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Glendale council approves $35,000 amendment for Fremont Park design contract
Summary
The City Council approved an amendment to a professional services agreement with David Valtz Design to add $35,000 for additional design and construction-management services for the Fremont Park renovation, after staff explained scope increases and a public speaker raised concerns about repeated contract increases.
The Glendale City Council on Sept. 9 approved a $35,000 amendment to a professional services agreement for design and construction documents for the Fremont Park renovation, increasing the total contract with David Valtz Design Landscaping Architects to a not-to-exceed $1,333,214.
Council members voted to add the money after staff said the project’s scope and construction needs grew during final phases. The motion to approve the amendment passed on a unanimous roll call.
The change was announced as consent calendar item 4f. City staff said design-work and construction management needs expanded after award, including on-site revisions and replacement of nonfunctioning equipment, and that contingency caps of 5–10% are used but can be exceeded when unforeseen conditions arise.
Beth Brooks, a member of the public, urged the council to tighten contract negotiation and oversight. “It seems like every week, there’s more…who is negotiating these contracts?” she said, asking whether the city could cap consultant increases or pursue more competitive bidding in the future.
Council members asked staff for additional information about consultant fees as a share of total project cost and whether tighter caps on professional-service increases were feasible. Staff replied the city typically includes contingency caps, negotiates fees, and requires council approval when those amounts are exceeded; they also said some additional services were required because of equipment that “wasn’t functioning the way it should have.”
Vote at a glance - Item: Amendment to PSA C106224 with David Valtz Design Landscaping Architects - Motion: Authorize amendment increasing the contract by $35,000 to a total not to exceed $1,333,214 - Mover: Council member Kosakian (recorded in discussion) - Outcome: Approved (unanimous roll call recorded)
What’s next Staff will proceed under the amended contract. Council members requested follow-up information about the breakdown of consultant fees versus construction costs and to review options for setting or clarifying caps on consultant fee increases on large projects.
Evidence: The amendment and the public comment were announced in the council packet (consent item 4f). The consultant and contract number were read into the record and a public comment from Beth Brooks raised procurement and oversight concerns. The council then voted to approve the amendment.
