LTC 246-2003CITY OF IVJlAMI BEACH
Office of City Manager
Letter to Commission No. '2__,
To:
From:
Subject:
Mayo[ David Dermer and.._
Members of the City CommisSi~)n
Jorge M Gonzalez .- ~-
City Manager ,~¢-- , ..
PINETREE & LA GORCE MEDIANS PROJECT
Date: October 14, 2003
On August 1,2003 the City opened bids for the Pinetree & La Gorce Median Islands Project. Only
one bidder responded within the time specified, submitting a bid in the amount of $1,600,000, which
greatly exceeds the available budget of approximately $300,000 plus contingency. The bid was
structured to provide separate pdces; which came in at $600,000 for landscaping and irrigation, and
$1,000,000 fo~:.uP-lighting. Negotiations with the contractor were held dUdng the month of August.
Such negotiations did not yield a competitive price, therefore, the bid was rejected. City staff
believes that a competitive price can be obtained by procuring the project through Job Order
Contracting (JOC).
Based on a cost estimate produced using JOC unit pdces, City Staff recommended to proceed with
the installation of landscaping and irrigation for a cost of approximately $250,000. Staff is currently
researching the feasibility of using the remaining $50,000 in the construction budget for installation
of the necessary conduits within the islands to provide means for a future electrical service
connection that would facilitate the installation of up-lighting. By installing the conduit ahead of time,
any future damage to the landscaping and irrigation would be minimized. Should the City wish to
pursue installation of the up-lighting in the future, it is estimated that the cost will be an additional
$450,000, again using JOC.
The La Gorce & Pinetree Homeowners Association has expressed sedous concems with traffic
safety along their two major roads. Residents feel that the project will not fulfill its traffic calming
intent unless the up-lighting component is included in construction. It is the opinion of the design
consultant that the intent of the up-lighting is to provide a decorative accent to the landscaping, and
that such lighting is not intended for safety purposes. Furthermore, the consultant affirmed tha~the
overhead street lighting should be the pdmary source of safety related lighting. In consideration of
the consultant's opinion, City staff believes the landscaping and irrigation component of the project
can be constructed without the up-lighting component and still provide a safe installation which will
satisfy many of the concerns.
City staff is currently working to move forward with the construction of landscaping and irrigation
components of the project, which are expected to begin this fall. A final pdce from the JOC
cOnt~-act0~'is expeCted th s week and a Not ~:e to Proceed coUld be given by th.e mid~Jie-~ N0v~rnber
2003. Miami-Dade County permit review is in process and completion is expected next week. City
permit review is complete and is awaiting County review so that permit can be issued. Despite not
meeting all of the residents' expectations, the upcoming construction will provide an improvement in
the appe/~,ance of these roads while still providing an increase in their safety conditions.
J MG~_,I~H~JECh
F:\~.~ll~chartrand~Streetscape~TC - Pinetree & LaGorce Medians Update.doc