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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09. CMSC Shade Structure-Fence Improv - Youth Employment PlanAGENDA MEMO APPROVED BY CITY MANAGER DATE: February 11, 2014 TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council f FROM: Office of the City Manager By: John Oskoui, P.E., Director of Public Works SUBJECT: COLUMBIA MEMORIAL SPACE CENTER SHADE STRUCTURE AND DECORATIVE FENCE IMPROVEMENTS —YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PLAN RECOMMENDATION That the City Council: 1) Approve the Youth Employment Plan for the recently completed improvements at the Columbia Memorial Space Center; and 2) ADOPT A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PLAN FOR IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETED AT THE COLUMBIA MEMORIAL SPACE CENTER. BACKGROUND The County of Los Angeles Regional Park and Open Space District provided a $150,000 grant through the Safe Neighborhood Parks Proposition of 1996 to the City of Downey for improvements of the Columbia Memorial Space Center in 2011. The improvements to the Space Center included replacing the chain link fence surrounding the native plant garden with a permanent decorative steel cable -rail fence and building a shade shelter structure over the center's amphitheater and picnic area. The purpose of the fence is to provide separation between the center's garden and the adjacent athletic fields at the Discovery Sports Complex. The purpose of the shade structure is to provide shade to the amphitheater and picnic area. In order for the shade structure to properly complement the existing architectural features of the Space Center building, a contemporary pentagonal- shaped shade structure was selected. In addition, the decorative fence consisted of steel cables and rails to match the aeronautical theme of the adjacent space center. Plans and specifications were prepared to allow for separate contracts for each of the improvements and the two projects have since been completed. The grant agreement requirements for the project included the development and execution of a Youth Employment Plan. The plan, which is to be outlined in a City Council- approved Youth Employment Plan, places a special emphasis on employing at- risk youth in park improvement projects and lists suitable project tasks that may be performed by such youth. This undertaking would have been funded through a portion of the $150,000 grant received. However, Staff concluded that youth employee CITY OF DOWNEY, CALIFORNIA Mayor and Members of the City Council Columbia Memorial Space Center Youth Employment Plan February 11, 2014 Page 2 assistance would not be used on the two projects due to the nature of the project plans and specifications as well as for safety reasons. Both projects were subsequently completed in 2013. Project tasks included the following: Specific shade structure • Engineering and fabrication of a pentagonal- shaped shade structure, consisting of two 28 -feet by 40 -feet architectural fabric covers (approximately 1,600 square feet), made of a LIV- stabilized, high- density polyethylene fabric knitted with monofilament and tape yarn filler and supported by six structural steel posts; Installation of the architectural shade structure fabric cover atop six structural steel posts at a height from 10 to 12 feet above the amphitheater and picnic table area; i Construction of concrete footings and installation of steel posts. Decorative fence • Installation of the fence at a varying height between five and seven feet and measuring 530 feet in length; • Implementing a "cable rail" design to the portion of the fence facing north, complementing the adjacent architecture of the Space Center building; • Installation of a black vinyl- coated chain link fence for the remainder of the perimeter fence. The City continuously searches for opportunities to take advantage of youth labor through organizations such as the Long Beach Conservation Corps. However, constructing the specialized shade and fence structures required skilled labor such as possessed by the selected contractors. Therefore, the projects' scope did not entail any "light duty" tasks (i.e., clearing and grubbing, landscaping, painting) that could be completed by youth labor. In addition, there were design and installation nuances which the selected contractors had to properly address, resulting in successfully building the decorative fence and the shade structure with minimal errors. Furthermore, Staff deemed project activities to be unsafe for an untrained individual, for materials and activities included large, heavy structures such as six 10 to 12 feet steel posts and hazardous conditions such as on -site cutting of fence pickets to prepare for installation. Mayor and Members of the City Council Columbia Memorial Space Center Youth Employment Plan February 11, 2014 Page 3 DISCUSSION Staff is ready to submit the final grant reimbursement request for the projects. The City, nonetheless, must still develop a Youth Employment Plan in order to successfully close these projects with the County of Los Angeles Regional Park and Open Space District and to be in full compliance with the grant requirements. As such, a Plan was created, yet it explains that the projects' scope -of -work did not lend to youth assistance per the reasons stated above. Staff is requesting City Council adoption of the attached resolution and approval of the attached Youth Employment Plan in order to close out the grant with the County of Los Angeles Regional Park and Open Space District and seek reimbursement for the project expenditures. FINANCIAL IMPACT There was no financial impact since Staff did not employ youth for the said projects. Attachments: • Resolution • Exhibit "A" - Youth Employment Plan S: VAgendaMemosCC2014 \02- 11- 20141Columbia Memonal Space Center (approve Youth Employment Plan) RESOLUTION NO. A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOWNEY APPROVING THE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PLAN FOR IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETED AT THE COLUMBIA MEMORIAL SPACE CENTER WHEREAS, the City was awarded a grant in the amount of $150,000 through the County of Los Angeles Regional Park and Open Space District Safe Neighborhood Parks Proposition of 1996 grant program for improvements at the Columbia Memorial Space Center; and WHEREAS, said improvements, which were completed in 2013, consisted of the installation of a shade structure in the amphitheater and picnic area and a decorative and chain link fence surrounding the native plant garden located