RECOMMENDATION(S): (CONT'D)
3. AUTHORIZE the Public Works Director, or designee, to solicit bids to be received on or about April 3, 2014, and issue bid addenda, as needed, for clarification of the bid documents, provided the involved changes do not significantly increase the construction cost estimate.
4. DIRECT the Clerk of the Board to publish, at least 14 calendar days before the bid opening date, the Notice to Contractors in accordance with Public Contract Code Section 22037, inviting bids for this project.
5. DIRECT the Public Works Director, or designee, to send notices to the construction trade journals specified in Public Contract Code Section 22036 at least 15 calendar days before the bid opening date.
FISCAL IMPACT:
100% General Fund.
BACKGROUND:
Plans and specifications for the project have been prepared for the Public Works Department by H & Y Architects, Inc., and filed with the Clerk of the Board by the Public Works Director. The construction cost estimate is $600,000 and the general prevailing wage rates are on file with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors and will be the minimum rates paid on this project.
From a historical perspective, Tamalpais is one of the newer units of the old Juvenile Hall that was closed in 2005. It is a 30 bed unit that is still considered part of the 290 beds of the facility, 240 in the new facility and 50, between Tamalpais and Monticello, in the old facility. It has been used as an overflow housing unit until as recently as 3 years ago, when the Juvenile Hall population began to slowly decline. It contains 30 individual single occupancy rooms each with a toilet and a sink. It has a dining room, classroom and an additional space for a small classroom area adjacent to the dining room. It also has two staff offices and access to a large outdoor recreation area with a basketball court. It is connected to and accessed through the new facility.
The remodeled Tamalpais Unit of the Juvenile Hall will provide for an increase in capacity of the Youthful Offender Treatment Program ("YOTP") that has a current capacity of 30 beds and is housed on the Cypress Unit of the Juvenile Hall. The Tamalpais Unit was not upgraded at the time the new facility was constructed. By upgrading the Tamalpais Unit, the YOTP would be able to expand services offered to residents of the facility by providing vocational training in addition to regular high school classes offered by the Office of Education. The YOTP was opened on October 1, 2008 and has been at capacity with a waiting list from soon after it opened. The Cypress/YOTP Unit is currently at capacity with a waiting list of 8. This delays commitments from entering the program and thus delays their opportunity to complete the program resulting in longer, costlier stays in detention. The opportunity to offer additional vocational training will provide much needed services for residents of the program, better preparing them to return to their communities. It will also afford the Probation Department the opportunity to apply for grants related to programs that offer vocational programming such as a recent Second Chance Technology Grant.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the authorization to bid is not approved, the project cannot progress into the Construction Phase, the project will not be completed, and the Probation Department will continue to have long delays for commitments entering the program resulting in longer, costlier stays in custody. If not approved, the Probation Department will be unable to offer much needed vocational training to YOTP commitments that would better prepare them for their return to the community.
CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:
Not applicable.