Gardena council approves $360,000 contract for Gardena Boulevard revitalization after debate over consultant costs
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Summary
The Gardena City Council approved a two‑year, not‑to‑exceed $360,000 contract with Willdan Engineering to administer a $2 million Gardena Boulevard revitalization fund, after councilmembers pressed staff on how much of the donated funds would be eaten by consultant administration and whether in‑house options were feasible.
The Gardena City Council on Nov. 18 approved a two‑year contract with Willdan Engineering for up to $360,000 to manage the Gardena Boulevard revitalization program, a project funded by a $2 million donation intended to finance façade improvements for roughly 50–60 commercial properties.
The contract, presented by the city manager, would fund construction management, bid and contract administration, labor‑compliance oversight and up to two community outreach meetings. Community Development Manager Greg (first name used in the transcript) told the council the $360,000 would be reimbursed from the $2 million revitalization fund and that the city previously paid $10,000 for renderings. “Oh, none of it has been spent yet,” Greg said when asked how much of the $2 million had already been used.
Council member Love pressed staff on the share of the donated money devoted to consulting. Love noted the $10,000 rendering payment and asked whether spending roughly $370,000 on consulting left “enough money to make a difference” on façade work. Council member Francis raised similar concerns, urging staff to consider less expensive ways to deliver similar services so more of the donated funds could go toward construction.
Staff and others replied that the contract’s administration cost is within a normal range for similar programs. The community development manager and other staff said administration typically runs about 18–20% of a program budget; the proposed contract came in at about 18% of the $2 million. Staff explained that a consultant can provide a bundled set of skills—procurement, labor compliance, inspection and project management—that the city does not have on‑hand and that hiring temporary in‑house personnel would likely cost as much or more and create recruitment and CalPERS complications.
Mayor Pro Tem Henderson and other supporters framed the consultant role as a compliance and risk‑mitigation step. Henderson said the Economic Business Advisory Council (GBAC) was involved in shaping the program and noted outside help can prevent the city from having to pay back state or federal funds if grants are mismanaged.
Council discussed the program design: staff said earlier guidelines allowed grants up to $30,000 per applicant and that the remaining balance after the contract would be sufficient to support roughly 53–54 businesses if every eligible business participated. City staff emphasized that the consultant would administer grants to private property owners and manage the bidding and inspection of private contractors; public works would retain responsibility for city‑owned infrastructure tasks such as lighting, if pursued separately.
A motion to award the contract, made by Mayor Pro Tem Henderson and seconded by Council member Tanaka, passed unanimously (5–0: Serta, Henderson, Tanaka, Francis, Love).
What happens next: With the award approved, staff will finalize the agreement with Willdan Engineering and proceed with the procurement and outreach steps needed to invite façade applications from property owners along Gardena Boulevard. The council also discussed the general option of considering a retainer model for future multi‑project management but did not adopt any new policy on that point tonight.
