Editor's note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city's expenditures appearing on upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agendas. Consent agenda items are routinely passed by the City Council with little or no discussion from elected officials or the public. However, many of the items have been part of public discussion in the past.
CITY HALL — City officials propose to spend $1.46 million on a wide range of services, including water pump maintenance and repair and carpet flooring contractor services, provided by companies that have come out on top in formal bidding.
City Hall's Purchasing Division formally bid for a variety of goods and services from March 2013 to June 2013. City officials are asking the City Council to approve a list of vendors to provide the specified food or service through June 30, 2014.
If approved, there are two one-year renewal options for a total amount of $4.38 million over a three year period.
The services contracts are just part of a roughly $2.3 million spending package the council is being asked to approve tonight.
Memorial Park neighborhood plan
John Kaliski Architects, a California-based company, is being recommended by city officials to provide urban design, land use and transportation planning and economic analysis to the Memorial Park Neighborhood Plan in an agreement for $596,000.
The plan would define land use, circulation, parking, open space and building form criteria for the area through a community process involving neighborhood groups, local businesses and property owners.
The plan covers the area around the future Exposition Light Rail station at 17th Street and Colorado Avenue in close proximity to Memorial Park and near Santa Monica College, hospitals, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District headquarters and existing residential and commercial uses, according to the staff report.
Furniture for finance
City officials are recommending updating the furniture in the Finance Department's office suite.
City officials solicited two bids, but recommended Systems Source, Inc. as the best for both at a cost of $115,242.
The existing suite was expanded over the years in a piecemeal fashion resulting in office space that is not optimal and disjointed, according to the staff report.
Getting people to carpool
City officials hope to expand the scope of Murakawa Communications, a California-based company, to include two new outreach programs: "Where the Locals Go" and "I'm a Local," in the No Net New Trips TDM Toolkit Program grant.
It would be an agreement for $69,900 to complete outreach, marketing and implementation of the grant and facilitate a residential vanpool program. The program provides incentives to assist the community to alter their travel behavior by subsidizing vanpool programs and transit passes.
Since beginning the program, Murakawa Communications has identified potential target groups, developed a program for each group, a marketing plan and an implementation plan, and produced an employee (trip reduction) outreach program in the Bergamot area, according to the staff report.
If approved, the contract would run until June 30, 2014.
Fire station improvements
The City Council is likely to approve a contract with California-based firm, IDS Group, Inc., to design and oversee seismic improvements to a fire station in the Mid-City area for $64,350, which includes a 10 percent contingency.
The company would provide improvements in two phases for Fire Station No. 3, a two-story, wood frame and stucco structure built in the early 1970s prior to current seismic building standards.
City officials entered into a services agreement with IDS Group, Inc. to perform phase one for $28,000. For phase two, additional design and construction services, including preparation of construction documents, procurement of all required permits, and pre-construction and construction administration services are necessary for the project.
Last year, 91 prospective firms registered on City Hall's online bidding site and 10 proposals were received and publicly opened on Sept. 20, 2012, according to the staff report. City officials picked IDS. The company had previously worked with City Hall, the city of Orange and L.A. County Public Works Department, who said work was completed in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
Construction will take place in fiscal year 2014-15.
Dollar doggy
Police service dog Landor, who is handled by Officer Adam Barry, will retire and be sold to Barry for a dollar.
The 10-year-old service dog retired from after more than five years with the police department.
During Landor's length of service, he has been involved in numerous felony arrests, apprehensions and has received commendations for his acts, according to a staff report. He is also a cross-trained explosive detection canine who has been involved in high-risk explosive detection searches in Santa Monica and other regional cities.
ameera@www.smdp.com
