A decision on who will repair the roof at the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center and for how much could come within a few weeks.
But first, the board overseeing the 30,000-square-foot facility on Malibu Hills Road needs answers to several questions. Among those is whether a federal grant could be used to pay for some of the work, estimated to cost about $1 million, and just how low the low bidder would be willing to go.
Officials from both cities are also in final negotiations on a lease agreement, something that must be settled before a contract for the repairs is awarded.
A destination for indoor and outdoor activities since its opening in 1999, the community center was shuttered in 2020 and its staff subsequently laid off because of the pandemic. With the loss of revenue, officials had to postpone repairs to the roof.
The City of Calabasas retains oversight and administration of the project’s competitive bid process and agreed to pay about half the cost upfront. That money is to be repaid with funding from the County of Los Angeles Regional Park and Open Space District.
A contract was expected to be awarded in August; however, an eleventh-hour amendment to the request for proposals delayed the process for what was to have been one week.
Bidding for the renovations closed Sept. 1, and the center’s joint powers authority, made up of representatives from the cities, received three bids, ranging from $1.35 million to $1.51 million.
The date to award the contract was revised to Sept. 22.
AME Roofing was the low bidder for a green vinyl roof, similar to the one already there. But the bid was more than $300,000 over budget.
The cost was just one of the issues at the Thursday meeting.
Is green the favored color?
Erica Green, Calabasas community services director, said the bids also included a white roof.
“That is a lot of white, but that is an option,” she said.
Calabasas City Council member Peter Kraut said he didn’t like the idea of a white roof because it’s so visible from the street.
“I think the green roof is probably the right choice,” he said. “Our energy usage is going to be similar; our reflectivity is going to be similar.”
Because the roof makes such a statement to passersby, complaints would probably be fewer if they stick to green, Kraut said.
The other members seemed to agree.
As for how to cover the additional cost, officials said a federal Housing and Urban Development grant could be an option. However, that would lead to another bidding process and delay the overall project.
Still, how the deficit will be made up has to be determined before a contract can be awarded.
What if there were no deficit?
That’s the scenario envisioned by authority member Matt Heller.
That would entail negotiating with AME on a lower price—and there’s still time to do that, Green said.
Heller encouraged the city staff members on the project to go to AME and ask, “Would you be willing to work with us?”
The city councils will meet in closed session in early October to finalize the lease details.
“We’re very close to a lease agreement,” said Calabasas
City Manager Kindon Meik. “And that’s important.”
Later in October, staff will present the JPA with answers to the various questions—and results of any negotiations with bidders—before a final vote and awarding of the contract.
Deborah Klein Lopez, Agoura Hills mayor and chair of the authority, said, “It sounds like we’ve got a plan.”