Current Capital Improvement Projects

Town Hall Renovation Project

In March 2013, the City Council directed the City Manager to prepare a rough plan for renovating Town Hall and to defer exterior ADA improvements at Town Hall pending further instructions from the City Council.

In October 2013, the City Council authorized the City Manager to request proposals for architectural and design services for the Town Hall renovation and remodel project

In February 2014, the City Council approved a contract for Architectural Services from Ratcliff & Associates for design of the Town Hall project.  The contract outlined a two phase approach to the project; phase one - Pre-Design Services; and phase two - Design and Construction Services (to be decided and approved after completion of phase one).

In April 2014 the Town Hall Campus Renovation project was presented as part of the Capital Improvement Program for Fiscal Years 2014-2019.  The goal of the project is to remodel and expand Colma Town Hall for continued use as the Town’s main facility for core municipal services while preserving its historical appearance and feel and making the facility accessible to all.

At the June, July and August 2014 City Council meetings, Council reviewed project feasibility, wants and needs, conceptual plans, building schematics, layout, square footage and provided feedback to City Staff and Ratcliff & Associates.  

At the November 2014 City Council Meeting, Council directed the City Manager to explore options for obtaining Architectural and Construction Services that are within the Town's financial capabilities.  At this time the Council directed the City Manager to negotiate Phase two of the Ratcliff & Associates contract for Design and Construction Services.  Upon completion of Phase one of the Pre-Design services for Town Hall Renovation Project the budget was estimated at approximately $10 million in construction and various soft costs.

At the February 2015 City Council Meeting, Council approved a motion setting the budget for the Town Hall Renovation project at $13 Million.

At the July 2015 City Council Meeting, Council approved the Design Review for the Town Hall Renovation Project.  The project details are:

• Remodel and update the the original Town Hall building
• Demolish the existing 1985 Town Hall addition and Town Hall annex building
• Import 3,000 cubic yards of earth material to fill in under new building
• Add 9,412 square foot addition onto the existing building with 20 parking spaces
• Construct a 30 space parking lot north of the existing building on the site of the annex building.

At the November and December 2015 City Council Meetings, Council approved a resolution awarding a construction contract to Farrallon Company Inc. for demolition of the 1985 edition, mass grading and site improvements for the Town Hall Renovation project.  Also, staff proposed splitting the project up into phases to keep project moving forward and help achieve a faster completion date.   The proposed phases are as follows:

• Phase I - Demolition of 1985 edition and various site improvements
• Phase II- Over excavation of the site, compacting soil, underpinning to support existing Town Hall, and installation of foundation and retaining walls.
• Phase III - Steel construction
• Phase IV - Infill of building, walls, plumbing, electrical, parking lot, landscaping, etc..
• Phase V - Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment

In May 2016 the City Council rejected all bids for Phase IV of the Town Hall Renovation project due to the wide spread between the three contractors and directed staff to rebid Phase IV.

In July 2016 the City Council approved a contract with Concord Iron Works to construct the steel package.

By fall of 2016 the steel crews have fully demobilized from the project site as both structural steel and metal decking are complete and final inspections were passed.

At November 2016 City Council Meeting, Council rejected all bids for Phase IV of the Town Hall Renovation project and elected to perform the work on force account.  Upon evaluating the bids, staff determined that the work could be performed more economically by force account, whereby the City Manager can negotiate and award the contract with a contractor that best serves the interest of the Town.

At the March 2017 City Council Meeting, Council approved a resolution amending the Town Hall Renovation budget from $13 Million to $18 Million.  The $5 million increase has been attributed to the competitive building climate in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Many are speculating due to a growing economy and an abundance of work, contractor and material vendors are stretched and unavailable to bid projects; therefore the contractors who are bidding jobs are increasing their costs at unprecedented rates.