Council OKs $6.4 million project
PALMDALE — The City Council, after a week’s delay and seeing additional information, approved contracting with R.C. Becker and Sons, Inc. for the Civic Center complete streets project, for $6.4 million.
The Council balked at awarding the contract, at the prior week’s meeting, as some councilors had concerns regarding the firm’s work on an earlier project on Rancho Vista Boulevard.
The company was the lowest of the two bidders who responded to the request for the project, which will provide complete street improvements between 9th and 10th streets east and Avenue Q-9 to Avenue Q-12.
Staff recommended awarding the contract to them, over the second bidder, Sully-Miller Contracting of Brea, whose bid was nearly $7.9 million.
The Council, however, had concerns because the earlier Rancho Vista project was delayed.
“It just took way, way, way too long and we started having accidents and now there’s lawsuits,” Mayor Steve Hofbauer said, at the July 13 meeting.
He requested rejecting their bid and rebidding the project.
Deputy Public Works Director Lynn Glidden told the Council she understood the concerns regarding the Rancho Vista Boulevard project, but the project manager that caused problems on that project will not be working the Civic Center project. Additionally, the Rancho Vista Boulevard project was hampered by problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“R.C. Becker is a good contractor,” Glidden said, on July 13. “They had a bad job.”
Rebidding the project will likely mean increased costs, as they have already increased since the bid process, she said.
The Council decided to hold off on the contract award, until the July 20 meeting.
The state transportation funds, totaling approximately $1.4 million, used for this project required the contract be awarded by July 30, according to the July 20 staff report.
R.C. Becker has performed six other projects for the city, from 2016 to March 2021. In all those projects, except two, the cost came in under the estimate, according to the July 20 staff
report. One that went over by 14%, for Yellen Park, was due to the city increasing the project scope.
The other over-budget project was 9th Street East improvements, which was 5.61% over budget, at $127,178 instead of $120,230, according to the report.
The firm was also recently awarded a contract by the city to close the gap in the sidewalks along Avenue Q-12 from 10th Street East to 12th Street East.
The Council approved awarding the contract on a 4-0 vote, without discussion as part of the Consent Calendar. Hofbauer was absent.