Pasadena is changing the way it contracts for sidewalk repairs, hoping to be more responsive to residents’ and officials’ complaints, which can sit for months before they’re answered. However, the newly approved contracts brought up old concerns from some on the City Council about the city’s local hiring practices.
Instead of soliciting bids and going to the council for approval when sidewalk repairs are needed, the council approved standing contracts for three companies. Each company could earn as much as $3 million, depending on how much work each one wins.
This way, when sidewalk repairs are needed, city staff is authorized to hire the lowest bidder for each project without going to the City Council, making it easier to get sidewalk repairs done more quickly, Public Works Director Ara Maloyan told the council on Monday, Nov. 9.
But there’s a problem for Vice Mayor Tyron Hampton: None of the companies are based in Pasadena, despite a push to hire more local contractors.
While the council approved three contracts — collectively authorizing $9 million in possible expenditures for sidewalk repairs over five years — the city only intends to spend between $400,000 and $1.5 million each year, according to Maloyan and a staff report.
Every quarter, the city will assemble a list of projects and the three companies will each submit bids. The contracts are $3 million a piece just in case one company is consistently the lowest bidder, winning more projects than the rest.
Despite reaching out to Pasadena contractors and getting seven replies, City Engineer Kris Markarian said only one local vendor could do the work, but “they did not meet the minimum criteria for qualification.”
Markarian outlined the required qualifications, but didn’t say where this vendor fell short.
Hampton, who is flooring contractor in his day job, suggested it could have been the insurance requirements. A company will have to pay for more insurance on a $3 million contract than a $400,000 one, potentially pushing out otherwise qualified companies.
The companies may have also not met the city’s requirement for five years of experience, Hampton speculated.
“This is one of those opportunities that I believe was a miss,” he said. “Off the top of my head, I can give you five companies that do concrete work. They do solid work. They do great work.”
He said the companies should be given the chance to do the work “and if they jack up the job,” then they wouldn’t get another chance.
“That’s what I’ve been harping on all these years,” Hampton said. “We have to give Pasadena-based businesses an opportunity.”
Almost one year ago, the council tabled a $12 million janitorial contract because it wasn’t headed to a local company. Then, officials suggested breaking the contract up into many smaller parts, which might be accessible for smaller, local companies.
The city has tried to force some developers to do the same thing to mixed results.
Hampton suggested setting aside some work for Pasadena-based companies when large contracts like sidewalk repair come up for debate, but City Manager Steve Mermell suggested there could be some legal impediments to a move like that.
He said staff was preparing a report that would be presented at a city commission meeting in the coming weeks, outlining the technical difficulties that impede the city’s ability to hire local as much as officials would like.
Councilman John Kennedy hailed Hampton for his consistent local hiring push. While there have been some changes to the city’s local hiring practices — including increased outreach to local contractors — the results have “not been satisfying to me,” Kennedy said.
The three companies who ultimately were awarded the sidewalk repair contracts were: Sylmar-based FS Contractors, Rancho Cucamonga-based Genry General Engineering, and Montebello-based CEM Construction Corp.
The move was unanimously supported. Some council members hoped the quicker sidewalk repairs would help the city improve travel for residents with disabilities.
Others stressed the move was important to mitigate the constant and numerous slip-and-fall claims against the city for damaged sidewalks.
