HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-12-15 City Council (26)21
City of Palo Alto
City Manager’s Report
HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
AGENDA DATE:
CITY MANAGER
DECEMBER 15, 1997
DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC WORKS
CMR:491:97
SUBJECT:REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF CONSULTANT CONTRACT
AMENDMENT FOR DESIGN OF TEMPORARY SEISMIC
BRACING FOR THE MUNICIPAL SERVICE CENTER
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that Council:
Direct staff to develop a Capital Improvement Project to construct temporary
seismic bracing at the Municipal Service Center (MSC) Buildings A, B, and C at
an estimated cost of $1 million and return to Council with a recommendation for an
award of contract and Budget Amendment Ordinance to construct those
improvements.
Approve an amendment (Attachment D) to an existing short-form agreement with
Dames & Moore for consultant services in the amount of $50,000. The amendment
will provide for the preparation of filial construction documents for temporary
seismic bracing of MSC Buildings A, B and C, and for construction administration
services.
Direct staff to review and develop a plan to address the long term issues associated
with the future utilization of the MSC buildings, including permanent seismic
retrofitting and related issues.
BACKGROUND
In 1986, City Council passed Ordinance No. 3666 establishing requirements for a seismic
hazard identification program. The three categories of buildings included, under this
Ordinance are: unreinforced masonry buildings; all pre-1935 buildings other than
unreinforced masonry that have 100 or more occupants; and all buildings, with 300
occupants or more constructed between January 1, 1935 and August 1976. MSC Buildings
CMR: 491:97 Page 1 of 5
A, B and C did not fall into any of the categories for which reporting was required, so no
further steps were taken relative to the identification of seismic hazards.
In 1997, Dames & Moore was hired to prepare a seismic study of Buildings A, B and C
as part of Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Project 18508 (Public Buildings Structural
Improvements), (refer to CMR 197:97). The study was undertaken because concrete tilt-
up buildings like those at the MSC suffered extensive damage in every significant
earthquake since 1971. These types of buildings have been shown to be more susceptible
to extensive damage and collapse than buildings constructed with other techniques.
DISCUSSION
Seismic Study
MSC Buildings A, B and C (refer to site map, Attachment A) were constructed in 1965
and were designed to meet the standards of the 1961 Uniform Building Code (UBC). The
Seismic Upgrade Study by Dames & Moore (July 28, 1997) identified Buildings A, B, and
C as needing significant work in order to meet current seismic codes. Facilities
constructed under the current UBC require twice the level of seismic loading as exists in
the MSC buildings. The buildings pose a potential life-safety hazard because they are
prone to a significant degree of failure and collapse when subjected to a significant seismic
event.
According to the Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities (of the United
States Geological Survey), there is a 5 percent chance of a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on
the San Francisco Peninsula segment of the San Andreas Fault in the next five years.
There is a similar probability of a similar seismic event on the Hayward fault in the same
time frame. Since these faults are relatively independent of each other, the probability of
a significant seismic event affecting the MSC is approximately 10 percent in the next five
years.
It is clear that the occurrence of a magnitude 7.0 or greater event on either fault would
have the potential to cause significant damage to the MSC buildings A, B, and C.
Interim Measures - Results of Temporary Seismic Bracing Study
Based on the information in the July 1997 Seismic Upgrade Study, Public Works
immediately proceeded with an additional investigation of the feasibility and cost of
temporary bracing to lower the risk of collapse until further studies on seismic retrofit and
space utilization options can be made. Shoring the building will reduce the risk of
collapse, but cannot be considered a long-term substitute for a seismic upgrade of all three
buildings. The temporary bracing will not allow for continued functional use of the
buildings after a major seismic event.
CMR: 491:97 Page 2 of 5
A report on the feasibility, preliminary design and cost of temporary bracing was
completed by Dames & Moore on October 17, 1997. The temporary bracing report
recommends temporary bracing that would consist of large steel buttresses located around
the perimeter of each of the three buildings, as shown on attachments B & C. The
estimated cost to brace Buildings A, B and C is approximately $950,000, which includes
final design, construction administration services, contingency, testing, inspection, and
other related tasks. Some vehicle parking spaces will be eliminated by the bracing and
equipment and materials currently stored at proposed temporary bracing locations outside
the building would need to be moved. No employees would need to be relocated during
the construction.
