The Central Fire Station Building serves a two-fold purpose as a working fire house as well as administrative offices for fire department staff.  The building had existing and anticipated repair needs, such as flat roof replacement and restoration of exterior and interior elements due to water intrusion.  It was commonplace for water to enter the building repeatedly throughout the year during rain events.  As a result, the primary objective for the remodel project was not only to remodel and reconfigure space to be more efficient and serve current needs, but also to correct deficiencies within the existing structure that was allowing water to enter.

Currently at maximum capacity in both the Fire Station and Administrative areas, voters approved the use of general obligation bonds in the 2016 election for the City to expand and renovate the Central Fire Station Building.  The scope of the proposed project includes addressing existing base building repairs, redesign and remodel of the interior for better use of space, correction of existing conditions with the training tower, inclusion of a storm shelter, the addition of new air-conditioned storage (for pharmaceuticals), as well as an expansion of the building footprint.  When completed, this project is anticipated to accommodate community growth, sustain fire station and administrative operations for the foreseeable future, and support the strategic planning goals to invest in public infrastructure and enhance public safety.

During bidding in February 2019, only two proposals were received, and both exceeded the established project budget. Consequently, a committee of 5 individuals (Fire, Engineering, Purchasing, Architect) evaluated the proposals and interviewed both proposers, inviting them both to submit revised bids with additional time granted to formulate a more confidant bid.  Both proposers were also invited to suggest value engineering options to better demonstrate their ability to meet our budget, without compromising scope.

Ultimately, Crossland Construction was unanimously recommended by the committee to receive the award for construction of the new facility. Although marginally higher in proposed cost, their proposal identified an ability to execute the project in a quicker timeframe, a demonstrated work history in public projects (specifically fire stations), and successful work history with the City of Allen (Crossland Construction built Fire Station #2). Furthermore, they volunteered additional deductions with material substitutions or other modifications beyond their revised proposal, whereas the other proposer did not make any suggestions for further savings. Subsequent discussions with Crossland Construction led to value engineering deductions that resulted in an additional savings of $171,836 to arrive at a best-and-final offer from Crossland at $6,065,184.

Execution of the project took place in two phases. The first phase reconstructed the Training Center side of the building into a new Fire Station and took 210 calendar days to complete. Immediately following, the Fire Administration Staff and Firefighters vacated the southern half of the building. The second Phase of renovating and weatherproofing the Fire Administration (southern half) section is to take 180 calendar days to complete.

A considerable number of structural defects and weatherproofing envelope issues were discovered that were hidden within the walls of the existing building. This included an insufficient brick ledge around the perimeter, excessive moisture in the slab, insufficient structural steel in many locations, floor misalignment, lack of sheathing, roofing adjustments, missing weatherproofing at fenestrations, and improperly located drainage systems. The three previous change orders were within the approved contract award amount (including contingency) established on May 14, 2019.  Consequently, they were approved by the City Manager.

The attached change order reflects expenses to fix building defects, described above, and totals an additional $220,924. This brings the total contract award to $6,510,959 (rounded-up to the next dollar).  All totaled, these hidden conditions have exhausted the project contingency and total change orders for the project will exceed the contract award by $220,924 and will therefore require approval by the Allen City Council.

Crossland Original Proposal                 $7,038,000

Crossland Final/Revised Proposal        $6,065,184

Council-Approved Contract Award      $6,301,932           (includes 4% contingency)

Additional Change Order                        $220,924           (4% increase above award value)

Revised/Final Contract Amount            $6,510,959           (7.3% cumulative increase)

A summary of the evolution of construction contract amounts are as follows:

Funding Sources:

I make a motion to authorize the City Manager to execute the change order for the contract with Crossland Construction Company in the amount of $220,924 for construction services on the Central Fire Station Project and revise the contract award amount to $6,510,959