For City Council Meeting April 9, 2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: David N. Carmany, City Manager
AUTHOR: Stephen Dopudja, P.E., Interim Utilities Manager
Jason Pivovaroff, P.E., Dopudja & Wells, Consulting
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Consideration of award of contract to Tree of Life Nursery, a California Corporation, in the amount of $94,117, for plant propagation and procurement of the Rialto Habitat Nature Center, City Project No. 226.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council and Rialto Utility Authority Board:
1) Award a Construction Contract to Tree of Life Nursery in the amount of $94,117, for plant propagation and procurement of the Rialto Habitat Nature Center, City Project No. 226; and
2) Authorize the City Manager/Executive Director to Execute all Related Documents.
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BACKGROUND:
The City of Rialto has secured $5.20 million to date in state and federal grant funds to construct the Rialto Habitat Nature Center (RHNC). The grant funds, secured by Senator Leyva in June 2022 under California's 20th State Senate District priorities $1,050,000 in funding must be utilized by May 1, 2024.
On January 23, 2024, the City Council/Rialto Utility Authority (RUA) Board authorized staff to release bids for several items in support of the design and construction of RHNC. One of these items was for plant propagation and procurement of approximately 18,000 plants to establish an engineered habitat and wetland for the RHNC.
Many of the plant species for the RHNC are not commercially available and the majority of the plants will be grown from seeds or propagated from seedlings. Therefore, the plants must be grown in advance of the actual construction. This will ensure the entire plant pallet for the RHNC will reach the necessary maturity for transplantation and coincide with the planting phase during final construction. Lastly, this approach provides the additional benefits of ensuring the RHNC has a more mature look upon opening to the public.
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