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CONSIDERATION OF AWARDING BID 1415-50, APPROVAL OF CONTRACT K-1415-79 BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AND PRECISION CONCRETE CUTTING OF OKLAHOMA, L.L.C, IN THE AMOUNT OF $66,300; PERFORMANCE BOND B-1415-85; STATUTORY BOND B-1415-86; MAINTENANCE BOND MB-1415-75; AND PROJECT AGENT RESOLUTION R-1415-93 FOR THE CORE AREA SIDEWALK REPAIR PROJECT.
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BACKGROUND: Sidewalks are an important part of Norman’s transportation system. Properly constructed and maintained sidewalks provide pedestrian access and recreational resources for members of the community and help promote healthy lifestyles. The City has a responsibility to ensure that sidewalks are maintained for safety of all users and to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). There are several general items that need to be addressed to meet ADA accessibility guidelines. These factors include slope, curb ramps at intersections and being free from tripping hazards.
Many of the sidewalks in Norman were constructed years ago and over time have become damaged and no longer meet the ADA accessibility guidelines. These sidewalks require maintenance and repair. The responsibility of maintaining sidewalks is generally the responsibility of the adjacent property owner. The City participates in the routine maintenance of sidewalks by providing a matching fund program for the repair of damaged sidewalks. This program is a part of the yearly Capital Improvements Program budget approved by the City Council. The program requires application by the property owner and available funds. The funds are administered on a first come basis until funding is utilized for the fiscal year.
DISCUSSION: The Planning and Community Development Department has remaining Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds this year and requested that the funds be used to repair existing sidewalks in the core area of Norman. Public Works had previously investigated using horizontal concrete cutting in the core Norman area to address sidewalk tripping hazards without full reconstruction of the sidewalks. The project area and proposed costs are within the CDBG program parameters.
The area identified for this project is the area bounded by Main Street, Boyd Street, Flood Avenue and the railroad right-of-way as shown on the attached map. These sidewalks have approximately 1,500 identified tripping hazards over a length of 12,000 feet of sidewalks. The purpose of the Core Area Sidewalk Repair Project is to eliminate many of the tripping hazards that have been identified by staff at a reduced cost in comparison to conventional sidewalk reconstruction. The estimated cost to repair all of the identified tripping hazards by conventional sidewalk replacement is $305,000. However, by utilizing horizontal saw cutting technology, it is possible to repair tripping hazards up to 2 inches without removing and replacing the existing sidewalk. This procedure has been successfully used at the NCED and on the University of Oklahoma campus. This method is approximately 70% less costly than conventional sidewalk replacement.
The Core Area Sidewalk Repair Project was approved to be submitted as an amendment to the 2014-2015 Action Plan by the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Policy Committee on February 11, 2015. The Public Works Department agreed in February of 2015 to be the construction managers for this project. The Norman City Council approved this Amendment on February 24th, 2015. The Amendment was submitted to HUD for approval on March 3, 2015. Approval was granted by HUD on March 5, 2015.
Bid documents and specifications were advertised according to State Law. Two (2) contractors received the bid documents and one (1) bid was received on April 9, 2014. The bidder in the amount of $66,300 is Precision Concrete Cutting of Oklahoma, LLC of Oklahoma City. The Engineer’s estimate is $70,000. Precision Concrete Cutting is currently performing work for the City of Norman on Robinson Street removing tripping hazards along a 3-mile corridor of public sidewalks.
Funding for the project is available in CDBG, Sidewalks and Bikeways (account 021-4085-463.61-07; project number GC0070). The source of funding is CDBG federal grant funds.
Resolution R-1415-93 confers upon Precision Concrete Cutting of Oklahoma, LLC, the limited agent status for the purchase of materials to be incorporated in the project on a sales tax-exempt basis. The bid documents offered tax-exempt status to all bidders. If approved, these sidewalk repairs will take place between April and August, 2015.
RECOMMENDATION 1: Staff has reviewed the bids and recommends that Bid No. 1415-50 for the Core Area Sidewalk Repair Project be awarded to Precision Concrete Cutting of Oklahoma, LLC in the amount of $66,300.
RECOMMENDATION 2: Staff further recommends that, upon approval of Bid 1415-50, the following contract and bonds be approved:
Contract K-1415-79
Performance Bond B-1415-85
Statutory Bond B-1415-86
Maintenance Bond 1415-75
RECOMMENDATION NO. 3: Staff further recommends that, upon approval of Bid 1415-50, Precision Concrete Cutting of Oklahoma, LLC, be authorized and appointed as project agent via Resolution R-1415-93.