Demolition, site work, remodeling, renovation and addition to a municipal facility in Corte Madera, California. Completed plans call for the addition of a 7,600-square-foot, two-story above grade municipal facility; for the remodel of a municipal facility; and for the renovation of a 3,700-square-foot municipal facility.

https://www.marinij.com/2022/04/10/corte-madera-hires-contractor-for-town-hall-rebuild/ April 10, 2022 Corte Madera officials have selected a Richmond-based contractor for the Town Hall rebuild project, despite a last-minute protest by a competing bidder. The Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday to hire Alten Construction Inc. on a $12.47 million contract. The contractor was selected from six applicants. The morning of the council meeting, Holly Construction, which cast the second best bid, submitted an appeal citing irregularities in their competitor's bid proposal. After review by town staff and the town attorney, officials stood by their recommendation to hire Alten Construction, said R.J. Suokko, director of public works. "They have all the qualifications and skills you'd want in a contractor," Suokko said. "And numbers coming in well below estimate is an exciting thing to see." Alten Construction submitted a base bid of $10.4 million. The engineer's estimate was $13.25 million. With that in mind, town staff decided to include a photovoltaic solar and battery backup system with the contract, said Town Manager Todd Cusimano. The system was identified as an additive bid item in the request for proposals. "This is a big momentous day for us," Cusimano said. "We're really excited about the lowest responsible bidder, Alten Construction," he said, adding that the firm is responsible for the public safety centers in San Rafael and Sausalito, among other projects. "Alten is very well known to staff and the county." The council unanimously agreed last year to raze and rebuild Town Hall instead of trying to salvage the aged building. The decision was influenced by community input that noted that renovating an old building could bring unforeseen costs and ongoing maintenance. The Planning Commission signed off on the Town Hall design in June. The project calls for a two-story, 11,000-square-foot building with council chambers to accommodate 95 people. The project would include options for zero net energy and zero net carbon. Suokko said staff decided to upgrade the project from "risk category" 2 to a category 3 building, which requires additional seismic reinforcement. The upgrade cost $15,000 in additional design fees and is estimated to add about $50,000 to construction costs, Suokko said. "It seemed like a smart thing to do given our intent is to serve the community in times of need," Suokko said. "Power shutdowns, wildfire, whatever it may be, we want it to be a resource." Cusimano said staff has set aside $1 million to outfit the new Town Hall with furniture, technology equipment and a digital security system. Bob Alten, owner of Alten Construction, told the council he is excited to get on board. "We don't need the project, we want the project," he said. "I can guarantee you'll have a great project." Councilman Bob Ravasio was all in. "Clearly this is a well-known company, they're local, they've done lots of terrific buildings in the county," Ravasio said. Councilman Eli Beckman said, "The need for the residents and the town is clear." The project is being funded using $7.6 million in bond financing, $3.5 million from the general fund and $1.37 million from the town's sales tax fund. Demolition is expected to begin next month. Construction is expected to take 14 to 16 months. Town officials have moved municipal offices to 240 Tamal Vista Blvd., an office complex, until the project is complete. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The project consists of an approximately 11,800 square foot, tw o-story new structure that contains a public permit center, council chambers, administrati ve offices, conference rooms and meeting rooms for the use of the town and staff, including new elevator, new mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and IT facilities. Exterior to be a combi nation of stucco and wood siding, windows, and storefront glazing. The existing town hall structure will be demolished. The existi ng retaining wall and footing along Willow Avenue and Tamalpais Drive will be retained. The d emolition includes removal, recycling, and disposal of both levels of the building includin g roofing, framing, windows, interior, exterior finishes a nd associated hazardous materials. The work also include excavation and grading for the concrete f oundations and surrounding site improvements to modify the slope s of the driveway, parking faci lities and to install ADA facilities. Plaza to be construc ted over a steel framed podium with a pedestal paver system for the plaza itself. Redwood trees sh all be protected while a rais ed plaza area is constructed around them. A new landscaping plan with bioretention facilities is a lso included in the project along with exterior lighting An additive bid item is included in the plans to install a roof mounted solar panel system with battery storage and backup system. Working hours are Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. excluding h olidays. Weekend work is at the discretion of the Town and r equires written approval. The Engineer's estimat e for this project is $11,400,000 plus the $240,000 additive bid item The last day for Bidders Questions to be submitted is Friday, March 18, 2022 at 5 p.m.