Council approves $511,520 purchase of furniture for Gardena Community Aquatic & Senior Center using federal CPF grant

The Gardena City Council on Sept. 9 approved the purchase of furniture and related furnishings for the Gardena Community Aquatic & Senior Center from DNR OfficeWorks Inc. under the OMNIA cooperative purchasing agreement for $511,519.87. Staff said the purchase covers furnishings for the center’s senior day-care program, programming rooms, computer lab, offices, senior lounge, reading room and outdoor patios. The expenditures align with the community project funding (CPF) grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through congressional office channels; staff said the purchase will not affect the general fund. Staff described the OMNIA cooperative contract as a competitively procured lead-agency agreement that allows public entities to “piggyback” on an existing solicitation to obtain compliant pricing. The staff report included a 20% contingency allotment to ensure the facility is fully operational and that necessary items are not omitted. Councilmembers asked whether the selected furniture met ergonomic and ADA requirements for seniors and other users; staff confirmed the selections comply with ergonomic standards and ADA requirements and said DNR OfficeWorks is an authorized OMNIA vendor that has been vetted by other public agencies. The motion to approve the furniture purchase (agenda item 18(a)) passed unanimously: Mayor Serta, Mayor Pro Tem Henderson, Councilmembers Tanaka, Francis and Love. Discussion vs. decision: council questions about ergonomic suitability and ADA compliance were discussion; council took the formal action to approve the purchase (decision). Staff said the CPF grant funds the purchase and no general-fund impact is expected.