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FROM: DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS DATE: FEBRUARY 15, 2005 SUBJECT: AWARD A TWO YEAR ON-CALL MAINTENANCE SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH LOS ANGELES CONSERVATION CORPS STAFF COORDINATOR: LAUREN RAMEZANI, SR. ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST RECOMMENDATIONS
BACKGROUND The City has received approval for Measure A grants for various projects totaling over $11,700,000. The projects include acquisition, construction and development of park and open space projects. Measure A grant guidelines require the City and its contractors to employ At-Risk Youth (ARY) in contracts for constructing/developing and/or maintaining the improvements. The Los Angeles County Park and Open Space District (District) administers these grant funds. The City's total ARY goal/obligation is $324,500. This amount has to be met by FY 2018-2019. To-date, the City has met 29% of its total ARY obligation. The City has periodically employed ARY on different Measure A grant related projects. ARY were utilized through contracts with the Los Angeles Conservation Corps (LACC) for the Point Vicente Interpretive Center expansion and Lower Hesse Park Development projects and for weed abatement and trail maintenance work on other sites. These youth fulfilled the District's definition of At-Risk Youth and helped the City meet a portion of its ARY goal and obligation. Additionally, some ARY were utilized on Lower Hesse Park maintenance through the City's previous and current landscape maintenance contractors, TruGreen Landcare and U.S. Landscapes. The District reimburses the City for maintenance and servicing expenses related to completed grant funded projects in addition to construction projects. Therefore, by hiring a District qualified ARY organization, not only will the City fulfill its ARY goal and obligation but also will get reimbursed for eligible maintenance and servicing expenses.
DISCUSSION In order to fulfill the City's ARY requirement on a regular and timely manner, staff recommends having an on-call maintenance services contract with a organization that could provide the City with District approved At-Risk Youth and provide the necessary support documentation for reimbursement requests. The City has three completed projects (Lower Hesse Park, Barkentine and Forrestal Open Space) that quality for maintenance funding, with PVIC becoming the fourth one shortly. The City sent Requests for Proposals (RFP) to three qualified conservation corps: the California Conservation Corps, the Los Angeles Conservation Corps and the Conservation Corps of Long Beach. All three organizations responded with proposals. The proposed scope of work includes, but is not limited to:
The organizations were rated based on the follows criteria:
All three organization have good references, have District qualified ARY and provide an educational as well as work opportunity to their corpsmembers. The ARY not only work, but have to attend classes in order to obtain a GED or high school diploma. This will help them become more employable. They also learn resume writing and interviewing skills. Typically the corpsmembers start their training with minimum wage, then depending on their experience and school efforts can get a raise. The State has recently passed legislature exempting conservation corps from paying prevailing wages. The City attorney has read the new legislation and agrees that the conservation corps are exempt.
* As a comparison, the City's current park maintenance contract rate with U.S. Landscapes for a laborer is $21/hr. Staff recommends awarding a two-year on-call maintenance services contract to Los Angeles Conservation Corps (LACC) for FY 04-05 and FY 05-06, with the possibility of a one-year extension by mutual consent. The LACC's hourly rates are higher than the CCC, however, LACC is the largest non-profit conservation corps in the nation and has performed maintenance work for the City and the Palos Verdes Land Conservancy before. All work was performed on a timely manner, were well organized, and were done to the satisfaction of the various project managers. The youth are well groomed, wear uniforms and are supervised at all times. Additionally, staff has established a good working relationship with the LACC staff and supervisors, which helps reduce the staff's administration time on projects. The contract will be on a time and materials basis. The proposed not to exceed fee for FY 04-05 is $50,000, with a similar amount of FY 05-06. This amount has already been budgeted. A large portion of the budget for FY 04-05 is scheduled for the Forrestal Open Space project including the maintenance of the swales. While the rest will be for work on Lower Hesse Park and Barkentine Open Space. In FY 05-06, PVIC will also be added to the maintenance work. Staff will request funding for these services during the upcoming FY 05-06 and FY 06-07 budget process. ALTERNATIVE
However, staff is satisfied with the work performed by Los Angeles Conservation Corps and does not see any need to try a new organization at this time. FISCAL IMPACT Funding in the amount of $50,000 for FY 04-05 has already been budgeted. The City gets reimbursed by the Los Angeles Regional Park and Open Space District for its eligible maintenance and servicing expenses. Respectfully Submitted: Dean E. Allison, Director of Public Works Reviewed: Les Evans, City Manager Attachments: Agreement (including RFP & proposal) |
