09 - Church Street Reconstruction Project

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Item No. 9 2. RDC has won the last 2 street project bids, which were competitive with multiple bidders. On both projects, RDC was significantly lower than other bidders. This can affect interest in future projects if a local contractor repeatedly outbids the competition. 3. RDC performed well on past projects for the City, and they are qualified to perform the work on Church Street. 4. A rebid could result in higher prices due to rising material costs and lack of competition. Staff recommends award of the base bid plus materials alternate A, to provide an asphalt street with concrete curbs, gutters and sidewalks, for an amount of $2,922,117.65. After the bid opening, the city received a request to change the sidewalk design by removing the existing grass strip between the sidewalk and back of curb, which currently exists today. The concern is for long term maintenance/mowing of the grass along some properties. The current plan for sidewalks on Church Street is to replace them in their original, existing configuration, meaning sidewalks along the commercial areas would be replaced behind the curb, and residential lots would retain the traditional grass strip. The current design considers the following constraints, which are further explained in the attached summary: a. Limited ROW b. Franchise utility pole location c. Accessibility requirement of the ADA d. Safety e. Historical appropriateness Simply relocating the 4' sidewalk to be directly behind the curb will reduce pedestrian safety through the corridor, particularly for small children, and will compromise project compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) due to utility poles and other appurtenances within the ROW. Therefore, in order to remove the 2' grass strip between the curb and sidewalk for the entire length of the project, the concrete must be widened accordingly, which results in a cost increase of approximately $70,000. Staff has considered cost saving strategies in order to meet the needs of the project, address the residents' concern, and to minimize impacts on future street projects. We propose the following design modifications to address the mowing concern while balancing cost and aesthetics. 1. Widen the sidewalk to 6', and remove the grass strip from Hearne to Washington where the ROW is narrow. (+$32,000) 2. Keep the existing grass strip from Washington to Sherman, and along the west ROW to Kaufman, where the ROW is wider, to reduce cost.