For City Council Meeting [April 22, 2025]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Tanya Williams, City Manager
FROM: Tim Sullivan, Assistant City Manager
Title
Request the City Council to: (1) Authorize the Release of Bids for the Fire Station 201 Safety Improvements Project, City Project No. 25021; and, (2) Authorize the Interim City Manager or Their Designee to Execute all Related Documents.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that City Council:
1. Authorize the Release of Bids for the Fire Station 201 Safety Improvements Project; and,
2. Authorize the City Manager or Their Designee to Execute all Related Documents.
BACKGROUND
On the evening of May 11, 2024, an errant driver collided with the west side of Fire Station 201 (Headquarters), located at 131 S Willow Avenue, Rialto, CA. The collision caused significant structural damage to the building, including flooding to the station as a result of fire sprinklers that were struck during the collision. Fire staff were not injured as part of the accident. To date, all Fire and EMS operations have continued at the station with only a brief interruption following the incident.
On June 11, 2024, the City Council ratified the emergency proclamation following the incident, approved emergency remediation of Fire Station 201, approved procurement of temporary housing for Fire/EMS operations, and delegated authority to the City Manager for expenses related to Fire Station 201 reconstruction.
Since the construction of the Station, motorists have caused multiple collisions with the building. The Fire Station 201 Safety Improvements Project aims to prevent future accidents and consists of exterior safety improvements to the Station. The structural and interior rehabilitation plans have been submitted to the Building & Safety Department for review as a separate Fire Station 201 remediation project and will be presented to the Council at a later date.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
The project consists of additional exterior safety improvements at Fire Station 201 to increase the safety of Fire and EMS staff and deter errant vehicles from reaching the Station. The project generally consists of the addition of raised paved medians (currently striped chevron lines) on Rialto Avenue approaching Willow Avenue, the addition of high crash-rated bollards, a solid concrete wall serving dual purpose as a fire station sign and barrier in the west lawn area, and a vertical extension of the existing concrete masonry wall in the planter area on the west side of the station. A rendering of the onsite improvements is depicted in Figure 1.
Figure 1
The tentative timeline for the project is as follows:
Anticipate Release of Bids to be Issued May 2025
Anticipate Award by City Council August 2025
Anticipate the Start of Construction September 2025
Anticipate Construction Completion December 2025
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The repair of the vehicle damaged Fire Station and safety improvements is considered statutorily exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15269 Emergency Projects, (b) defined as “Emergency repairs to publicly or privately owned service facilities necessary to maintain service essential to the public health, safety, and welfare.”
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
This action is consistent with Guiding Principle 3A in the General Plan:
Our City government will lead by example, and will operate in an open, transparent, and responsive manner that meets the needs of the citizens and is a good place to do business.
Approval of this action also complies with the following City of Rialto General Plan Goals and Policies:
Goal 3-6: Require that all developed areas within Rialto are adequately served with essential public services and infrastructure.
Goal 5-3.1: Provide for fire personnel, equipment, and fire stations to have adequate and appropriate resources to meet the needs and serve all areas of Rialto.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed the staff report.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Operating Budget Impact
The proposed action will not affect the Operating Budget.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
The final engineer’s estimate is $850,000, and construction support costs are estimated at $170,000, for a total project estimate for the construction phase of $1,020,000.