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El Cerrito awards swim-center parking contract; bids come in below engineer estimate, adds EV-charger planning
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Summary
The council awarded a construction contract for swim-center accessible parking improvements (C3050.10) after receiving 12 bids; the apparent low bidder was markedly below the engineer's estimate, staff recommended a 15% change-order allowance, and the project funding gap is to be covered from the general-fund balance.
The City Council voted to award the construction contract for the Swim Center accessible parking improvements project (City Project C3050.10) after a public presentation and Q&A on Feb. 3.
Public Works Director Yvette Ortiz summarized the project scope, which includes reconstructing ADA parking to current codes, improving paths of travel, repaving parking lots and pathways, installing required stormwater treatment, and adding electrical infrastructure for two dual-port EV charging stations as an additive alternate. Staff noted that the project was advertised in December and received 12 bids on opening day. (Yvette Ortiz)
The apparent low bidder, Gray Tech, submitted a base bid plus alternates of approximately $662,000, well below the engineer’s estimate of about $995,000. Ortiz said staff reviewed responsiveness and references and determined Gray Tech to be the lowest responsible and responsive bidder; staff recommended awarding the contract and authorizing a roughly 15% ($100,000) change-order allowance. Councilmember Motoyama asked about vetting the low bid; Ortiz described reference checks and the role of Swinerton (construction manager) in oversight. (Yvette Ortiz)
Funding and schedule: Council had previously approved $883,000 in funding for design and construction; with the new bid, staff reported a revised overall estimate of about $1,600,000 for both replastering and parking phases and asked to appropriate approximately $607,000 additional general‑fund unassigned balance to cover the work. The council approved the contract award, the change‑order authorization, and the requested appropriation by roll call. (Council action)
Public comment and grants: A resident asked whether the entire parking lot would be closed and whether a grant will fund EV chargers. Ortiz said staff would work with the contractor to minimize public impact, confirmed the city is applying for EV charging grants, and said the pool replastering and related improvements would be timed to minimize revenue impacts with winter scheduling. (Betsy Basher; Yvette Ortiz)
Why it matters: The award moves rehabilitation and ADA upgrades forward for the swim center and includes planning for EV charging and stormwater compliance; the low bid materially reduced the projected cost relative to the engineer estimate but required appropriation from city unassigned general‑fund balance to complete the overall program.
Next steps: Construction is anticipated to begin later this month with completion aimed for June; staff will manage scheduling and public notifications to reduce disruption and will pursue grant funding for EV charging stations.
