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CC - CONSENT ITEM: (1) Approval of a Purchase Order with California Hot Water Supply in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $60,000 to Replace a Non-Functioning Pool Heater at the City’s Municipal Plunge; and (2) Waiver of Competitive Bidding Requirements for the Procurement of the Pool Heater Per Culver City Municipal Code Section 3.07.075.F.3.
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Meeting Date: December 1, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Ted Stevens/ Parks, Recreation, and Community Services
Phone Number: (310) 253-6682
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [ ] General Fund: Yes [ ] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [] No [X]
Public Notification: E-Mail: Meetings and Agendas - City Council (11/25/2025)
Department Approval: Yanni Demitri, Public Works Director/City Engineer (11/25/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) approve a purchase order with California Hot Water Supply to replace a non-functioning water heater at the Municipal Plunge in an amount not-to-exceed $60,000; and (2) waive competitive bidding requirements for the procurement of the pool heater per Culver City Municipal Code Section 3.07.075.F.3.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The pool water at the Municipal Plunge is pre-heated by several thermal solar panels placed atop the locker room roof before travelling through two natural gas fired water heaters to bring its temperature to an optimal level.
One of the two water heaters is more than 20 years old (their useful life is 20-25 years) and is currently not operable, causing undue strain on the remaining water heater to do double duty in its attempt to increase the temperature of the water on its own. Staff anticipates that if the inoperable water heater isn’t replaced right away, the temperature of the pool water may be reduced to a level that patrons will find uncomfortable, and the working water heater’s useful life will be reduced due to overuse.1
Staff is aware that one of the conceptual plans for Veterans Memorial Park’s future is to demolish the existing pool and relocate it from the Overland Avenue side of the park to the Culver Boulevard side. If this were to occur, both existing water heaters will be relocated to the new location and as such, purchase of this replacement equipment is practical.
Staff obtained the following price quotes from qualified pool firms for the new water heater with the following results:
• California Hot Water Supply $56,479.37
• Howard Industries $58,706.44
• Sea-Clear Pools $66,149.99
Staff recommends that Council approve a purchase order with California Hot Water Supply which had the lowest cost at $56,476.37. Staff also recommends a contingency amount of $3,520.63 to bring the total not-to-exceed cost to $60,000. Staff has had prior favorable experience with California Hot Water Supply and recommends the City Council approve a purchase order with them to provide a new water heater. If approved, staff anticipates the new water heater will be delivered and installed by City staff within two months.
The proposed water heater purchase is above the City Manager’s purchasing authority and per Culver City Municipal Code Section (CCMC) 3.07.075 is subject to formal bidding procedures requiring the solicitation of sealed written competitive bids. Per CCMC Section 3.07.075.F.3. the City Council may waive, by majority vote, formal bidding requirements for such purchases when bid procedures would be contrary to the best interests of the City or impractical. Given the immediate need for operable pool heaters to maintain pool operations during the winter and the time associated with preparing and conducting a formal bid process, staff recommends the City Council waive the formal bid procedures and approve the purchase order based on the price quotes received.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 includes sufficient funding in the amount of $60,000 in Account No. 4208000.730100 CIP No. PZ132 (Building Repairs which can be found in the Capital Improvements section of the budget book on page 592. .
ATTACHMENTS
None.
recommended action
MOTIONS
That the City Council:
1. Approve a purchase order with California Hot Water Supply in an amount not-to-exceed $60,000 to provide a new water heater for the Municipal Plunge; and
2. Waive competitive bidding requirements for the pool heater procurement per CCMC Section 3.07.075.F.3.; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.
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1 Building Decarbonization: Where feasible, the Public Works Department prides itself in replacing natural gas fired equipment with electric at the end of their useful life as a means to reduce the City’s GHG emissions. Thus far, this has worked out very well when replacing Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning package units that now use electricity instead of natural gas to heat space at the same cost and they operate more efficiently. Unfortunately, the current state of technology for electric water heating would require four heat-pump units to achieve the same result as one natural gas water heater. Elite Pools provided staff a proposal to install the four electric units at a price of $475,800. As a result, where natural gas pipelines are not available nationwide, commercial customers often use propane instead of electricity to heat their water. In addition, staff would have to expand the existing exterior gated area used to house the heaters to accommodate their larger footprint and install a new electrical panel to meet the 480-amp power requirements they require at an additional cost of $10,000. SCE reports that the additional power required by these four units would need to be studied however, they anticipate that it is likely that their existing transformer and/or switching gear would need to be upgraded to handle the additional power load they require and the lead time to design, purchase and install the replacement equipment would take approximately one year to complete. If the Municipal Plunge is relocated to the other side of the park as proposed in the conceptual plan, staff will work with the architect to design its power needs to accommodate an all-electric facility.