Posy Park Water Fountain Repairs

Article Source: City of San Bruno CA

DATE: November 14, 2017

TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

FROM: Jimmy Tan, Public Works Director/City Engineer

SUBJECT: Receive Report and Provide Direction on Posy Park Water Fountain Rehabilitation Project

BACKGROUND:

The Caltrain Joint Powers Board (JPB) commenced construction on the San Bruno Grade Separation project in late 2010 which elevated train tracks above San Bruno Avenue, San Mateo Avenue, and Angus Avenue, and provided three pedestrian underpasses to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion. A new elevated Caltrain station was also constructed at San Bruno Avenue between San Mateo Avenue and Huntington.

As part of the Grade Separation Project, Posy Park was relocated and a water feature was installed as part of the overall project design recommended by the City's Citizen's Advisory Committee. The water feature includes a series of pools and steps that follows the elevation of the pedestrian ramp along Posy Park. The water feature is located directly behind a low seat wall accessible from the park level. Bubblers and up lighting is included within the lower pool along the seat wall.

Shortly following completion of the Grade Separation Project, several noticeable defects appeared in the water feature. Rust spots from exposed rebar and various cracks in the concrete are easily visible throughout the fountain's painted concrete. In addition, inspection of the fountain water proofing showed signs of bubbling and peeling thus exposing the concrete underneath. As a result of these defects, the water has been shutoff. In an effort to reinstate the water feature, staff consulted with coating contractors to develop appropriate specifications and developed contract documents to solicit bids to mitigate the defects.

DISCUSSION:

In compliance with the State Contract Code and the City's local purchasing regulations, the Posy Park Fountain Rehabilitation Project was advertised in the San Mateo County Times newspaper on September 20th and 27th. The Notice to Bidders were sent to five (5) construction plan rooms, posted on the City's website and emailed to coating contractors. A non-mandatory pre-bid conference and site visit was held on October 5, 2017 and six (6) people attended the meeting. The bid opening was held on October 19, 2017, however, no contractors submitted any bids.

Per the Public Contract Code Section 20166, "If no bids are received, the legislative body may have the project done without further complying with this chapter". The Public Code Section allows the city to approach contractors to request for cost proposals and to negotiate the cost for the concrete repair and water fountain recoating work in lieu of publicly bidding the project again. This process allows the City to work with contractors who are qualified, skilled and familiar with this type of coating work. Staff has re-contacted the contractor who previously consulted with staff regarding the appropriate procedure to remove and reapply the coating on the water feature surfaces. The contractor, Coating Specialties, has indicated an interest to complete the project and has proposed a cost of approximately $125,000.

An alternative to recoating the Posy Park water fountain would be to convert the area to a landscape feature. Consideration to install landscaping at Posy Park was discussed during the June 11, 2013 City Council meeting where staff provided concept plans from the JPB showing the water feature replaced with planting. Due to the shallow depth of the water feature, the planting would be limited to groundcovers and lower height plants. The conversion of the water fountain to a landscaped area would entail procuring a landscape architect to perform the design of the drainage and irrigation systems and also to select the plant species. A contractor would still be needed to perform all the work associated with the installation of the drainage and irrigation systems and planting. At this time, staff does not have a cost estimate.

FISCAL IMPACT:

There is no fiscal impact associated with this report. Staff will return to City Council to award a contract based on Council's directive. If the City Council chooses to proceed with recoating the water fountain, the cost is estimated to be approximately $160,000 which includes the estimated contractor's cost of $125,000, 15% construction contingency for unforeseen conditions and $15,000 for staff management and inspection. The cost to convert the water feature to a landscaped area is currently unknown; however, it would include hiring a landscape architect to perform the design and contractor to construct the proposed facilities. Both alternatives would have annual maintenance cost to the City.

ALTERNATIVE:

• Direct staff to solicit additional proposals from contractors for the concrete repair of walls and recoating of the water fountain.
• Direct staff to evaluate converting the Posy Park water feature into a landscape feature.

RECOMMENDATION:

Receive report and provide direction on Posy Park Water Fountain Rehabilitation Project

FULL Council Agenda Packet WITH Staff Reports can be viewed and downloaded from:

https://sanbruno.ca.gov/gov/elected_officials/city_council_minutes_n_agendas.htm

This document should be available late Friday before the Tuesday Council Meeting

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Robert Riechel

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Photo Credit: San Bruno CA Patch Archives

Source Credit: San Bruno CA City Council

Web Site: https://sanbruno.ca.gov

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