TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Tom Kisela, City Manager
FROM: Leslie Hardy, Community Services Director
1. Subject
title
Agreement with RLA Conservation, LLC for Plaza Park Fountain Conservation Treatment.
body
2. Summary
The historic Plaza Park fountain was damaged during a vehicle collision on March 13, 2023. Due to the fountain’s historic nature and the individual listing of the Plaza on the National Register of Historic Places, the work performed on the fountain must meet the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Historic Rehabilitation. As a result, staff is recommending the approval of an agreement with RLA Conservation, LLC in the amount of $104,005 to complete the necessary repairs and restoration of the fountain including, cleaning of fountain tiles and grout, repairs to the fountain basin and lining, and painting of the fountain/pedestal. Staff is also recommending the appropriation of $75,000 from Park Acquisition (Infill) fund (510) to fund this project.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
1. Approve the agreement with RLA Conservation, LLC in the amount of $104,005 for conservation treatment of the Plaza Park fountain; and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute on behalf of the City.
2. Authorize the appropriation of $75,000 from the Park Acquisition (Infill) fund (510) unreserved fund balance to expenditure account 510.7021.56020.20531 - CIP-Bldg & Improv-Plaza Fountain Repair.
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4. Fiscal Impact
The total expenditure for the agreement is $104,005 and will be funded in the Plaza Fountain Repair Project (20351) through the Park Acquisition (Infill) fund (510) in account 510.7021.56020.20531 - CIP-Bldg & Improv-Plaza Fountain Repair. Upon approval of this appropriation, the estimated fund balance in fund 510 at June 30, 2024, will be $3.879 million. The project will also be funded through an existing appropriation within the Minor Traffic Control Devices Project (16302) through the Capital Projects (500).
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 3: Enhance and promote quality of life in the community
a: Renovate, maintain, develop, and/or expand public use places and spaces.
6. Discussion and Background
The Plaza Historic District attained significance throughout the state as a historic landmark in 1981 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The centerpiece and heart of the Plaza is the historic fountain built in 1937. The most recent in-depth restoration of Plaza Park and the historic fountain occurred in 2000 as part of the comprehensive Plaza Preservation Project, a thorough Redevelopment Agency-funded rehabilitation effort performed in conformance with the City’s Historic Preservation Design Standards as well as the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation, the nationally accepted standards for historic preservation practices. At that time, great care was taken to refurbish and repair the tile and floor surface of the fountain basin, as well as the metal, finish, and “dancing waters” function of the fountain itself. The environmental assessment prepared for the project included mitigation requiring a qualified historic preservation professional meeting the Secretary of Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards to review and approve construction drawings and perform periodic inspections during construction.
On March 13, 2023, the fountain was damaged during a vehicle collision. The vehicle impact destroyed a section of the fountain basin and damaged some of the adjacent historic tile on the interior and exterior of the basin. Due to the fountain’s historic nature, the work performed on the fountain must meet the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Historic Rehabilitation. Particular care is required in the selection of materials, attention to detail, and installation methods to ensure that the restoration work achieves the desired aesthetic outcome upon completion, can withstand the test of time, and maintains the historic integrity of the fountain as a historic character defining feature of The Plaza.
As such, staff engaged the City’s historic preservation consultant, Chattel, Inc., Historic Preservation Consultants (Chattel) to provide guidance on the reconstruction and repair of the basin including selection of materials, method of installation, and finish details. The scope of services also included guidance related to conservation of historic building materials such as appropriate methods for cleaning and surface preparation processes/specifications for the Plaza fountain, tiles, and basin. Chattel retained RLA Conservation, LLC (RLA) as a subconsultant to perform the historic conservation services.
RLA assessed the existing tiles, the fountain basin, and the cast iron fountain, which included a materials analysis and testing a variety of products and applications for cleaning. RLA delivered cleaned sample tiles to California Pottery, the vendor retained to manufacture the replacement tiles, in order to begin fabricating the new fountain tiles. RLA provided a Conservation Testing Report to the City in August 2023 and compiled their findings into a scope of work detailing necessary treatment of various components to ensure historical preservation of the fountain.
The Conservation Treatment Proposal submitted by RLA is divided into three categories. The following table details the scope and expense associated with each category:
|
Group |
Scope |
Expense |
|
Conservation Treatment of the Historic Tile & Grout |
Cleaning the tiles; repairing select damaged tiles; eliminating damaged grout; re-grouting areas. |
$28,050 |
|
Conservation Treatment of the Basin Cracks & Lining |
Micro-abrasion cleaning on areas of the lining with engraved dates; repairing cracks in outer basin; and recoating the interior basin lining while protecting and maintaining the original engraved date. |
$47,350 |
|
Conservation Treatment of the Historic Cast Iron Fountain |
Remove existing coatings from the central cast iron basin, lighting conduit, fixtures, and the upper fountain and re-coating the metal surfaces |
$19,150 |
The total cost for RLA’s scope of work is $94,550. A 10% contingency of $9,455 is recommended to be added for unexpected circumstances. Staff is recommending that the City Council approve an agreement with RLA to provide conservation treatment for the fountain in the amount of $104,005. With the approval of the City Manager, this vendor is the only one able to perform the required services under the terms and conditions which meet the needs of the City. The project will be funded through two funding sources: the Minor Traffic Control Devices Project (16302) through the General Fund (500) and Park Acquisition (Infill). As such, staff is also recommending that the City Council approve an appropriation of $75,000 from the Park Acquisition (Infill) fund (510) unreserved fund balance to fund this project.
Based on approval of the agreement and RLA’s availability, work is tentatively scheduled to start the beginning of November and anticipated to take 4-6 weeks. Installation of the new tiles will begin once they are received.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• Agreement with RLA Conservation, Inc