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La Verne awards $489,000 contract to upgrade Fire Station No. 1 living quarters
Summary
The council approved a $489,000 construction contract (with up to 10% in change orders) to reconfigure and gender‑comply sleeping quarters at Fire Station No. 1; staff recommended the award after rejecting noncompliant bids and identified a $243,750 budget appropriation to fill the gap.
The La Verne City Council voted Feb. 17 to award a construction contract to First Trade LLC (dba YMC) for improvements to the living quarters at Fire Station No. 1, including reconfiguration of sleeping areas to provide greater privacy and gender compliance.
Chief engineer Cody Holling told the council the station dates to 1979 and that the proposed work is primarily interior, concentrated on the second floor. The project would create two new sleeping quarters, add a bathroom and provide a captain’s office. Holling said the engineers’ estimate had been $400,000, the bid process attracted multiple bidders but two low bids were rejected for incompleteness; the recommended bidder’s price is $489,000 and staff requested authorization for change orders not to exceed 10% (total construction budget of $537,900).
Holling also asked the council to appropriate $243,750 to close the project funding gap. “We’re approaching this as a hybrid construction plan so the fire station can remain operational 24/7 while work occurs in phases,” Holling said, describing temporary on-site accommodations and a 180-working-day contract timeline.
Councilmembers pressed staff on schedule and on-site logistics for a 24-hour facility; Holling said work would be phased so crews could sleep in different areas as construction progressed. After no public comments, councilmember Cashel Fagita moved to approve the award; Councilmember Crosby seconded the motion and the council approved Item 9 by roll call, 5–0.
The contract includes a construction-management and inspection purchase order of up to $40,740 to RKA Consulting Group and staff noted that two originally submitted bids were rejected because required bid documents were incomplete. The project will proceed once contracts are executed and the temporary facilities and alarm coordination with the county are in place.
Staff estimated procurement and mobilization would begin within a few weeks of contract execution; full construction is expected to require 180 working days subject to weather and material delays.
