Council awards street rehabilitation contract to SQL Contractors; HUD funding and Section 3 compliance noted

The Hawaiian Gardens City Council on March 12 voted unanimously to award a construction contract to SQL Contractors for the fiscal‑year arterial and residential street rehabilitation project and to proceed with planned construction in spring 2025.

City staff reported the project scope includes cold milling existing asphalt, overlaying the full street width with asphalt rubber hot mix, crack sealing, repairing curbs and gutters, replacing damaged sidewalks and driveway approaches, installing ADA‑compliant curb ramps, refreshing striping and replacing vehicle loop detectors. The presentation named Norwalk Boulevard (from Carson to Centralia) and 220 Third Street (from Belcher to Wartam) among the streets included for fiscal year 2023–24 work; staff said subsequent phases will cover Carson Street as part of the 2024–25 rehabilitation program.

Staff said the city received eight sealed bids and identified SQL Contractors (Santa Fe Springs, California) as the lowest responsive bidder. The staff report indicated the project will use HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding and is subject to Section 3 requirements; staff said SQL Contractors met Section 3 bidding requirements and preferences as documented in the bid analysis.

The staff report included a numeric bid amount that is unclear in the meeting transcript; staff described SQL Contractors as the lowest responsive bidder and recommended awarding the contract. The council approved the recommendation on a unanimous roll call: Council Member Farfan — yes; Council Member Roa — yes; Council Member Vargas — yes; Mayor De Pala — yes.

Staff told the council construction planning is expected to begin in April or May 2025. The staff report also noted that Carson Street rehabilitation is part of the next fiscal‑year program and not included in the current award.