Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bell council approves park-design grant, multiple construction contracts and holiday name change
Summary
Council accepted an LA County Measure A planning & design grant for Ernest Depp's Park, awarded contracts for the James George Bell House repairs and demolition at 6303 Pine Ave., extended several service contracts, and approved renaming the city-recognized holiday from Cesar Chavez Day to Farm Workers Day; roll-call votes were recorded for each item.
The Bell City Council on March 25 voted on a cluster of business items, approving a planning-and-design grant for Ernest Depp's Park, awarding construction contracts for several local projects, extending service contracts and changing the name of a city-recognized holiday.
Grant acceptance: Staff reported the city received a Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District (Measure A) planning/design award to support community outreach and design work for Ernest Depp's Park. The council adopted a resolution accepting the grant; staff read the award amount from the report (transcript text reads as '498,000, and $73'); the motion carried by roll call with Council Member Quintana, Council Member Romero and Vice Mayor Arroyo voting yes and Council Member Flores absent; staff said outreach and design activities will proceed this spring and summer.
Construction contracts and awards: The council awarded a $164,000 construction contract (plus 10% contingency) for exterior repairs, lead-based paint abatement and painting at the historic James George Bell House, funded with ARPA community-service program funds. Council discussion probed contract exhibits and performance bonds; the city attorney said the office had reviewed contract forms and exhibits would be completed as appropriate after award. The council approved the award by roll call (recorded votes in the transcript show affirmative votes with Flores absent).
The council also approved a demolition and site-clearance contract for city-owned property at 6303 Pine Avenue for about $53,777 (plus a 10% contingency), to clear the vacant site for future use. The award was made to the lowest responsive bidder and approved by roll call.
Service contracts: Council approved Amendment No. 3 with TransTech Engineers to extend building-official and plan-check services for one year (April 27, 2026–April 27, 2027). TransTech will continue under the revenue-sharing arrangement described in staff reports. Separately, council extended the city's false-alarm-management contract with PM AM Corporation for one year; staff projected roughly $30,000 annually from the program, noting $13,000 year-to-date receipts as of the staff report.
Holiday name change: The council voted to rename the city-recognized holiday designation from 'Cesar Chavez Day' to 'Farm Workers Day,' an administrative name change staff said matches recent state guidance and carries no payroll or closure implications.
All business items were handled with roll-call votes recorded on the record; Council member Flores was noted absent on votes recorded in the transcript. Where the transcript listed specific vote tallies, the record showed unanimous approval among present members.
