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Home My WebLink AboutSP August 30, 1978 c ~ 01 ANDOVER SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING - AUGUST 30, 1978 MINUTES A Special Meeting of the Andover City Council was called to order by Acting Mayor Kenneth Orttel on August 30, 1978, 7:11 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, for the purpose of discussing the recommendations of the Building Committee on the selection of a firm to prepare the plans and specifications for the Public Services Building. Councilpersons present: Lachinski, McClure, Orttel, Vanderlaan Mayor Windschitl (arrived at 7:24 p.m.) Councilpersons absent: None Also present: City Clerk"P. K. Lindquist; Fire Chief, Vie Evans; and Assistant Fire Chief, Bob Peach Councilperson McClure reviewed the discussion of the Building Committee at their August 28, 1978, meeting -- they reviewed and compared the answers to the list of items supplied by TKDA by the companies responding to quotes; they generally agreed that whoever receives the selection for doing plans and specs for bidding will in all liklihood receive the bid as well; there was concern with the work done by the bidders as the members were not familiar with the firms or their work; Committee members in general would have preferred to have the Committee involved since the beginning; there was concern that if a designer/contractor is chosen to draw the plans and specs that there would not be an independent architect to look after the interests of the City andicgunciàt teneral consensus was that this will be a pre-fabricated building and that an/a~cfi~£~c nwould not be necessary to draw up the biddable plans and spec$; it was generally agreed that the disparity between quotes was because the lowest bidder is gambling that they are going to get the bid; and it was noted that the plans and specs have to meet the Committee's approval and that the Committee would make sure the specs are not done so narrow as to eliminate a majority of companies from bidding on them and predetermining who will get the bid. Legally the plans and specs must be certified that they are biddable by a wide range of people. (Mayor Windschitl arrived at this time) Mayor Windschitl stated since the Building Committee meeting, he has researched and discovered in talking with Attorney Hawkins that legally the on-site inspections and doing the percentage of completion analysis for the City must be done by a registered architect according to State Statute 32603, Subparagraph 2. He has talked with TKDA, who is willing to do an analysis of the bids for $1,250, review shop drawings for $2,500, and make on-site inspections and approve payments to contractor for $1,250. (See TKDA's letter to Gerald Windschitl of August 29, 1978, referencing Public Services Building.) A ,.lengthy Council discussion was that some of this additional expense would'be a City expense no matter which firm was selected to do the biddable plans and specs; on whether or not the shop drawings would need to be reviewed by an independent architect; that the services may be provided for less if done on a time and material basis; that other architects may be asked if they would be willing to provide these "overseeing" services and for what cost; on the desirability of having an architectural firm that has no financial concern over the building overseeing the work being done to protect the City's interest; that the City Building Inspector can inspect the building to See that it 'meets code but that the law requires a registered architect to inspect to see that the building is being built according to the plans and specifications; on the Building Committee's findings of the costs for each of the firms responding to the quote after 'equating what is being provided; and that awarding the firm of Bloomberg to do the biddable plans and specs is still the most economical even with the additional $5,000 worth of services that would need to be provided by an architectural firm. Councilperson McClure stated Special City Council Meeting August 30, 1978 - Minutes Pa~e 2 the Committee's findings, after équating servicés that each firm would provide, were Bloomberg, 112,400; TKDA, 1113,400; Ackron,1I7,500; and }~tt~on, 1112,755. He noted tha t because Ackron's plan was more conceptual in nature, it was generally agreed they be eliminated. MOTION by Lachinski, Seconded by Orttel, to direct the City Attorney to prepare· a contract with Bloomberg, Inc., to provide architectural, mechanical, electrical, and structural drawings and specifications to be certified by a Registered Architect/ Engineer and to meet all legal requirements for bidding the construction of the Public Services Building at a cost not to exceed 112,400 and that the contract include the following: All items outlined in the correspondence from Bloomberg, Inc., dated 8/28/78; and Bloomberg, Inc., to work with the Building Committee; and Plans and Specs be approved by the Building Committee and City Council; and that all Plans and·Specs become the property of the City of Andover; and that if any additional work is required by law or determined appropriate by the City Council by a third party architectural firm, that we will hire an architectural firm on a time and material basis to perform that. work. Discussion: There was a lengthy discussion on the wording of the motion relative to hiring a third-party architect to do additional work __ should the items mentioned in TKDA's August 29 letter be specifically stated, whether or not all of these items will need to be performed, whether or not these need to be stated at this time as these services will not be needed until after the bidding process, whether or not shóp drawings will need to be reviewed by a third-party architectural firm as this review would be to determine that the blueprints used by the contractor are within the parameters of the biddable specs, and that Bloomberg, Inc., should be made aware that an outside architect is going to be doing these things and it should be included in the contract with them. AMENDMENT TO MOTION by Orttel, Beconded by Windschitl, that the services to be rendered by an outside architect, if required, would be the following: to review the Plans and Specs for adequacy and assist with advertising for bids and analyze the bids and make recommendations on award; review shop drawings for conformance with plans and specs and other construction administration activities; and to make on-site inspections and approve payments to the contractor; and other services as may be deemed necessary at a total cost not to exceed 115,000. VOTE ON AMENDMENT: Carried unanimously. Discussion on main motion: Councilperson Vanderlaan expressed conCern over the lack of knowledge about the reputation and reliability of Bloomberg, Inc. Councilperson Orttel stated there was a lengthy article about the company in a trade publication that Mr. Heer referred teat the August 23 Council meeting. Mayor Windschitl nded that the company is doing everything that is required for a bid and certifying it. Should Bloomberg, Inc., make the lowest bid to construct the building, the third-party architect would make a recommendation to the Council as to the reputation and reliability of the firm as a construction company. He felt that the fact that the Plans and Specs are certified removes the quality question and stated no professional architect is going to sign something that is not up to standard because their license is too important. Discussion was_also on whether or not the Council must accept the lowest quote .as Councilperson Vanderlaan stated in her research the Council would not have to accept the lowest quote because this is a consultant service; that the Building Committee's general consensus was that Bloomberg would do an adequate job in preparing the biddable plans and specs and that there was a good reason for their low bid; that the Building Committee will be in control. and should be in a position to judge whether or not Bloomberg is Special City Council Meeting August 30, 1978 - Minutes Page 3 doing the job adequately; and that in the event work must be stopped at some point· because the job is not being done adequately, the Committee will still be that mucg better off for having done all this work which needs to be done in any event. -- VOTE ON MOTION: Carried unanimously. MOTION by McClure, Seconded by Lachinski, to adjourn. All in favor said aye. Meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, '( ---¿~ ',~~ëI···· '. tc Marce la A. Peach Recording Secretary