HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/18/2003, C3 - BUS MAINTENANCE FACILITY IMPROVEMENT: BUS WASH SPECIFICATION NO. 99601B council, "gbh° fnber 18,2003
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C I T Y OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
FROM: Michael D. McCluskey,Public Works Director Pjk.
Prepared By: Bridget Fraser,Associate Engineer
SUBJECT: BUS MAINTENANCE FACILITY IMPROVEMENT: BUS WASH
SPECIFICATION NO. 99601B
CAO RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Approve the plans and specifications for "Bus Maintenance Facility Improvement: Bus Wash;
Specification No. 99601B," authorize the soliciting of bids
2. Authorize contract award and final bid alternate prioritization by the City Administrative Officer
if the lowest responsible bid plus accepted deductive bid alternates is within the Engineer's
Construction Cost Estimate.
3. Cover estimated project costs by appropriating $133,000 from the unappropriated balance of the
Transit Fund.
DISCUSSION
The original mid-1980's design of the bus maintenance facility called for four service bays,
including one bay with a bus washer and wash water recycling system. Due to budget constraints, at
the time, the original construction plans were revised to eliminate two of the service bays and add an
exterior bus wash as a bid alternate,. The plans were further downscaled when the construction
contract was awarded without the bus wash bid alternate. On a temporary basis, a small area in the
parking lot was created to hand wash the buses. This smaller facility, built in 1987, was adequate for
the SLO Transit fleet at that time, which included only eight buses. Since then the SLO Transit fleet
has grown to 17 buses and two trolleys, all of which are still being hand washed in the parking lot
more than 15 years later.
As stated, the transit contractor still washes each vehicle with a hose and hand brush in a makeshift
wash area in the parking lot. This labor-intensive, time-consuming process wastes water, and the
uncovered wash area is inconsistent with Municipal Code 13.08.130, which disallows storm water,
discharges into the sewer and polluted discharges into storm drains. Also, the current hand washing
method does not comply with the adopted Short Range Transit Plan that recommends, at a
minimum, washing the front and back of each vehicle daily and the entire exterior weekly. This level
of attention is not feasible with hand washing.
The proposed project includes a sheltered automatic drive through bus wash system that will allow
quicker, more thorough washings..The wash system also includes a wash water recovery system to
recycle and reuse the wash water as well as a reverse osmosis system to provide a "spot free" rinse.
A roof and splash walls will shelter the wash bay and equipment and prevent storm water from
entering the sewer system.
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Council Agenda Report—Bus Maintenance Facility Improvement: Bus Wash,No. 99601B
Page 2
In the early 1990's, funding was sought to finally implement the exterior bus wash facility and an
additional maintenance bay. When funding approvals were received, the two projects were
incorporated into the City 1995-97 budget. At the direction of the Transit Manager the two projects
were merged and a design was completed that attempted to provide a dual-purpose
wash/maintenance bay attached to the existing maintenance structure. Due to seismic
considerations, the attached maintenance bay cost estimates were substantially above the funding
available and the Transit Manager withdrew the project for further consideration. Unfortunately,
this fell during a time of uncertainty about the role of the Transit Manager as the City was debating
whether the City's transit system and the County system should be merged. Both agencies agreed to
hold their respective positions open until a direction became clear. Thus, the project languished until
last year when the current Transit Manager downscaled the original scope of work and got the
project moving again.
The revised scope of work, tailored to meet the existing construction budget of approximately
$320,000, included only a stand-alone exterior bus wash facility. and eliminated the additional
maintenance bay. The downscaled project also assumed that a roof or shelter would not be needed
and a less expensive automated valve system would divert the storm water and the wash water to the
appropriate sewer system. However, during the design process, it was determined that the
automated valve system would not be an acceptable method for diverting rainwater from entering the
sanitary sewer system or keeping dirty wash water from entering the storm drain system. This was
based on past observations of similar projects by Utilities Department staff where the use of
automated or manual diversion systems tended to fail, be poorly maintained, and, in many cases,
were deactivated or bypassed. To eliminate violations and cut down on staff inspections, other
similar vehicle wash projects in town have since been required to cover the wash bay with a
permanent roof. The extra cost to comply with the roof and supporting structure requirement is
estimated at approximately $65,000. Furthermore, because the roofed facility is considered a new
structure of over 1,000 square feet the building code requires a fire sprinkler system. Again, this was
an unanticipated cost.
To allow more flexibility in awarding a project, the plans and specifications have been set up to
include several deductive bid items. If bids come in higher than the estimate, the City will have the
ability to award a contract for the base bid less one or more of the deductive bid items. For the
purposes of award, the lowest "Total Bid," will determine the low bidder. After the low bidder is
determined, if needed, staff will review the deductive alternates to determine the best combination of
alternates to award. Staff has initially prioritized the deductive bid alternates as follows:
1. Eliminate the building parapet and internal gutters. In an effort to match the style of roof line of
the existing building the architect designed the wash shelter with a parapet and internal gutters.
The parapet and internal gutters are not a necessity and have only aesthetic value. The public will
not see the shelter due to the heavy vegetative screening against the freeway. Estimated savings:
$8,600.
2. Eliminate the wheel washers. The wheel washers include high pressure spinning jets designed to
wash the hard to reach areas of the wheels that cannot be washed with the standard rotating wall
brushes. Although staff does not recommend it, this component could be eliminated or deferred
and wheels washed by hand. Estimated savings: $15,000.
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Council Agenda Report—Bus Maintenance Facility Improvement: Bus Wash,No.99601B
Page 3
3. Eliminate the "Spot-Free" rinse components. The spot-free rinse system includes a reverse
osmosis system that provides mineral-free rinse water. Vehicles rinsed with the mineral free
water will not need to be hand dried. Another labor saving component. Again, staff does not
recommend it, but it could be eliminated or deferred and the buses dried by hand. Estimated
savings; $20,000.
CONCURRENCES
• The Community Development Department (CDD) found this project Categorical Exempt under
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
• The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) found the project Categorically Excluded under the
National Environmental Protection Act(NEPA).
• Due to the heavy vegetative screening along the freeway that shields the structure from public view,
the plans were reviewed and approved by the Community Development Department as a
Minor/Incidental Architectural Review project.
FISCAL IMPACT
This project was included in the 1995-97 Financial Plan (see pages E-9 and E-24 of the Financial
Plan and pages 110-113 of Appendix B). Appropriations have come from a combination of Federal
Transportation Administration (FTA) and Transportation Development Act (TDA) grants.
Engineer's Construction Cost Estimate $435,000
Construction Consultation 12,000
Contingencies at 10 Percent of Construction Cost 43,000
Total Project Budget Needed $4909000
Current Balance of Project Budget Available 3579633
Shortfall $1329,367
To cover this shortfall, staff is recommending a $133,000 appropriation from the unappropriated
balance of the Transit Fund. The projected working capital balance in the Transit Fund at the end of
2003-04 is $533,400.
The plans and specifications are on file in the Council Reading Room.
G:\-Cun-cnt Projects\Bldgs\99601 Bus Wash\ Documents\I-Staff Reports\99601 B CAR Adv Const2 v2.doc