TITLE
Recommendation to adopt Plans and Specifications No. R-7058 for the El Dorado Nature Center Improvements Project; award a contract to Bitech Construction Co., Inc., of Buena Park, CA, in the amount of $660,816, and authorize a 15 percent contingency in the amount of $99,122, for a total contract amount not to exceed $759,938; authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to enter into the contract, including any necessary amendments thereto; and
Accept Categorical Exemption 15-034. (District 4)
DISCUSSION
City Council approval is requested to enter into a contract with Bitech Construction Co., Inc., for the construction of the El Dorado Nature Center Improvements Project (Project), at 7550 E. Spring Street. The El Dorado Nature Center (EDNC), a 110-acre environmental education facility, serves as a resource for ecological education throughout the region, providing hands-on learning experiences for more than 25,000 local school children annually. The EDNC includes a museum/classroom facility, a quarter mile paved trail, two miles of natural trail winding around two lakes and a meandering stream. Serving communities throughout Southern California, the EDNC is considered one of the premier environmental education facilities in the region. The EDNC’s programming and events teach the interconnectedness of the natural environment and the importance of environmental stewardship.
The EDNC has been heavily used since its construction 50 years ago and is in need of rehabilitation. Recognizing this need, the City commissioned a Master Plan, which was adopted in the spring of 2003. Elements of the Master Plan include restoration of the one-half mile stream that connects the two Nature Center lakes, including replacement of five pedestrian bridges (completed in 2010), replacement of the pedestrian bridge connecting the museum building island to the start of the trail network (completed in 2012) and on-going habitat restoration througho...
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