Oxnard staff recommend $2.77 million for Beautification and Cleanup Project, cite low bid from CS Legacy Construction

Public Works staff recommended that the Oxnard City Council approve $2,765,624.79 in project funds and authorize the mayor to execute a construction agreement with CS Legacy Construction Inc. for the Oxnard Beautification and Cleanup Project (specification PW2462). The staff presentation identified CS Legacy Construction Inc. as the apparent low bidder at $2,506,996.79 and proposed a project contingency and related budget actions.

The recommendation, presented by a Public Works staff member, asked the council to: approve a total of $2,765,624.79 in project funds; authorize the mayor to execute an agreement with CS Legacy Construction Inc. in the amount of $2,506,996.79 and approve a project contingency amount of $129,314 for a not-to-exceed value of $2,636,296.79; allocate $129,314 as a project allocation; authorize up to $1,600,000 in a budget appropriation and transfer into capital outlay fund 301; approve $1,074,578 in fiscal year 2024–25 project budget appropriations consisting of $870,000 of available fund balance from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Fund 320 and $204,578 from the tax allocation bond/project area fund 315; and authorize the Public Works director to apply for a turf replacement rebate program up to $638,500 with “Metropolitan operations” if awarded.

Staff described the project scope as removing existing turf and selected plant material at five parks and the Camino del Sol Community Gardens and replacing them with water-efficient landscaping, interpretive signage, updated irrigation, decomposed granite walkways and plazas, ADA-compliant parking and pavement markings, seating, and other site furnishings. The parks named for the scope were Del Sol Park, Lemonwood Park, Rudolph Beck Memorial Park, South Winds Park and the Camino del Sol Community Gardens. At Del Sol Community Gardens the project would add decorative and chain-link fencing, lighting, mulch, garden-art columns and 27 new plots.

Staff said the project implements recommendations in the city’s 2021 Parks and Recreation Master Plan to convert turf to native or conservation landscapes, reduce maintenance frequency and water use, and provide potential outdoor classroom space where parks border schools. The city contracted with the Merito Foundation to lead the project’s education component; staff also said a nonprofit (noted in the presentation as the “Bridal nonprofit organization”) supported outreach by working with 2,638 youth and volunteers through 44 cleanup events.

Staff reported the procurement history: the notice inviting formal bids was published on Feb. 6, 2025, and posted on the city’s website and other platforms and distributed to 30 registered contractors. All bids were opened on March 25, 2025. The presentation listed the following bids: CS Legacy Construction Inc., $2,506,996.79; CSI Services, $3,455,360.00. Staff said the project has partial funding from three grants and other sources, including a Caltrans Clean California grant (listed in the presentation as providing $900,000), a USDA Urban Agriculture grant of $93,000, and a turf rebate program amount of $638,500, supplemented by internal public works funds and year-end recovery funds. Staff reported the city has been reimbursed $786,016.85 so far from a $3,549,128 Clean California grant award and said it expects about $20,000 more in reimbursements.

Staff warned of a Caltrans reimbursement deadline, saying Caltrans will not allow reimbursement after June 30, 2025. In the presentation, staff attributed delays in spending the grant to multiple solicitation cycles (the RFP was issued three times before a contractor responded), internal plan-check timelines and iterations with the designer, and procurement lead times. Staff also noted an estimate from the Parks and Recreation Master Plan that converting 30% of the city’s turf could save an estimated $500,000 annually; staff described this project as an initial pilot toward that goal.

The staff presentation recommended incorporation of the Oxnard Beautification and Cleanup Project into the adopted 2024–2029 Capital Improvement Program and the Del Sol Community Garden Activation Project into the 2025–2029 CIP. Staff also requested authorization to seek a turf-replacement rebate if available.

The transcript of the presentation records the staff recommendation and project details but does not record a City Council vote or formal approval. The presentation ended with staff asking the council to approve the listed appropriations and contract authorization; no council action or vote is included in the provided transcript.