HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2404-2922CITY OF PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
Special Meeting
Monday, June 17, 2024
Council Chambers & Hybrid
4:00 PM
Agenda Item
9.Approval of Construction Contract C24190748 with Ross Recreation Equipment Company
Inc. in the Amount of $305,600 and Authorization for the City Manager or Their Designee
to Negotiate and Execute Change Orders up to a Not-to-Exceed Amount of $30,600 for
the Ramos Park Improvements, Capital Improvement Program Project PG-14000; CEQA
Status—Exempt Under CEQA Guidelines Section 15301
City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Public Works
Meeting Date: June 17, 2024
Report #:2404-2922
TITLE
Approval of Construction Contract C24190748 with Ross Recreation Equipment Company Inc. in
the Amount of $305,600 and Authorization for the City Manager or Their Designee to Negotiate
and Execute Change Orders up to a Not-to-Exceed Amount of $30,600 for the Ramos Park
Improvements, Capital Improvement Program Project PG-14000; CEQA Status—Exempt Under
CEQA Guidelines Section 15301
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that Council:
1. Approve and authorize the City Manager or their designee to execute Contract No.
C24190748 with Ross Recreation Equipment, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $305,600
for the purchase and installation of a playground for Ramos Park Improvements Capital
Improvement Program project (PG-14000); and
2. Authorize the City Manager or their designee to negotiate and execute one or more
change orders to the contract with Ross Recreation for related additional but
unforeseen work which may develop during the project, the total value of which shall
not exceed $30,600.
BACKGROUND
In 2014, Council approved capital improvement program funding to address Ramos Park
playground renovation and maintenance needs as part of the Fiscal Year 2015 Capital Budget.
The renovation includes infrastructure, accessibility, and maintenance improvements. The City
engaged the community in a series of community and Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC)
meetings to review the proposed renovation and maintenance work.
The playground equipment at Ramos Park is over 20 years old. Due to its age, the equipment
replacement parts are difficult to find if it all; for this reason, playgrounds over the age of 15 are
scheduled to be replaced. As part of the project, community outreach was performed providing
opportunity for input. The playground replacement includes all equipment and surfacing.
Community Outreach Process
The first community meeting was held on January 29, 2020 to capture input from the
community regarding the proposed park renovations. The community was asked to provide
input using a series of sticker boards, and stickers were used to identify a desired restroom
location and to answer questions regarding the desire to have a restroom, use of the
playground and of the concrete court area. An on-line community survey was created that
collected input regarding the playground and park renovation. A total of 198 community
members provided survey input.
A PRC meeting was held on February 25, 20201 to review the proposed renovations. A second
community meeting was held on August 13, 20202. On December 15, 2020, the PRC voted
unanimously to recommend Council approval of the Park Improvement Ordinance (PIO) for
Ramos Park. Council adopted the PIO on March 8, 20213, with a second reading occurring on
March 22, 20214. All materials presented to the community and the PRC can be viewed on the
project web site at www.cityofpaloalto.org/ramospark.
ANALYSIS
Staff recommends approval of Contract No. C241907485 for the purchase and installation of the
playground at Ramos Park. Staff has reviewed the City of Cupertino’s contract terms and pricing
for a similar project with this contractor and determined, per Palo Alto Municipal Code
2.30.360(k), that the use of another governmental or public agency’s contract or substantially
the same contract terms meets the threshold required by the municipal code.
The Ramos Park Improvements project was initially bid in 2023 for the same playground
renovations project scope. The low bid was approximately $50,000 more than the budget and
so the City exercised its right to reject all bids. After rejecting all bids, staff started exploring
other options for renovating playgrounds, which led to the discovery of the recommended
Cupertino Agreement. The City typically renovates one existing park playground every year.
Based on this yearly cycle, staff is consistently updated on costs of playground renovation
1 Parks and Recreation Commission, February 25, 2020,
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/agendas-minutes/parks-and-
recreation-commission/agendas-minutes/2020-agenda-and-minutes/ramos-park-staff-report-022520-da-edits.pdf
2 Parks and Recreation Commission, August 13, 2020,
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/agendas-minutes/parks-and-
recreation-commission/agendas-minutes/2020-agenda-and-minutes/august-25-2020-parks-and-recreation-
commission-agenda-item-3-ramos-project-update.pdf
3 City Council, March 8, 2021; Agenda Item #5; SR #11976,
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/reports/city-manager-reports-
cmrs/year-archive/2021/id-11976.pdf
4 City Council, March 22, 2021; Agenda Item #6; SR #12103,
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/reports/city-manager-reports-
cmrs/year-archive/2021/id-12103-[80601].pdf
5 Ross Recreation Construction Contract C24190748;
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/public-works/engineering-services/cip-
contracts/c24190748-ross-recreation_cc_05.20.2024_staff-report.pdf
projects and has confirmed the Cupertino pricing is cost competitive, and is better than pricing
received during the prior solicitation.
The construction contract includes a not-to-exceed cost of $305,560. A construction
contingency amount of $30,556, which equals 10 percent of the contract value, is requested for
related, additional, but unforeseen work which may develop during the project, to be
implemented via City-approved Change Order. Staff anticipates approximately 2-3 months to
fabricate the playground equipment, with installation later this fall.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
Funding for this contract is available in the Fiscal Year 2024 Capital Improvement Program
Ramos Park Improvements project (PG-14000).
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Extensive stakeholder engagement has been completed in developing the proposed project
improvement plan, including the several community and public meetings described in this
report.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed Ramos Park Improvement project is categorically exempt from the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under Title 14 California Code of Regulations Section 15301
(Existing Facilities).
APPROVED BY:
Brad Eggleston, Director Public Works/City Engineer