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.
Three changes to existing contracts could result in City Council approving $885,000 in additional spending in the consent calendar at Tuesday's meeting.
Council will decide whether or not to add $800,000 to an existing contract with TransFirst Health and Government Services for continued credit card processing services.
Council picked TransFirst in 2010, starting with a five-year, $3,350,000 contract that jumped to $7,350,000 after two modifications. The contract expires in March, but city officials are still in the process of reviewing proposals from new credit card processing companies.
"To ensure a thorough selection process and allow sufficient time for contract negotiation and to transition to a new firm, if required, an extension of the current agreement is necessary," they said in a report to council.
The extension would potentially last through the end of June on a month-to-month basis.
Elevator expansion
Council will consider adding $35,000 to an elevator modernization project that's hit some unforeseen bumps and broadened in scope.
In April, council approved a $406,780 contract with Fast-Track Construction Corporation for the construction of a modernized and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant elevator in the Airport Administration building.
The project began in June and the elevator stopped service in October.
"During the demolition, a number of unforeseen conditions were encountered that required repair," city officials said in a report to council, "including: unmarked and unknown buried power and data conduits damaged during excavation, extensive water damage to the existing drywall inside the elevator shaft that had not previously been detected and other issues that had cost impacts."
Additionally, city officials now want a better elevator.
"During the permitting process, a requirement for a new trash enclosure for the building was added that had not been included in the original construction contract," they said. "(City Hall) also elected to upgrade the existing fluorescent tube lighting in the elevator shaft to highly efficient LED fixtures and upgrade the interior elevator cab finishes to longer lasting and more durable stainless steel."
The extra cash will cover these changes.
Construction is 65-percent complete and is expected to be done by the spring.
More HVAC work
Unanticipated site conditions mean that more cash needs to be added to a construction project for the replacement of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system in City Hall.
Ramco Genera Engineering Contractors will likely get another $50,000 to overcome the conditions. The new contract total will rise to $221,163.
City Hall's HVAC system is apparently aging. Work is being done in three phases.
On top of unforeseen site conditions, the limitation to nights and weekends for construction work impacted the project cost and schedule.
Additionally, "unforeseen conflicts were discovered about the ceilings during demolition" of the old system in the area of the Mayor and City Manager's offices on the second floor.
"Existing structural members and electrical conduits necessitated design changes that incurred additional construction costs. Acoustic ceiling tile was added in order to better mitigate the impacts of the construction on historically sensitive portions of the building," city officials said in a report to council.
Construction is at the halfway point with completion expected by the summer.
dave@www.smdp.com
