District recommends $66,959 contract to inspect pool structural steel; work requires specialized scaffolding

District staff recommended awarding contracts for specialized scaffolding and selective demolition to allow structural engineers to inspect the pool’s structural steel. Aaron Phillips of McCarthy and Smith, the district’s construction manager, and operations staff reported that public bids opened Sept. 3 produced six total bids; the apparent low bidders were DKI International, Inc. (selective demolition) and Seaway Scaffolding and Equipment (scaffolding). Aaron Phillips said the work involves erecting scaffolding in the pool basin, performing selective demolition of bulkhead components and then constructing additional scaffold levels so inspectors can examine top girders. Phillips described the approach as “surgical,” and said temporary floor protection and plastic enclosures will be used to avoid residual damage. Josh (operations staff) and Phillips said the recommended contract award total is $66,959, which they said was about $20,000 below a preliminary budget estimate. Staff said letters of intent would be issued after a subsequent board meeting and that work would start according to the structural engineers’ availability; a November inspection window was mentioned as an engineer availability date. On timing, staff told trustees that moving the award earlier would not necessarily accelerate the engineer’s scheduled inspection and could increase rental costs for scaffolding if left in place longer. Board members asked about the range of bids and why some demolition bids varied greatly; Phillips said market conditions and individual bidder backlogs commonly produce wide variance. Trustees also questioned protections for pool finishes; Phillips said scaffolding placements will include floor protection and containment. Staff did not record a contract award vote at this meeting; they said the recommendation would come back for formal award after post-bid interviews and administrative review.