HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-02-2015 C6 Sinsheimer Pool Re-Plaster and Re-Tile Specification No.91208City of San Luis Obispo, Council Agenda Report, Meeting Date, Item Number
FROM: Daryl R. Grigsby, Director of Public Works
Prepared By: Manny Guzman, Engineer III
SUBJECT: SINSHEIMER POOL RE-PLASTER AND RE-TILE SPECIFICATION NO.
91208
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Approve plans and specifications for the Sinsheimer Pool Replaster and Retile Project,
Specification No. 91208.
2. Authorize staff to advertise for bids, and authorize the City Manager to award the contract if the
lowest responsible bid is within the Engineer’s Estimate of $443,000 and the 2015-16 budget
appropriation is approved by Council.
3. Authorize change orders for project acceleration if funding is available, in conformance with the
City’s Change Order policy limits.
DISCUSSION
Background and Reasons for Project at this Time
The Sinsheimer Pool (Pool) was last re-plastered and re-tiled in 1998. A good pool re-plaster is
expected to provide a 10 to 15 year life span. The existing pool plaster is now 17 years old and
has deteriorated significantly. Degradation can be seen on several areas of the Pool’s “shell”
where the plaster is pockmarked with a roughened surface. Without a re-plastering of the Pool’s
concrete shell, its structural integrity will be compromised. The plaster provides a protective
layer between the pool water and the reinforced concrete structure, protecting it from damage.
Unfortunately, worn, rough plaster also provides a foothold for bacteria and algae growth, a
potential health issue to the Pool’s users. The consequences of which would be a pool closure.
Prior to the 1998 re-plastering, the San Luis Obispo Public Health Department (SLOPHD)
notified the City of a potential pool closure due to the deteriorated condition of the Pool’s shell
plaster.
Other significant maintenance will occur with this re-plastering project. The existing underwater
lights, original to the Pool’s construction (35 plus years old), are no longer repairable. The lights
will be replaced. Failure of the lights result in a dark and unsafe facility particularly for users in
the early hours of the day and at night resulting in much shorter hours of operation during certain
times of the year. Additionally, upgrades to the existing drain system are necessary to meet
Federal law (the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (Safety Act)), which went into
effect on December 19, 2008. The Safety Act requires that all public pools be equipped with
anti-entrapment drain covers. Without the necessary upgrades to the existing drain system, the
County Department of Health will not issue the needed permits to complete this project.
Project Scope
This project consists of plaster and tile removal and replacement, structural repair to the Pool shell,
drain inlet modifications, and light replacement. Plaster replacement is expected to protect the
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Sinsheimer Pool Replaster and Retile, Specification No. 91208 Page 2
pool’s concrete shell for another 15 years. The tile and marker replacement includes upgrading the
tile to a slip resistant surface, which is required by the building code. The upgrade of the existing
drain system will meet the requirements of the Safety Act and eliminate the potential for a swimmer
to be held under water by the suction power of the drain system. Lastly, a total of 28 new LED
lights that illuminate the inside of the pool will be installed. The new LED Fixtures use less power
and last longer than the conventional fixtures.
Impact of Pool Closure On Users
The rehabilitation of the City’s pool is scheduled to start at the end of August, with work
extending into December. This will impact all of the City’s aquatics programs including lap
swimming, swim lessons, San Luis Obispo and Mission College Prep high school programs, the
San Luis Obispo Seahawks swim team, and SCUBA on a daily basis. August is the traditional
time for the SLO Swim Center to close, upon completion of lessons and recreation swimming.
Typically, the closure will last about two weeks and is scheduled to miss the peak summer use
period. Users have been notified of this potential impact by staff with promises of precise date
upon construction contract award.
The therapy pool is planned to remain open to the public during the Pool’s construction period.
This will allow patrons to utilize the therapy pool for some private youth swim lessons and other
general therapeutic uses. This will also allow the Parks and Recreation staff to retain some
lifeguards for when the Pool reopens – as it is important to retain trained and experienced guards.
Since the duration of the closure is four months, Parks and Recreation staff anticipates that some
users may shift to other area facilities and that we could experience some customer base changes
at reopening.