Next Steps
In order to permanently retrofit the buildings to meet current seismic standards, the
Seismic Upgrade Study recommends making the roof structural system continuous, adding
concrete shear walls and adding a new, stiffer steel skeleton inside the shell of the
buildings. A preliminary cost analysis indicates that the cost of permanently retrofitting
the three existing buildings may be comparable to constructing new replacement buildings.
Given the number and complexity of the issues involved in a seismic retrofit of this scale,
it is recommended that staff first identify the issues that should be considered and return
to Council with a plan for study of the future utilization of the MSC buildingsl
Issues to be considered in the long range study of the future of the MSC buildings will
include but not be limited to the nature and cost of permanent seismic retrofitting,
associated improvements for ADA requirements, upcoming building maintenance
(Infrastructure Management Program) needs, FEMA floodplain requirements related to the
buildings’ location and ground floor elevations, and the overall cost-effectiveness of
.meeting these multiple requirements by means of retrofitting the existing buildings as
opposed to constructing new ones. Additionally, given the scope and magnitude of the
issues, a review of future programmatic needs and space requirements for the users and
operations at the MSC should be included in the discussion of future options.
Given these issues, staff intends to propose a new CIP project for FY 1998/99 to initiate
a study of the future of MSC buildings A, B, and C. The study itself will take one to two
years to complete, and any recommended improvements would take an additional two to
three years to complete. Thus, the temporary seismic bracing recommended in this report
will have a life expectancy of at least three to five years. Staff believes that duration is
significant enough to justify the expenditure of funds for the bracing in the meanwhile.
Staff Approval
The bracing recommended by this report will require review and approval consistent with
the requirements of the ARB ordinance. That review will be conducted as a staff level
CMR: 491:97 Page 3 of 5
process because the work is temporary in nature and will be removed when permanent
seismic improvements are constructed in the future.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
This report does not represent changes to existing City policy. The recommendations are
consistent with existing policy direction regarding the seismic retrofitting of existing City
buildings.
TIMELINE
If Council approves the recommended actions, final design of the temporary bracing could
be completed in one to two months. Construction of the temporary bracing could begin
shortly afterwards and would take up to six additional months to complete (including
bidding time). If Council directs staff to proceed, the project could be completed during
Summer 1998.
RESOURCE IMPACT
The fee for services that would be covered under the amendment is estimated to be
$50,000. Public Buildings Structural Improvements, CIP 18508, has sufficient funds for
this work. When a CIP is established and a Budget Amendment Ordinance (BAO) is
adopted for the construction portion of the project, the design fees would be reimbursed
to CIP 18508.
The estimated cost of the bracing construction is $950,000, which would be funded
through a combination of General Fund and Enterprise Fund reserves based on the
proportional use of the facilities which is roughly 50/50. Staff will return to Council with
a BAO after the bids for the work are received. That action will contain a precise
calculation of the shares between the Enterprise and General Funds.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
The temporary bracing is categorically exempt under the California Environmental Quality
Act.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A:
Attachment B:
Attachment C:
Attachment D:
Site map
Temporary seismic bracing mock-up, Building A
Temporary seismic bracing mock-up, Building C
Consultant contract amendment
PREPARED BY: Karen Bengard, Senior Engineer, Public Works
CMR: 491:97 Page 4 of 5
CMR: 491:97 Page 5 of 5
ATTACHMENT A
ATTACHMENT B
Temporary braces at west elevation of Building A, Type B1-A. Note that
right side of stairway will be blocked temporarily due to braces.
ATTACHMENT D
AMENDMENT NO. ONE TO CONTRACT NO. C7094743
BETWEEN THE CITY OF PALO ALTO ALTO
DAMES & MOORE
This Amendment No.One to Contract No. C7094743
("Contract") is entered into by and between the
CITY OF PALO ALTO, a chartered city and a municipal corporation of
the State of California ("CITY"), and DAMES & MOORE, a Delaware
corporation, located at 221 Main Street, Suite 600, San Francisco,
CA 94105-1917 ("CONSULTANT"). ,
RECITALS-
WHEREAS, the Contract was entered into between the
parties for the provision of shoring and construction design
services.
WHEREAS, the parties wish to amend the Contract;’
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the covenants, terms,
conditions, and provisions of this Amendment, the parties agree:
SECTION I. The following exhibit to the Contract is
hereby amended, in whole or in part, to read as set forth in the
attachment to this Amendment, which are incorporated in full by
this reference:
a. Exhibit "A" entitled "Scope of work".
