Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council Regular Meeting of June 11, 2019
Title
ESTABLISHMENT OF A CITY COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE
FOCUSED ON THE FIRE STATION REMODEL
(City Manager Suja Lowenthal)
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council provide direction regarding the establishment of a City Council subcommittee focused on the fire station remodel project.
Body
Executive Summary:
The City of Hermosa Beach contracted with Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) to provide fire and life safety services in fall 2017. As a component of the contract, Los Angeles County Fire is responsible for remodeling the fire station with a budget of $1.8 million. The 2017 Los Angeles County Fire Department agreement for service outlines the remodel scope of work in Schedule 4 Conversion Costs (Attachment 1). Staff from the City of Hermosa Beach and Los Angeles County Fire Department meet monthly to discuss the construction project and will continue to meet throughout the duration of the project.
Background:
The City of Hermosa Beach contracted with Los Angeles County Fire Department to provide fire services to the community commencing December 31, 2017. The first quarter of the transition focused on the fire and life safety services provided to the community. Discussions related to the fire station remodel began in the second quarter.
At the May 8, 2018 City Council meeting (Attachment 2), Councilmember Massey proposed as an “Other Matters” item the creation of a fire station construction subcommittee to assist with the management of design and construction of the new fire station.
In June 2018, the Fire Station Construction team, composed of staff from the City and Los Angeles County Fire Department, began meeting monthly to monitor the progress of the project, address concerns, and ensure the least amount of impact on the community and staff during construction. These meetings are held monthly on the third Tuesday at 2 p.m. in City Council Chambers.
Progress related to the fire station construction was included in the second quarter update of the Los Angeles County Fire and McCormick Ambulance report provided at the July 24, 2018 regular City Council meeting. The three subsequent quarterly updates have included information regarding the status of the project.
At the September 25, 2018 City Council meeting (Attachment 3), Mayor Pro Tem Stacey Armato stated that a discussion regarding the formation of a fire station construction subcommittee will need to return to City Council for consideration.
In October of 2018, the City Manager’s Office invited and encouraged City Council to attend the monthly meetings in lieu of creating a Council subcommittee due to the approved scope of work and limited design options.
An information item was submitted to City Council on February 27, 2019 which included the proposed timeline, scope of work and designs.
Staff continues to meet to discuss the project and anticipates the start of construction to begin in early July.
Discussion:
City staff has been meeting monthly with Los Angeles County Fire department staff to discuss the fire station construction project. The meetings have provided staff an opportunity to discuss the remodel of the existing fire station, identify any areas of concern, and plan for and mitigate potential construction-related impacts to City operations. The fire station will be restored to its original single-story design accommodating five dorm rooms, an office, kitchen, and ADA restrooms. The interior design was approved by the Los Angeles County Fire Union based on negotiated contract terms. The second-story will be removed, and a new roof will be installed which will be capable of accommodating the installation of solar panels in the future, should Council approve a future project of this scope. Communications equipment located on the roof will be installed in a location to ensure maximum space for solar panels. The electrical system will be upgraded and seismic retrofit measures will be implemented. In addition to design, staff has been identifying and working through potential impacts of construction on operations, City staff and residents.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department has worked with its architectural firm to complete the construction plans. All plans have been reviewed and approved by the Hermosa Beach Community Development department. LACoFD has selected a contractor as part of the job order contract process through the County. In May, the contractor and subcontractors conducted job walks of the current station to identify all needs, timeline, potential challenges, and impacts of construction to include in the bid for the project.
Currently, the contractor and the County Internal Services Department are negotiating the proposed bid submitted by the contractor with an anticipated completion of negotiations within three weeks from the start date. Concurrently, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (BOS) letter, approving the contractor and job order contract process, has been signed by the Los Angeles County Fire Chief and submitted to the Board of Supervisors for approval. The letter is required because the funding for the project was secured during the annexation agreement negotiation process. The approval is anticipated to be completed by the end of June 2019. It will take one week to provide a notice to proceed to the contractor, who will then be able to start the demolition of the second story and interior of the station. Although the plans have been approved by the Community Development Department (Community Development), the contractor can secure permits only after receiving the Notice to Proceed from the County. The County has received the permit checklist with the remaining items needed to secure permits, therefore, when the contractor receives the notice to proceed, Community Development can process the permit request without delay.
The next fire station construction meeting is scheduled for June 18 at 2 p.m. Depending on the status of contractor negotiations and BOS letter of approval, this meeting may be the pre-construction meeting. If not, another meeting will be scheduled towards the end of the month between LACoFD, City of Hermosa Beach, and the contractor which will serve as the pre-construction meeting allowing staff to receive the final estimated construction timeline and finalize the plans to minimize impacts to staff and the community during the construction. The anticipated construction start date is the week of July 8, avoiding any inconveniences during the Fourth of July holiday. Once demolition commences, LACoFD will have a camp crew remove the landscape in front of the station. LACoFD will work with City staff to develop a landscape plan adhering to City specifications, which should be installed by the end of January 2020.
Staff anticipates that construction will take about four months noting that the timeline may change depending on unforeseen challenges during construction. The goal is to have the firefighters reoccupy the station and close out the project by the end of January 2020, which provides two months in the timeline for unanticipated challenges and/or delays. City and LACoFD staff will continue to communicate throughout the construction process as well as continue to meet monthly to address any needs that arise and to discuss any changes to the timeline.
There are two items that will return to City Council for consideration as it relates to this project:
1. Microgrid installation: Staff will return to City Council to discuss a potential microgrid project that will include the fire station. There will be three possible project options for Council consideration.
2. Removal of the temporary station: Staff will return to Council for direction concerning the removal and disposition of the temporary fire station quarters along with the parking lot repairs.
City staff and Los Angeles County Fire Department have worked closely to ensure that concerns regarding the remodel of the station and any construction-related impacts to the community have been addressed. Therefore, staff requests Council direction regarding the establishment of a Council subcommittee related to the fire station construction project.
General Plan Consistency:
This report and associated recommendation have been evaluated for their consistency with the City’s General Plan. Relevant Policies are listed below:
1.2 Strategic Planning: Regularly discuss and set priorities at the City Council and management level to prioritize work programs and staffing needs.
6.3 Invest in Critical Facilities: Invest in public and critical facilities to make them more resilient to the potential impacts of natural disasters.
Fiscal Impact:
Although there are no direct costs, indirect costs such as staff time are associated with this action.
Attachments:
1. Los Angeles County Fire Department Agreement for Services Schedule 4 Conversion Costs.
2. Link to May 8, 2018 City Council Meeting
3. Link to September 25, 2018 City Council Meeting
4. Link to February 27, 2019 Update on Fire Station Construction Information Item
Respectfully Submitted by: Brandy Villanueva, Emergency Services Coordinator
Noted for Fiscal Impact: Charlotte Newkirk, Accounting Manager
Approved: Suja Lowenthal, City Manager