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Council awards Jean Sweeney Aquatic Center contracts after bids show higher costs; project budget rises to $40.5M
Summary
After receiving three qualified bids, Alameda's council authorized construction and professional-services contract amendments for the long-awaited Jean Sweeney Aquatic Center. Staff warned groundwater/dewatering and soil handling add risk and requested an additional appropriation that brings the project estimate to about $40.5 million.
The Alameda City Council unanimously approved three linked actions July 7 to move forward with the Jean Sweeney-area Aquatic Center: award the primary construction contract to Wickman Construction (base + contingency), amend the project manager contract (Griffin) and increase the ELS Architects agreement for preliminary design work. Recreation & Parks Director Justin Long summarized a lengthy procurement and prequalification process, explained geotechnical and groundwater constraints on the Jean Sweeney site, and recommended a $3 million construction contingency to address dewatering/soil uncertainties required by DTSC supervision.
Long said a base-construction estimate prepared in an earlier phase had been $25.35 million but current bids and required ground-improvement work raised the realistic construction cost; the staff package requested a project total of about $40.5 million including soft costs and a $3 million construction contingency. The project includes a 30-meter competition pool, activity pool, locker rooms and an electrified mechanical system; AMP offered a rebate toward electrification. Long projected the full-service facility would require an operating subsidy initially (staff estimated roughly $400,000/year) but would substantially expand year-round public programming and swim lessons that the city currently shares with the school district.