While this type of lengthy maintenance project has a disruptive impact on the regular users of
SLO Swim Center, it is essential to preventing an emergency shutdown of the facility in the
event of a pool shell failure or bacterial contamination. This project has been scheduled in an
attempt to minimize the number of users affected. The City has a number of dedicated year-
round swimmers, so any closure for necessary maintenance will impact members of the public.
The project specifications include some elements to expedite the project, including liquidated
damages of $800 for each day work continues past the scheduled project finish date. The amount
accounts for the cost of staffing the project longer and the lost revenue resulting from the
extended pool closure.
Staff is requesting authorization to pay for project acceleration via a change order, in the event
bids come in sufficiently low to leave adequate funds for that effort. Staff will work with the
contractor, after schedule submittal, to determine where acceleration is feasible and effective in
providing an earlier finish date. Staff believes restoring pool availability as soon as possible is
important to all the affected programs and users, in addition to retaining the pool’s clientele.
Costs associated with acceleration would be handled within the City’s purchasing policy
guidelines for construction contract change orders.
Impacts of a Pool Closure During the Drought
The Pool contains approximately 600,000 gallons of water. One of the first tasks during
construction will be to drain the Pool’s water into the City’s sanitary sewer. During this current
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Sinsheimer Pool Replaster and Retile, Specification No. 91208 Page 3
drought year this could understandably be perceived by the public as a significant and avoidable
loss of water. Unfortunately, although the Pool’s chlorine amounts can be reduced, the water has
a very high salt concentration as a result of the chemical stabilization used to keep it clean and
clear for swimming. This high salt level is detrimental to most vegetation, including turf, and can
kill some plants. Pools are typically drained to the sanitary sewer, which is what is planned for
this project. The City’s advanced treatment capabilities will enable the water to be returned to the
community for use through the recycled water program.
Although the Pool requires 600,000 gallons to be full and operational, it should be noted that the
biggest user of water at the SLO Swim Center is not the pool itself but the users who shower
before and after their swims. The City is expected to save over 1.5 million gallons of water
during the closure of the main pool through the construction period. This savings is the result of
reduced shower and some Pool water use that ordinarily occurs. While swimmers will obviously
be impacted by a temporary loss of this facility, the water savings will help the City comply with
the State mandated water cut backs, and make up for the loss of the 600,000 gallons emptied
from the pool. The net impact is therefore an expected savings of 900,000 gallons of water.
CONCURRENCES
The scheduling of this project has the concurrence of the City’s Parks and Recreation
Department. The project has received a Notice of Exemption and is categorically exempt from
environmental review as it is a repair of an existing facility.
FISCAL IMPACT
This project is identified on pages 3-425 to 3-427 of the 2013-15 Financial Plan. The project
includes a construction budget of $255,000 and $55,000 for construction management services.
Additional construction funding of $266,000 and $24,000 is proposed in the 2015-17 Financial
Plan to support this project. If approved, this additional funding will bring the total funding
available to $521,000 for construction and $79,000 for construction management services.
The estimated project cost increase for this project is due to a more thorough and detailed cost
analysis. It is not uncommon for preliminary cost estimates to increase as the design progresses.
In addition, the final estimated project cost for this project includes additional work not
identified in the preliminary estimate.
The proposed project will not be awarded until after the start of the new fiscal year. If Council
approves the additional funding for this project requested in the 2015-17 Financial Plan, the
award of the project will be processed. If the additional funding is not approved or if funding is
approved but not sufficient to support this project’s needs, staff will recommend rejection of
bids.
The project is recommended for approval to advertise in advance of final budget adoption to
allow the start of construction to occur during the month of August. This start date coincides
with the annual routine maintenance of pool equipment and is when swim center usage is lowest.
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Sinsheimer Pool Replaster and Retile, Specification No. 91208 Page 4
Estimated Project Cost
Construction Estimate:$443,000
Contingencies:$74,000
Material Testing:$3,500
Printing:$500
Total Estimates Project Cost:$521,000
Sinsheimer Pool Replaster and Retile Project (91208)
ATTACHMENTS
Vicinity Map
AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW IN THE COUNCIL OFFICE
Plans and Specifications
t:\council agenda reports\2015\2015-06-02\sinsheimer pool replaster and retile spec. 91208(grigsby-guzman)\91208 advertise - sinsheimer pool replaster & retile.doc
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