Title
Recommendation to Accept the Work of Suarez & Munoz Construction Inc. for Alameda City Hall Lawn Conversion, Project PW No 02-22-05. (Public Works 31041520)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On May 17, 2022 the City Council awarded a contract to Suarez & Munoz Construction, Inc. (SMC), in an amount not to exceed $204,445, to convert the lawn at City Hall to a drought tolerant landscape. The improvements and maintenance executed under the subject contract are complete in accordance with project plans and specifications. Staff recommends City Council acceptance of the work.
BACKGROUND
On September 8, 2021, City Council directed staff to implement strategies that reduce municipal operations water consumption in response to the current drought emergency. One strategy supported by City Council was the conversion of the existing landscaping at City Hall, among other City owned buildings, from large areas of turf that require heavy watering to more drought-tolerant plantings that conserve water.
City Hall is a Historic Monument, as designated by the City Council. On December 2, 2021, the Historical Advisory Board (HAB) approved a Certificate of Approval to convert the lawn at City Hall to drought-tolerant landscaping. Staff hosted an online survey and community event seeking input on the landscape design and plant palette. The new landscape now includes groundcover plants with a mixture of Mediterranean climate flowering plants, all drought tolerant and many California natives. Plant varieties are a mixture of flowering broadleaf shrubs and upright ornamental grasses. Numerous species attract pollinators, butterflies, humming birds etc. The California Native Milkweed is grouped in visible areas to serve as a food source for Monarch Butterflies.
The project also installed a new state of the art underground drip irrigation system operated by an automated, Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance ("WELO") compliant ...
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