Council awards Allied Building Services contract to repair DPW wall, add gate and tuckpointing

The Berkeley City Council approved a contract on March 2 to repair sections of a 75-year-old Department of Public Works brick wall, install a new gate and perform extensive tuckpointing.

Facilities manager Alex Brown outlined the work: remove approximately 120 feet of wall on the Phillips side, rebuild about 75 feet, install a roughly 40-foot gate and approach, and tuckpoint roughly 2,200–2,400 feet of existing brick wall. Brown said the work is intended to address a safety hazard, provide an additional DPW yard access point while Bacon Avenue construction begins, and establish a preventive maintenance plan to avoid recurring failures.

Brown told council he included a larger-than-normal contingency because crews may discover additional structural damage once the old brick is exposed. He said the city expects to start work within a week of approval, with the gate installation complete by mid-spring, and will use temporary fencing during demolition.

Council member Hennen and others praised the preparation and asked about outreach to adjacent neighbors; Brown said the project team will notify nearby residents of construction-related noise and dust and expects minimal day-to-day disruption. Brown also explained tuckpointing as the replacement of deteriorated mortar between bricks to prevent water intrusion and freeze-thaw damage.

The contract with Allied Building Services was approved subject to city-attorney review and execution by the city manager.

The contract award follows the council’s adoption of a budget amendment that allocates one-time funds to cover the repair and associated contingency. Staff will return documentation and any contract amendments to council if contingency use increases the project cost beyond the approved amount.