SECTION 2. Except as herein modified, all other
provisions of the Contract, including any exhibits and subsequent
amendments thereto, shall remain in full force and effect.
//
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971208 s~n 0071329
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have by their duly
authorized representatives executed this Amendment on the date
first above written.
ATTEST:CITY OF PALO ALTO
City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:DAMES & MOORE
Senior Asst. City Attorney
By:
Its:
APPROVED:Taxpayer I.D. No. 00-7965189
Assistant City Manager
Director of Public Works
Acting Director of
Administrative Services
Risk Manager
Attachment:
EXHIBIT "A": SCOPE OF WORK~ "
97 I~0~ s~yn 0071329
Scope of Work
This Scope of Work details the design and construction administration services required
to complete the temporary bracing preliminary designs shown in the "Phase I:
Temporary Bracing Report for the Municipal Service Center," dated October 16, 1997:
Schematic Design Phase (024)
¯ Attend up to four (4) meetings with MSC employees to discuss issues related to
the installation of the temporary bracing.
Construction Documents Phase (026)
¯ Provide construction documents for the installation of temporary bracing as
shown in the Temporary Bracing Report, except as noted by the City of Palo
Alto fax dated October 23, 1997.
Construction documents are due to the City of Palo Alto, Public Works
Engineering, by January 30, 1998.
Design Consultant Phase (022)
¯ Provide professional servicesthrough the construction award. This includes, but
is not limited to,
a. providing the names of at least three construction firms that would be
capable of fabricating and installing the temporary bracing,
b. answering questions of the prospective contractors,
c.assisting with an evaluation of the quality of the bids received from the
prospective contractors.
Reimbursables (027)
Reimbursable expenses include actual expenditures made in the interest of the
project such as reproduction costs, travel and postage.
Additional Services A (028)
Investigate solutions to conflict between a proposed footing and the underground
tanks on the south side of Building B between lines 6 and 8. Options include
moving the brace or designing a footing to straddle the tanks instead of removing
them. Operational criteria must be taken into account in the design.
Construction Consultant Phase (032)
[] Provide construction administrative services during the construction phase of the
temporary bracing effort. Consti-uction administrative services shall include, but
not be limited to,
a.reviewing shop drawings,
b.responding to Contractor’s questions,
c.making periodic site visits,
d.attending monthly construction meetings.
Payment shall be on a time and materials basis, not to exceed an aggregate total of
$50,000. Costs for each phase shall be listed according to the phase numbers given in
parentheses above.
Scope of Work
This Scope of Work details the design and construction administration services required
to complete the temporary bracing preliminary designs shown in the "Phase I:
Temporary Bracing Report for the Municipal Service Center," dated October 16, 1997:
Schematic Design Phase (024)
Attend up to four (4) meetings with MSC employees to discuss issues related to
the installation of the temporary bracing.
Construction Documents Phase (026)
[] Provide construction documents for the installation of temporary bracing as
shown in the Temporary Bracing Report, except as noted by the City of Palo
Alto fax dated October 23, 1997.
Construction documents are due to the City of Palo Alto, Public Works
Engineering, by January 30, 1998.
Design Consultant Phase (022)
[] Provide professional services through the construction award. This includes, but
is not limited to,
1. providing the names of at least three construction firms that would be
capable of fabricating and installing the temporary bracing,
2.answering questions of the prospective contractors,
3.assisting with an evaluation of the quality of the bids receiTed from the
prospective contractors.
Reimbursables (027)
Reimbursable expenses include actual expenditures made in the interest of the
project such as reproduction costs, travel and postage.
Additional Services A (028)
[] Investigate solutions to conflict between a proposed footing and the underground
tanks on the south side of Building B between lines 6 and 8. Options include
moving the brace or designing a footing to straddle the tanks instead of removing
them. Operational criteria must be taken into account in the design.
Construction Consultant Phase (032)
Provide construction administrative services during the construction phase of the
temporary bracing effort, Construction administrative services shall include, but
not be limited to,
1.reviewing shop drawings,
2.responding to Contractor’s questions,
3.making periodic site visits,
4.attending monthly construction meetings.
Payment shall be on a time and materials basis, not to exceed an aggregate total of
$50,000. Costs for each phase shall be listed according to the phase numbers given in
parentheses above.