HomeMy WebLinkAboutA001 - Council Action Form dated November 26, 2024ITEM #:26
DATE:11-26-24
DEPT:FLEET
SUBJECT:AMES CITY HALL INTERIOR UPDATES - PHASE II
COUNCIL ACTION FORM
BACKGROUND:
In 1990, City Hall was remodeled from its previous use as a school building. At that time most of the
walls were wallpapered or painted, and the majority of the offices, conference rooms, Council
Chambers, and hallways were carpeted. Over the past three decades, the finishes of many areas of the
building have become worn, including areas with peeling wallpaper, worn carpeting, and faded paint.
City staff retained SVPA Architects to explore interior improvements in City Hall. The firm's
recommendations regarding improvements included painting the walls after removing wallpaper,
replacing the carpet/flooring, and considering new window shades and a partition wall between the
Council Chambers and the courtroom.
Following the receipt of these recommendations, in 2022 the City Hall Improvement Project was put
out to bid. After receiving bids, the project was rejected due to costs being substantially higher than
anticipated. Staff completed some of the project components with in-house labor and worked to split the
remaining components into smaller projects that could be bid out and completed in phases. Altogether,
since 2022, hallways and conference rooms have had wallpaper removed and were painted, and a
contractor was retained to install new flooring in the hallways, conference rooms, Council Chambers,
courtroom and Police patrol area. The contractor's work to-date is substantially finished.
WORK REMAINING TO BE PERFORMED:
The base bid for this project includes painting walls and replacing the carpet and base in all
interior offices. Alternate #1 includes the cost to replace the flooring in Police Administration and
Police Records. Alternate #2 includes the cost to paint both sides of the door and window frames.
Alternate #3 includes the cost to paint the office side of the door frames where the corridor side
has already been painted.
The specifications for carpet replacement include skim coating the floor in places where asbestos-
based mastic exists from the original building. This skim coating would encapsulate the asbestos
in lieu of removing it, which is an approach approved by the Iowa DNR. The Engineer's Estimate
to complete all the work (base bid plus all three alternates), is $590,000.
On October 8, 2024, City Council approved preliminary plans and specifications for Ames City Hall
Interior Updates Phase II. Bid documents were sent to six contractors. The bid was also advertised on
the Current Bid Opportunities section of the Purchasing webpage and a Legal Notice was published on
the websites of a contractor plan room service with statewide circulation. On October 30, 2024, three
bids were received as shown on the table below. These bids were accepted at the November 12, 2024
City Council meeting, and Council delayed the award of bid so staff could gather additional
information.
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BIDDER BASE BID
ADD
ALTERNATE
#1
(Police
Flooring)
ADD
ALTERNATE
#2
(Remaining 2-
Sided
Door/Window
Frame
Painting)
ADD
ALTERNATE
#3
(Remaining 1-
Sided
Door/Window
Frame
Painting)
TOTAL
Engineer's Estimate $485,000 $60,000 $30,000 $15,000 $590,000
GTG Construction
Des Moines, IA $288,000 $28,000 $16,000 $4,500 $336,500
Dean Snyder
Construction
Ankeny, IA
$369,447 $54,063 $23,027 $8,034 $454,571
R.H. Grabau
Construction
Boone, IA
$428,217 $49,374 $17,231 $5,457 $500,279
GTG Construction, the apparent low bidder, bid on the recent Library carpet replacement project, but
ultimately withdrew from the project. City staff met with GTG on-site to review City Hall and the
project requirements. Staff contacted references provided by the company and received two
references that were very positive and one that was less positive. Staff confirmed with the bidder
that they had experience moving furniture as part of other projects, which is a requirement of the
City Hall Interior Updates Phase II project. Based on the discussions with GTG staff on-site, the
reference checks, and the confirmation of the furniture moving experience, staff believes GTG
Construction is a responsive, responsible bidder and should be awarded the project.
The cost for the base bid and all three alternates totals $336,500. Funding is available in the City
Hall Capital Improvement project in the amount of $647,697.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Approve final plans and specifications and award a contract to GTG Construction of Des Moines,
Iowa in the amount of $336,500 for the base bid plus the three alternatives.
2. Award to one of the other bidders.
3. Reject the bids and direct staff to rebid.
4. Reject the bids and proceed with the project at a later date.
CITY MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
The carpet and walls in City Hall are due for replacement and improvements. Staff has verified
that the lowest bidder has relevant experience and the ability to adequately perform all of the
project components required of them. Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that
the City Council adopt Alternative No. 1, as described above.
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