Oxnard staff recommends $10.4 million La Colonia resurfacing contract with Toro Enterprises

Tamara Flynn, the project manager for public project agreement 32600042, told the Oxnard City Council that city staff recommends awarding a construction contract to Toro Enterprises and approving a total project budget of $10,398,673.15 for a package of local street, sidewalk and pedestrian-safety improvements.

The recommended action would authorize an agreement with Toro Enterprises for $8,665,561.15, a project contingency of $866,556 (about 10 percent of the contract amount) and an additional 10 percent allowance for engineering, inspection, survey and project management. Staff told the council the project combines neighborhood street resurfacing, La Colonia Phase 3, Colonia Road and Tonita Avenue sidewalk improvements, and pedestrian crossing enhancements at Ramona Elementary School.

Staff said the work will include milling and overlay, slurry seal, placement of asphalt rubberized hot mix, asphalt rubber aggregate membrane, crack repair, excavation and reconstruction of failed pavement areas, replacement and reconstruction of Americans with Disabilities Act curb ramps (including new ADA-compliant bulb-outs), concrete repairs, adjusting utility covers to finished grade, removal and replacement of street name signs, new storm drain pipe and catch basins, high-visibility crosswalks with rapid-flashing beacons, fence relocation and traffic striping. The project is tentatively scheduled to begin in summer 2024 and run about 100 working days (roughly five months).

Flynn said city staff identified fences encroaching into the public right of way at 27 properties inside the project area; because state and local requirements prevent completing repaving without the adjacent ADA curb-ramp work, the city decided to relocate the fences at city expense to avoid placing the cost on homeowners. Staff reported that three property owners dispute the fence locations and that the city retained a consultant to obtain title reports and litigation insurance for four properties to verify right-of-way boundaries and reduce legal risk.

City staff described the procurement: notice inviting formal bids was published on April 3, 2024, and bids were opened on May 6, 2024. The city distributed bid information to 33 contractors and received a single bid from Toro Enterprises for $8,665,561.15. Staff said they compared unit prices with recent nearby public-agency projects and found some unit prices in Toro’s bid roughly 10 percent higher than current market comparables; staff cited possible causes including pending import tariffs, unusually tight roadway geometry in La Colonia, storm-drain work specific to this location, and a large amount of concrete work. Staff also said many plan holders declined to bid because of current workloads and scheduling conflicts.

To fund the package, staff recommended adding $1,200,000 to the neighborhood street resurfacing project budget consisting of $1,000,000 transferred from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) fund, $100,000 from the water operating fund available balance, and $100,000 from the wastewater operating fund available balance, with corresponding capital outlay appropriations. Flynn said the neighborhood street resurfacing project had a current available balance of approximately $14,900,000 across funding sources; following the recommended appropriations, the available balance would be about $16,750,000, of which staff said $10,400,000 would be used for La Colonia Phase 3. Staff also identified an available balance of $580,000 for the Ramona Elementary School pedestrian enhancements and $61,000 from Transportation Development Act funds for pedestrian improvements.

Flynn said staff will continue outreach with District 3 neighborhood council members, directly notify affected residents and work with property owners to explain encroachment findings. She told the council staff expects rebidding would not yield better prices or more bidders and that delaying the work would impair the fiscal-year resurfacing program schedule.

The transcript of the staff presentation records the recommendation and project details but does not include a council vote or formal action on the contract within the provided excerpt.