11. Community Hall fountain retrofitCUPERTINO
Summary
PUBLIC WORKS DEPAR'TMEN I'
AGENDA ITEM ~ t _ AGENDA DATE December 16_ 2008
SUBJECT AND ISSUE
Awazd of a contract for the Community Hall Fountain Retrofit Project to Pacific Water Art Inc.
in the amount $190,000.00 with a construction contingency in the amount of $30,000.00_
BACKGROUND
Fazly in 2008, the County of Santa Claza Public Health Department began to investigate
concerns about the presence of the parasite, Cr,rptosporidium, in public interactive fountains.
Cryptosporidium can be introduced into water as. the result of fecal matter coming into contact
with a water system and creating the possibility o.F sever intestinal distress that is sometimes fatal
to small children and older adults_
During the course of this investigation, the Cou~aty concluded that whether or not the parasite
was detected in the water, all fountains that had an interactive feature, i.e., allowing humans and
potentially a*»mals to engage in activities that brought them info direct and intense contact with
the fountain water, must be modified to treat the ~,~vater with ultra violet light to kill any potential
parasites.
The County Counsel's Office subsequently issued a directive that required any fountain in this
category to have an appropriate W treatment system to ensure no exposure to the
Cryptosporidium pazasite. The Community Hall fountain is, unfortunately, the exact type of
fountain to which this requirement is directed. Continuoi,c bi-weekly testing has not revealed any
presence of the Cryptosporidium pazasite_ However, in response #o the County directive, the City
had no alternative but to shut down the fountain to public access, although it continues to be
operated briefly in the early morning several times a week to ensure the proper maintenance of
the system.
Staff engaged the services of several consultants to evaluate the current system and recommend
appropriate actions to address the problem as dei'med by the County_ At the time, it was hoped
that the fountain could be expeditiously retrofitted with a treatment system so that the
community could enjoy it for at least some portion of the summer.
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This however proved to be a much larger and more complex task than anticipated_ Many aspects
of the solution were discovered and evaluated up to and including the potential for an entirely
new underground pump vault in the plaza_ It was also discovered that to install the treatment
system, there would have to be major modifications to the electrical system which also affected
the Community Hall_ All these had the potential to greatly increase the cost of the project. Staff
recommended and Council approved a budget of $400,000 in the 2008-2009 Capital
Improvement Program.
Once the problems were overcome, the engineers estimate for construction was $280,000 and
therefore within the budget approved by the Council. Staff then completed the bid package and
advertised the project.
Report of Bids Received
On November 20, 2008 the City received bids for this project as follows:
Bidder Base Bid Difference
Engineer's Estimate $ 280,000_00
Aquatic Environment, Inc_ $ 258,750A0 (8%)
Pacific Water Art Inc. $ 190,OOOAO (32%)
The total current costs estimated for the project based on the low bids are as follows:
Engineering Services $ 75,000
Construction 190,000
Construction Contingency 30.000
Total Combined Project $ 295,000
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Award of a contract for the Community Hail Fountain Retrofit Project to Pacific Water Art. Inc_
in the amount $190,000.00 with a construction contingency in the amount of $30,000.00.
Submitted by:
Approved for submission:
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Ralph A. Qualls, Jr. ~~~ vid W. Knapp
Director of Public Works City Manager
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