Costs for consultants, construction and new computers included
(Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series that tracks City Hall’s expenditures which appear on the upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agenda. Consent agenda items are routinely passed by the City Council with little or no discussion from elected officials or the public. However, many of the items have been part of public discussion in the past.)
By Carolyn Sackariason
Daily Press Staff Writer
The City Council tonight is expected to spend $1 million on computers for City Hall workers and tens of thousands for paid consultants to plan a new community garden.
Most of tonight’s expenditures are for Gateway microcomputers — $1.08 million over four years. Each computer will cost $1,210 and city staff are asking the City Council for $451,890 annually as part of a replacement program, which has been ongoing for seven years.
The program provides for the replacement of computers on a four-year cycle to keep pace with changes in technology and to keep prices competitive, city staff said.
City staff also has asked that $72,600 be spent on a landscape and community-planning consulting firm that would educate the public on a $700,000 garden planned to be constructed near the beach.
The city staff wants to make sure people know about it so they suggest hiring consultants to handle public outreach and education, which they say will ensure community participation in the garden’s design.
Construction and design of the garden, which will be located between Barnard and Nielsen ways, is expected to cost $699,000. To maintain the 1.2-acre garden will cost an estimated $7,500 a year. City staff expect that it will take up to four years to complete the project.
It’s all part of City Hall’s “Sustainable Garden Program” that promotes native, drought-tolerant landscapes and low-volume irrigation systems. The program includes tours of sustainable residential gardens in Santa Monica, as well as workshops on plant selection, installation and maintenance. The program features two sustainable demonstration gardens on city property.
But based on surveys taken on the tours, most people said they hadn’t heard of the demonstrations and are interested in a more interactive experience, city staff said.
So in 2002, city officials approved a portion of Ocean View Park, also known as Ashland Walk, as the site for a new “flagship” interactive demonstration garden showcasing native plants, technologically advanced irrigation systems and sustainable landscape construction methods.
The City Council also is expected to approve paying consulting firm Project for Public Spaces $3,900 on top of the $54,500 they’ve already been paid. The firm was hired in 2002 to help the Promenade Uses Task Force review issues and strategize on how to make the outdoor mall and downtown Santa Monica a better place.
5A4,PPS, which is based in New York and handles the design for public spaces across the country, was charged with providing technical expertise to the task force and city staff. But because the task force took longer to assess the issues surrounding the Promenade, PPS consultants worked more than what was envisioned by city staff.
As part of the contract, the consultants were to attend five meetings and workshops, conduct evaluations of pubic sites and pedestrian patterns affecting downtown, as well as make recommendations on the overall direction for the downtown area. But the consultants went to additional meetings, which translates into $3,900 more in fees.
Another $97,725 may be spent to cover additional construction management costs for the seismic retrofit in parking structure No. 8, which is connected to Santa Monica Place Mall.
The improvements began in April 2002 and were supposed to be completed by March. In January, the City Council approved a modification to contractor Black & Veatch’s work order because of a number of unforseen conditions and additional work related to the American Disabilities Act, city staff said.
That work includes replacing two exterior stairway towers to comply with ADA standards, which will extend the contract another three months. The entire contract would be $753,573, if the City Council approves the additional costs tonight.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 14, 2003. Read the original PDF.