Pleasant Hill SD 1 holds public hearing on CMGC exemption for high school gym seismic rehab

Pleasant Hill SD 1’s board held a public hearing March 3 on a proposal to use the construction manager/general contractor (CMGC) contracting method for seismic rehabilitation of the district’s high school gym, a project supported by a state seismic grant of $2,499,940.

Board member (speaker 2) summarized the district’s findings of fact, saying the grant requires upgrades to meet ASCE 41-17 performance levels for life safety and immediate occupancy and that unknown conditions in the 1961 gym make CMGC an appropriate procurement option. "Total grant award was $2,499,940," the board member said in the presentation. The presentation described the building as a single-story, approximately 18,600-square-foot structure with wood framing and reinforcement rings and said CMGC can allow contractor participation in design to reduce change orders and to establish a guaranteed maximum price (GMP).

The presentation cited state contracting statutes as the legal basis for an exemption from competitive bidding and outlined proposed solicitation steps: an advertised request for proposals, a pre-proposal question period, sealed proposals submitted to district representatives, independent scoring by an evaluation committee, possible finalist interviews, and negotiation by district legal counsel with a short protest window. The staff presentation also stated that project funding sources would not be adversely affected by using CMGC and emphasized safety planning for construction adjacent to occupied school spaces.

During the hearing a board attendee (speaker 5) objected to several findings, saying they were not accurately representative of her views and that she had not researched or agreed with many of the statements in the draft findings of fact. Board staff reiterated that the hearing was for presentation of findings and that formal action would take place during the related action item later on the agenda.

A retired construction professional who identified himself during the meeting (Greg, speaker 4) spoke in favor of moving forward with the project but urged caution in how CMGC is executed. Drawing on experience with Pleasant Hill and other projects, he said CMGC can add valuable constructability input but has evolved in practice to include large contingencies built into GMPs. Greg recommended waiting until design is complete before issuing early trade packages, requiring competitive bids for trade packages where appropriate, and hiring an owner's representative to independently track budgets and evaluate change-order claims (he mentioned Cornerstone as an example used on a prior project). He concluded, "Proceed with caution." (paraphrased)

Board discussion and public comments repeatedly emphasized that success depends on selecting an experienced contractor and on strong owner oversight; several speakers noted that a GMP typically prices in potential change orders rather than eliminating them. The hearing closed with staff noting that the board would consider an action item on the CMGC exemption later in the meeting.

The board has not yet taken a formal vote on the CMGC exemption during the hearing portion of the meeting; action was scheduled as a later agenda item. The public record includes the findings presented, the statutory basis cited for an exemption, and the public commenters’ recommendations about procurement safeguards.