That the City Council:
A. Approve the waiver of the competitive bidding process per La Habra Municipal Code Section 4.20.070 (C) for purchases of goods and services and authorize the use of competitively bid cooperative purchasing through Sourcewell for procurement of construction services; and

B.  Appropriate $149,344 from unencumbered funds in the Capital Development Park account for this park lighting project; and

C.  Authorize the City Manager to execute a contract with Musco Sports Lighting, LLC of Tustin, California, and issue a purchase order in an amount not to exceed $678,602, which includes a ten percent (10%) contingency.

The City's Fiscal Year 2025-2026 adopted Capital Improvement Project budget includes $529,258 in funding for the installation of baseball field lighting at Portola Park through the City's allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.  While designing the field light project, staff determined that it would be additionally beneficial to use this construction period to also add additional park lighting and power sources, as well as conduit for future low voltage conductors, such as additional park security cameras.  The additional items for this project will add $149,344 in costs, but will also benefit the City in the future with additional park security lighting, power sources that will diminish the need for generators during special events, the ability to add additional security cameras, and more and staff are asking the City Council to allocate the additional funds through available Capital Development Park Funds.

The Portola Park Sports and Cultural Arts Complex is a 10.08 acre park, located at 301 South Euclid Street, and is the home to the Children’s Museum, Depot Theater, Tennis Center, two child development centers, three youth baseball fields, seven vintage original train cars, a toddler play area, green space, and is also located immediately adjacent to a 4,500 square foot commercial building acquired by the City at the northeastern corner of the park that will eventually be the home to the Police Department's Animal Control Program, the La Habra Historical Museum, and Community Services programming. 

The park was developed in 1975 and while each distinct component at the park has seen individual renovations, the park itself has not gone through significant renovations since that time. Portola Park currently attracts families throughout the day, however, it is closed at dusk unless there is a City sanctioned evening event scheduled. While general use parks in La Habra close in the evenings, designated sports use parks stay open later if they have adequate lighting. Currently, the La Habra Little League the District-wide Little League Challenger program utilizes the fields at Portola Park during baseball season, but have to suspend play at dusk as there are no field lights available. If approved by City Council, the proposed project would install baseball field lighting to allow for significantly extended field playing time into the evenings, allowing for the park to be more effectively utilized for both youth sports, as well as lighting for adjacent park areas, allowing for more security for the entire park throughout the year.

The addition of lights to the baseball fields would improve the overall use and design of the entire park, but the increased usage in the evening would also have an impact on the already overburdened parking capacity at Portola Park.  To help address this dual need for more efficient park use and the need for more parking, the proposed project will also involve the removal of the small southern baseball field and replacing it with an expansion of the existing parking lot. While the removal of the small field would reduce available playing space, that loss will likely be more than offset by having the two larger fields lighted and available for longer playing time each day.

City staff met with the La Habra Little League President to discuss this proposed project, and he expressed appreciation for this concept and provided a letter of support (Attachment No. 1) from the League. Staff also met with the Little League District 56 Chair who is responsible for the District-wide Challenger program that is exclusively held at Portola Park.  The Challenger Program is traditionally scheduled from March to June each year, with games held at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays. While lighting would not benefit this program, the additional parking spaces will be an improvement. It should be noted that the Challenger Program typically uses the south baseball field that would be removed, and will require the program to move to the two larger fields. The District Chair understands the need for more parking and the benefits that lights would provide Little League overall, but indicated concerns for the Challenger program that brings approximately 50 families from throughout the District to Portola Park for games. She specifically noted the distance from the larger baseball fields to the parking areas and the restrooms. Staff have committed to ensuring that any impact on the Challenger League would be evaluated and mitigated in every way possible, but still believe that the proposed project has a significant net benefit to La Habra Little League, the many users of Portola Park, and La Habra residents.

City staff also conducted an analysis of lighting impact on the surrounding properties by researching the immediate radius around the park and found that the increased lighting and any lighting spillover, glare, or skyglow would not overly affect the residents closest to the baseball fields.  The proposed lighting will be designed to minimize any light spillover, with strategically placed poles, controlled light levels, precise directional aiming, and more.  Staff will continue to meet with any interested neighbors to keep them informed of any changes and designs.

As allowed by the City’s Municipal Code, staff is recommending that the City utilize a cooperative purchasing program to secure competitive pricing for the lighting portion of this project. Sourcewell is such a program, offering competitively bid pricing and simplified procurement by combining the buying power of its member organizations to negotiate competitively solicited, pre-approved contracts with vendors. Sourcewell conducts the national solicitations, and members can then use these contracts to purchase goods and services more quickly and efficiently without needing to run their own bidding process. 

Sourcewell published a nationwide Request for Proposals (RFP) for "Sports Lighting Solutions with Related Technology, Equipment, and Services" in 2023 and received nine responsive suppliers with Musco Sports Lighting, LLC (Musco) being scored as the highest of the nine bidders and receiving the certification of low bidder with an award of contract by Sourcewell from June 2023 until June 2027.  Supporting documents for the Sourcewell competitive bidding process, including the RFP, responses, scoring, pricing, and more can be found at the Sourcewell website at https://sourcewell-mn.gov/cooperative-purchasing/041123-msl. 

Since the Portola Park Lighting Project is being funded through Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, a federal allocation, staff consulted with the City's CDBG advisor to confirm the use of a cooperative agreement meets the standards and requirements of the funding and received an affirmative response.  Musco also confirmed that they are capable of satisfying all requirements of a CDBG funded project.

If City Council approves the award of contract, Musco would be required to adhere to all other terms and conditions of the City's traditional Construction Contract (Attachment No. 2) .   The parking lot enhancement of this project will be designed and bid out independently of the lighting project and will be brought to the City Council when design of this lighting project is complete.

The Portola Park Lighting Project cost is estimated at $678,602, which includes design and installation and $529,258 is included in the City's approved 2025-2026 Capital Improvement Plan through CDBG allocations and the remaining $149,344 is available in the Capital Development Park Fund.