction of a variety of projects and
facilities, the understanding of the project that they demonstrated during their
Company Proposal
Lawrence R. Moss & Associates $ 58,850*
ah'bé Landscape Architects $107,500
Mia Lehrer & Associates $133,408*
RJM Design Group, Inc. $182,100
BlueGreen $196,255
Terrain LA $267,170
David Evans and Associates $322,153
SWA $342,470
CBM Consulting, Inc. $417,844
*Proposal included a caveat for “reimbursables” that were not included in the
proposal costs These reimbursables varied but would generally include charges for
any additional meeting attendance, plan check/permitting fees, additional consultant
(seismic, structural, mechanical/plumbing, etc.) costs, printing, plotting,
reprographics, copying, photograph, deliveries and/or other incidentals. Cost
estimates for reimbursables are not included in the above fees and would be billed
at actual cost. City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
interview, the fact that they are based in a nearby community (Glendale), and their
ability to economically accomplish the Project. Public Works staff contacted the
references provided by LRM and received strong positive recommendations from the
individuals we contacted. A copy of LRM’s revised proposal has been included as
Attachment No. 2 to this report.
The proposals that were received ranged greatly in proposed costs. Based on our
review of the proposals, we believe that the consultants generally approached the
project at a broader scale than the scope of the actual Project. The majority of the
consultants envision broad outreach efforts and more extensive design and
construction programs. Based on these proposals, we internally re-evaluated the
project to check our original assumptions. Based on our re-evaluation we believe
that the scale of the Project is still within our original assumptions and that the
Project can be accomplished within the original budget. In order to avoid this in the
future, the Public Works Department plans to require a pre-proposal meeting for
future design projects where appropriate
Project Timeline:
Planning, public outreach and conceptual design preparation is anticipated to take
about two months to complete. It is planned that the City Council’s review of the
conceptual plans and request to authorize submittal of a Rivers & Parkways Grant
application will occur on September 24, 2007. Once the Council has approved the
conceptual plans and the grant application has been submitted, work will begin on
the construction drawings. At this time, it is not known when determination on the
grant applications will be made, so contractor bidding and construction are being
programmed to be ready to begin construction thirty (30) day after the end of the
2007/2008 Los Angeles County Rainy Season. The following table includes the
currently anticipated timeline for the project:
Task Time Frame
Award design contract July 9, 2007
Project study and conceptual design July – September 2007
Council Authorize Rivers & Parkways
Grant proposal submission
September 24, 2007
Rivers & Parkways Grant proposal
submission and begin preparing final
plans/specifications
October 2007
Council approve plans/specifications
and authorize release of request for
bids
March 2008
Award construction contract April 2008
Begin construction May 15, 2008 City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
The grant approved Project budget is:
Planning, Design and Preparation of Project Plans & Specifications: $ 50,000
Safety and Security Study $10,000
--------------------
Total Budget $60,000
Staff support from the following City departments will be needed to implement the
project: Public Works, Police, Fire, Community Development and Parks, Recreation
& Community Services.
The City has allocated funds in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget as
the Ballona Creek Bikeway Project P-900, Accounts No. 42300900. The total
project allocation is $60,000.
The grant requires that all planning and design activities be complete and
reimbursement paperwork finalized no later than June 30, 2008.
The LRM proposal for Design Development ($23,400), Construction Documents
($20,650), Electrical Subconsultant ($4,800) and Construction Observation
($10,000) is $58,850. The LRM proposal includes a line item for Construction
Observation ($10,000), which with LRM’s concurrence is not recommended to be
included in the proposed agreement, which will lower the cost to $48,850. Staff
proposes to include the construction observation activities in the Rivers and Parkway
Grant application for the construction of the Project.
The Project includes the planning and design of the Project and the preparation of a
safety and security study. The safety and security study will be accomplished as part
of the overall project planning and design in order to eliminate any exiting and/or
future areas of concealment or “blind-spots” and to plan for lighting and other
devices for safety purposes. The safety and security study will be preformed under
the oversight of the Police Department. The Police Department’s cost will be
reimbursed through the grant program.
The total grant amount is $60,000. As previously stated the revised proposed LRM
cost is $48,850. Staff has included a recommended motion that if adopted would
authorize the Public Works Director/City Engineer to approve increases in the
services agreement up to $11,150, minus any Police Department reimbursement
costs, for any additional services not covered in the RFP and/or approved City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
reimbursables. The $11,150 is equal to the difference between the $60,000
approved Grant and $48,850 LRM revised proposal.
As stated in the background section of this report, the first phase is to have the
planning and design activities completed in time, and the 2
nd
phase is to submit the
project for construction funding for the next Rivers and Parkways grant cycle in
October 2007. The construction grant application will include the maintenance and
operational costs for the first five (5) years of the Project. The Project will be
designed to incorporate native drought tolerant plant materials and construction
material with increased durability in order to reduce maintenance and operation
costs.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. May 15, 2007, Request for Proposal for Planning and Design Services
2. June 27, 2007, Lawrence R. Moss & Associates, Inc. Proposal
MOTIONS:
That the City Council:
1. Approve a professional services agreement with Lawrence R. Moss &
Associates, Inc. to provide Planning and Design Services (excluding
Construction Observation tasks) for the Ballona Creek Bikeway Project for a not-
to-exceed cost of $48,850 funding from Accounts No. 42300900;
2. Authorize the Public Works Director/City Engineer at his discretion to increase
the Planning and Design Services agreement for additional services not covered
under the Request for Proposal and approved reimbursable costs; and, in
consultation with the Police Chief, for reimbursement of Culver City Police
Department cost associated with the safety and security study component of the
Ballona Creek Bikeway Project, by an amount not to exceed $11,150, if
necessary; and,
3. Authorize the City Attorney to prepare the necessary documents, and authorize
the City Manager to execute the documents on behalf of the City.