Avalon hears design-build pitch for Cabrillo Mole terminal; staff outlines two-stage procurement

Avalon city staff opened a special meeting to brief the council on a progressive design-build delivery for the proposed Cabrillo Mole terminal, saying the procurement splits the work into two stages: Stage 1 (design development) and Stage 2 (final design and construction). Staff said three design-build teams met the RFQ threshold and that the city is seeking a team for Stage 1 that can continue through Stage 2 while preserving council oversight and budgetary control.

"Because this is the 1st of 3 presentations that we're gonna have regarding this, we wanted to give council a brief ... of where we're at in this project," a staff member said during the opening remarks. Trestle Companies’ Brian Prock introduced the consultant team and said Trestle would lead early-stage project management while the contractor would assume construction responsibilities: "My name is Brian Prock. I'm president of Trestle Companies," he said. Prock noted prior island work and emphasized the team's experience with island logistics and high‑durability designs.

Representatives from AJ Paddleford and Son made a team presentation describing how the progressive design-build approach supports early collaboration among the city, contractor and architect and helps the city retain budgetary control through the design process. The presenters stressed that public access and ferry operations would be maintained during construction and that 3D modeling tools would be used throughout design to vet material and circulation alternatives. Staff directed that the RFQ materials and an FAQ be posted on the city's project page for ongoing public questions and updates.

The presentation set up subsequent, itemized council questions about contingency funding, permitting and the preferred structural approach; those topics were discussed in follow-up exchanges with the Paddleford team.