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Solano supervisors accept $19.8 million FEMA grant to protect downtown justice campus; speed, delivery and contract rules changed to meet tight deadline
Summary
The Board of Supervisors approved a $19,844,231 FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant to fund flood protection work at the downtown justice campus. The board authorized expedited procurement steps, delegation of contract authority and an exception to the county's project labor agreement policy so the project can meet a compressed 20-month federal deadline.
The Solano County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to accept a $19,844,231 Hazard Mitigation Grant Program award from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to augment funding for flood and asset-protection work at the downtown justice campus in Fairfield.
The board approved a revised project delivery approach staff said is needed because FEMA shortened the allowable period of performance to 20 months, down from the 36 months project planners had assumed. "We were awarded $19,800,000, to complete this project," General Services Director Megan Grevy told the board, and staff recommended changes to procurement and contracting to meet the tighter schedule.
The project is designed to prevent repeated stormwater and tidal flooding that has disrupted court operations, sheriff's facilities, emergency services and building systems. County staff described a package of protective measures including raised landscape berms, low retaining walls, vehicle ramps over high points, and self-raising flood gates to stop water from reaching courts, jail, related facilities and a nearby cogeneration plant.
County leaders told the board the entire project budget is roughly $33 million and that about $30 million remains to be committed; the FEMA award covers a major portion. Staff said design is complete and the project is "100% ready to go," but that award conditions require a compressed delivery schedule. Mark Hummel, capital projects division manager, told supervisors the county will shift from a traditional general-contractor delivery to issuing separate prime contracts for bundles of work so long-lead items can be ordered and site logistics started immediately. He said the change will speed work but will require extra coordination and staffing.
Because negotiating a project labor agreement (PLA) would take longer than FEMA's performance window allows, staff recommended an exception to the board's PLA policy for this project while requiring prevailing wages, verified apprenticeships and documentation of workforce standards for all contractors. "While a project labor agreement would otherwise normally be applied to the project, the performance period does not allow the time for a negotiation of a project labor agreement," Hummel told supervisors. He added the county will document compliance with prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements to meet audit obligations.
Supervisors also delegated authority to the county administrator or designee to execute grant agreements and to the general services director to solicit bids, award construction and related contracts, with county counsel concurrence, so work can start quickly if funding is accepted and the schedule confirmed.
Chair John Mashburn and other supervisors praised staff work to reach construction-ready design and urged county offices to prioritize the procurement steps and vehicle/equipment needs that Hummel said could slow work if not addressed. Grevy asked the board to help remove other administrative delays in general services procurement and human-resources processes so the county can meet FEMA's timeline.
The board approved the recommendation unanimously. Supervisors and staff said they will return with standard reporting and next steps for contract execution and project oversight.
The county's project managers said construction is intended to protect the campus from tidal and stormwater inundation and to avoid recurring disruptions to courts and public safety operations; staff emphasized the work will include access ramps and floodgates so vehicles and emergency responders can still use driveways during high-water events.
Project timeline and next steps: staff will complete contract packaging and begin procurement under the multi-prime approach; the county administrator will execute grant documents; and general services will move to award contracts and order long-lead items. County staff said they will provide further updates and procurement details to the board as contracts are executed.
