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ACCEPTANCE OF A RECREATIONAL TRAILS GRANT FROM THE OKLAHOMA TOURISM AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $160,000 TO BE USED FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO GEORGE SUTTON URBAN WILDERNESS PARK AND ACCEPTANCE OF BID-1617-39; APPROVAL OF CONTRACT K-1617-102 WITH DOWNEY CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC., IN THE AMOUNT OF $185,085; PERFORMANCE BOND B-1617-59; STATUTORY BOND B-1617-60; MAINTENANCE BOND MB-1617-51 FOR THE GEORGE SUTTON WILDERNESS PARK TRAIL AND PARKING LOT CONSTRUCTION PROJECT, ADOPTING RESOLUTION R-1617-82 GRANTING TAX-EXEMPT STATUS, AND BUDGET APPROPRIATION FROM THE SPECIAL GRANTS FUND BALANCE.
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BACKGROUND: In order to make improvements to the George M. Sutton Urban Wilderness Community Park, Park Planning staff applied for a Recreational Trails Grant from the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department (OTRD) in January, 2015. The request was for the maximum $160,000 that would be matched by $40,000 in funds from the City of Norman to implement a total of $200,000 of development in the park. The work described in the grant was planned with help from the Sutton Urban Wilderness Advisory Committee. Grant funds will also be used to fund engineering services for the project that will be purchased separately from K-1617-102 with Downey Construction which accounts for the cost difference in the $200,000 development figure and the $185,085 bid from Downey Construction.
The project will include construction of a parking lot expansion that will double the number of spaces available to the public, as well as repairing and surfacing the walking trail in the park. This will include an asphalt path for the first 1,000 feet of trail from the trail-head to the lake for American with Disabilities (ADA) compliance. Finally, we plan to add a crushed granite surface on the remainder of the trail comparable to the trail recently completed at John Saxon Community Park. Also, the contractor will clear the invasive privet, and other volunteer underbrush on both sides of the trail, for an additional five feet beyond the six foot wide trail. The trail on top of the dam in the park has already been improved to a granite surface during the project recently completed to rebuild the dam back to Corps of Engineers specifications. Matching funds for the Recreational Trails Grant, as well as additional capital funding, was approved by Council as part of the Fiscal Year 2016 budget from the Capital Fund.
The grant request was tentatively approved in October of that year, and since that time, staff has completed the required state historical and archaeological reviews, and received clearance from the affected Native Tribes in the area of the park. The OTRD has reviewed these approvals, and subsequently provided the City of Norman with the grant agreement. The engineered drawings for this phase of work were completed by Cardinal/Enviro Clean Engineering during 2016.
DISCUSSION: On January 27 and February 3, 2017, Bid 1617-39 for the George Sutton Wilderness Park Trail and Parking Lot Construction Project was advertised in the Norman Transcript. The project was also advertised in Reed Construction Data, Construction Market Data Report, Bid News, i-SquareFoot and on e-plan. Bid Documents were distributed to five contractors, two of whom responded with complete bids.
Bids were opened and read aloud on February 16, 2017 (bid tabulation attached). The lowest and best proposal to meet specifications was received from Downey Construction Company, Inc. The proposals were evaluated based on the total construction cost of the project as shown in the plans from Cardinal Engineering. The bids were submitted as a lump-sum for the entire project, with work broken down into multiple pay-item sections as shown in the Bid Form from Downey (attached).
Staff recommends funding be appropriated from the Special Grant Fund Balance for the George Sutton Wilderness Park Development Project, and used along with funding previously approved during prior year budgets from the Capital Fund; and award the contract to Downey Construction Company, Inc., in the total amount of $185,085 as the lowest and best bid to meet specifications for the George Sutton Wilderness Park Trail and Parking Lot Construction Project.
RECOMMENDATION NO.1: It is recommended that City Council accept the Recreational Trails Grant from the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department in the amount of $160,000, and approve an appropriation of $160,000 from the Special Grant Fund Balance (022-0000-253.20-00) to the Sutton Park Development, Construction (account 022-9074-452.61-01; project PC0019). Funding of $25,085 will be used from Capital Fund Project Account PC0019 Sutton Park Development, Construction (#050-9074-452.61-01; PC0019).
RECOMMENDATION NO.2: It is recommended that City Council award Bid 1617-39 for the George Sutton Wilderness Park Trail and Parking Lot Construction Project to Downey Construction Company, Inc., in the amount of $185,085 with available funding as listed above.
RECOMMENDATION NO.3: It is further recommended that the following contract and bonds be approved:
Contract K-1617-102
Maintenance Bond MB-1617-51
Performance Bond B-1617-59
Statutory Bond B-1617-60
RECOMMENDATION NO.4: It is further recommended that Downey Construction Company, Inc. be appointed as Project Agent with tax-exempt status for the George Sutton Wilderness Park Trail and Parking Lot Construction Project by Resolution R-1617-82.