adjacent to the space center; and WHEREAS, the Safe Neighborhood Parks Proposition of 1996 program requires, as a condition for reimbursement by the grant funds, the grant recipient to make a good faith effort to employ at -risk youth labor on projects completed with said grant funds and to prepare a Youth Employment Plan for each project funded with said grant funds showing how the grant recipient is utilizing at -risk youth labor on the project or explaining why the grant recipient was unable to employ at -risk youth on the project; and WHEREAS, the City was not able to employ at -risk youth on the shade structure and decorative fence projects due to the nature of the two projects, which required skilled labor and did not involve any light duty tasks which could be completed by at -risk youth; and WHEREAS, as required by the grant program requirements, the City has completed a Youth Employment Plan for the projects explaining why the City was unable to utilize at -risk youth for the two projects. NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOWNEY DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The City Council of the City of Downey hereby approves the Youth Employment Plan for the improvements recently completed at the Columbia Memorial Space Center, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit "A." SECTION 2. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this resolution. RESOLUTION NO. PAGE 2 APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 11th day of February, 2014. FERNANDO VASQUEZ, Mayor ATTEST: ADRIA M. JIMENEZ, CMC City Clerk I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Resolution was adopted by the City Council of the City of Downey at a regular meeting held on the 11th day of February, 2014, by the following vote, to wit: AYES: Council Members: NOES: Council Member: ABSENT: Council Member: ABSTAIN: Council Member: ADRIA M. JIMENEZ, CMC City Clerk YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PLAN City of Downey Columbia Memorial Space Center (58C8 -12 -2265) BACKGROUND The County of Los Angeles Regional Park and Open Space District provided a $150,000 grant through the Safe Neighborhood Parks Proposition of 1996 to the City of Downey for improvements of the Columbia Memorial Space Center in 2011. The improvements to the Space Center included replacing the chain link fence surrounding the native plant garden with a permanent decorative steel cable -rail fence and building a shade shelter structure over the center's amphitheater and picnic area. The purpose of the fence is to provide separation between the center's garden and the adjacent athletic fields at the Discovery Sports Complex. The purpose of the shade structure is to provide shade to the amphitheater and picnic area. In order for the shade structure to properly complement the existing architectural features of the Space Center building, a contemporary pentagonal- shaped shade structure was selected. In addition, the decorative fence consisted of steel cables and rails to match the aeronautical theme of the adjacent space center. Plans and specifications were prepared to allow for separate contracts for each of the improvements and the two projects have since been completed. Furthermore, the City concluded that youth employee assistance would not be used on the two projects due to the complexity of the projects' specifications and plans for reasons discussed below. PROJECT TASKS The specific shade structure improvements included the following: • Engineering and fabrication of a pentagonal- shaped shade structure, consisting of two 28 -feet by 40 -feet architectural fabric covers (approximately 1,600 square feet), made of a UV- stabilized, high- density polyethylene fabric knitted with monofilament and tape yarn filler and supported by six structural steel posts; • Installation of the architectural shade structure fabric cover atop six structural steel posts at a height from 10 to 12 feet above the amphitheater and picnic table area; • Construction of concrete footings and installation of steel posts. The decorative fencing improvements included the following: • Installation of the fence at a varying height between five and seven feet and measuring 530 feet in length; Implementing a "cable rail" design to the portion of the fence facing north, complementing the adjacent architecture of the Space Center building; • Installation of a black vinyl- coated chain link fence for the remainder of the perimeter fence. Exhibit "A" RESOURCE ALLOCATION Due to the projects' complex designs and construction expertise required, completion of the above - listed tasks did not lend to the assistance of youth employees. Many of the construction materials and products involved particular construction standards and criteria that were required to be carried out by an experienced installer. In addition, the labor requirements for the two projects required involvement of specific trades, and there were no simple tasks (i.e., clearing and grubbing, landscaping, painting) which could be completed by non - skilled labor. For instance, the "cable rail" design of the fence required precise on -site cutting of the pickets as each segment of the fence was installed. The contractor was able to produce the least amount of variation among measurements, minimizing errors and discrepancies. This constituted the majority of the tasks for the fence project. Consequently, the project's scope was not extensive enough to warrant youth assistance. The shade structure was also best completed in its entirety by the selected contractor due to safety hazards that may have put an untrained individual at risk through the construction of the tall steel posts and shade structures. As such, the City believed that it was appropriate for the contractors to perform all work specified in the plans and specifications for each of the projects. ESTIMATED COST OF YOUTH EMPLOYMENT The City decided not to allocate any funds towards employing youth per the reasons stated above. METHOD OF YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AND EMPLOYMENT GOAL Ordinarily, the City engages the assistance of organizations such as the Long Beach Conservation Corps in order to offer at -risk youth and other youth an opportunity to participate in the completion of its projects to the practical extent. However, the City did not undergo any outreach efforts or outline a youth employment goal pertaining to the Columbia Memorial Space Center shade structure and fence projects since selected contractors completed each of the projects' activities due to the skilled labor that was required.