Title
Approval of General Services, Agreement No. AGR 24-51 with Vega Architecture LLC in the Amount of $1,615,868.81 for the site study and station design of Fire Station 4.
Recommended Action
I move that Council approve Contract for General Services, Agreement No. AGR 24-51 with Vega Architecture LLC for the station design and site study of Station 4 in the amount not to exceed $1,615,868.81 plus applicable gross receipts tax.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council approve the service contract with Vega Architecture LLC for the station design and site study of Station 4 in the amount not to exceed $1,615,868.81.
Body
LAFD’s current Station 4 is more than 50 years old. This fire station was not designed or built to accommodate the weight of modern fire apparatus and lacks proper support facilities to serve today’s fire service responders. Deficiencies include the lack of any gender-neutral sleeping areas and bathroom facilities. Cancer prevention is another significant shortfall in the design of the current Fire Station 4. The design of the new fire station will include proper separations and decontamination facilities to ensure carcinogens firefighters contact on emergency calls are properly addressed and not brought into the living quarters of the new fire station. The current fire station has an old HVAC system that is not energy efficient and fails to properly heat and cool all living areas of the fire station. Energy efficiency through a variety of ways will be a focus of the new fire station design. Access to the current fire station does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The current fire station lacks proper water runoff drainage, which results in water intruding into the basement area. The current fire station has provided Los Alamos with more than 50 years of service but is outdated and no longer meets the needs of our community and first responders.
Los Alamos Fire Department (LAFD) has been planning for this replacement for several years. LAFD earmarked a significant amount of the Fire Marshal’s Distribution Funds over the last three years and has saved enough of this funding to pay the entire cost of these services.
LAFD fire station modernization is ongoing at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Three fire stations will be built over the next couple of years on LANL. One is under construction now, the second should begin construction in the coming months, and the third is in the planning stage and will begin construction soon. Replacement of Fire Station 4 will allow Los Alamos County to keep pace with the fire stations on LANL and ensure LAFD first responders are given the same protections from harm at LAC stations that they will have at LANL fire stations.
The architect will provide support during all phases of the project. The first phase will be the site selection process where they will provide conceptual drawings on at least three different potential build sites. They will also provide their expertise for each potential site in the way of predicted costs to build and potential negatives or positives for each site that will be shared during public town hall meetings and eventually with the Council for a final site selection decision.
Following the site selection process, the architect will fully design the fire station on the chosen site. This design will be used to solicit a contractor to build the fire station. Throughout the construction phase, the chosen architect will provide direct support to the Los Alamos County Project Manager and to the contractor to ensure the building is constructed as designed.
Alternatives
Continue to use the current station.
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Unplanned Item
The funding for the is available through the Fire Marshal Distribution Fund.
Attachments
A - Services Agreement AGR24-51