Thumbnail photo: Harbor commissioners met the firms hoping to provide project management during the reconstruction of Citizens Dock and replacement of its adjacent seawall. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews
Harbor commissioners met two of the three firms that have offered to fill the project manager role in the rebuild of Citizens Dock and its adjacent seawall.
It’s another step toward construction for the U.S. Maritime Administration-funded project. But, while the project management services fee will be paid for with grant dollars, the firms’ proposals exceed the $250,000 to $350,000 that was originally budgeted for the position.
However, that budgeted amount wasn’t included in the original request for proposals, Community System Solutions CEO Mike Bahr told commissioners Wednesday.
“We wanted to see what the proposers would propose for what they believed the scope of work for the project manager would be and what those costs would be,” he said.
The Harbor District received responses from Redstone Bridge Sovereign, Kimley-Horn and GHD. Bahr recommended the Board of Commissioners hold interviews for each respondent in public and negotiate a final contract with June 10 being a proposed date.
Redstone Bridge Sovereign (RBS) is proposing a fee of $479,850 for project management services, according to Bahr’s staff report. RBS is a majority Native American-owned real estate advisory firm based in Arizona.
The firm’s co-founder, Steve Opp, was previously with Commercial Real Estate Development Enterprises and had worked with the Crescent City Harbor District to analyze potential development options at the port.
Kimley-Horn is a global firm with offices in Southern California and Oakland. That firm is proposing a fee of $997,404 for project management services. Appearing on behalf of Project Manager Jerry Holcomb, Kimley-Horn’s marketing proposal manager, Emma Sorto, said the firm would be willing to negotiate its rates with CCHD.
“Any place where we can negotiate rates or reduce costs and maybe involve staff on how we can adjust those costs are definitely something we would be able to work with you all on,” she said.
The Crescent City Harbor District is currently working with the third firm, GHD, to identify structural and building code deficiencies at several of its facilities, including the former Fashion Blacksmith building and the Harbor District office.
GHD is a global firm with an office in Eureka and is proposing a project management fee of about $1.65 million for the Citizens Dock and seawall reconstruction and replacement. Jordan King, construction manager and resident engineer, said the proposed fee was based on company representatives’ understanding of the project.
“Our proposal assumes two years of full-time inspection during in-water work,” he said. “That’s about 260 days of having someone on site and managing the project on behalf of the district, making sure all materials are installed properly and they’re in conformance with plans and specs.”
The Crescent City Harbor District is embarking on the first phase of the Citizens Dock reconstruction as well as a replacement of a seawall near the dock that’s currently failing using about $15 million in MARAD Port Infrastructure Development Program grant dollars.
According to Bahr’s staff report, the project entails the demolition of the current seawall and the construction of a new wall as well as the construction of a 13,760 square feet concrete decked dock. The parking area near the seawall and dock will also be reconstructed.
The project manager will be tasked with the main oversight duties of the project, including that the general contractor and subcontractors are properly performing the services they’re hired for, according to Bahr’s report. The project manager is also responsible for communicating with CCHD tenants to “minimize disruptions to commercial fishing operations” and providing reports to harbor officials.
In addition to hiring a project manager, the Crescent City Harbor District is seeking a general contractor, accountant and grants manager associated with the project. Bahr, whose company manages the grant projects for the Crescent City Harbor District, told commissioners on May 16.
Bahr also told commissioners on May 16 that permitting delays may limit the amount of work that can be completed in the water this year. He presented them with a list of construction activities that could be performed on land, one of which would involve a crane.
King said he felt that the way Bahr captured the fee range was misleading since, with the project’s design about 30% complete, GHD was focusing on pre-construction services.. GHD’s proposal is based on two years of project implementation with about six months out of each of those years being spent in the water. Changing much of the work to be done on land would significantly impact the proposed fee, King told Board Chairman Rick Shepherd.
“We generally try not to provide estimates for construction support so far ahead of the design being complete,” King told commissioners. “We were under the assumption, based on responses to questions, that the fee proposal for pre-construction work would be a task order that could be implemented and the fee for construction management support would be a subsequent task order.”
King said GHD’s proposal is also based on time and materials and is a not-to-exceed bid for pre-construction work. He said he would be willing to work with harbor staff and would provide updates at public meetings as necessary.
“What we feel is our main differentiator is our location,” King said. “Our main office is in Eureka. It’s not in Crescent City, but we are close enough to be on site in short notice.”
Sorto said Kimley-Horn staff would also participate in public meetings to give project updates.
