How to resolve AdBlock issue? LAKEPORT, Calif. – At its meeting last Tuesday the Lakeport City Council approved changes to a citywide solar project and gave the OK to a purchase for new software for the Community Development Department.
Community Development Director Kevin Ingram took to the council at its March 19 meeting the proposed contract change order with ENGIE Services to complete the citywide solar and energy efficiency retrofit project.
The $4,480,417 contract between the city and ENGIE Services was approved in April, Ingram said. He asked for, and received, the council’s approval for a contract change order totaling $86,900, which brings the revised contract cost to $4,567,317. The project is covered by bond funds.
The scope of the work ranges from the construction of several new solar arrays, to new HVAC systems and new LED lighting fixtures downtown and in city parks.
“We have made some significant progress on many of these projects,” he said, from the new HVAC units being installed – including at City Hall this past Friday – and solar arrays at city facilities including the corporation yard.
As with any large project, “We get into little finds and things,” which Ingram said led to the contract change order.
The contract change order covered three main items, Ingram said. They included switching plans from placing a solar array in the city hall parking lot and replacing it with a “significantly larger” array at the former Bank of America building at 500 N. Main St., which the bank recently donated to the city. That portion of the contract change order won’t actually cost anything.
Second, the change order covers tree removal at the city’s wastewater plant, at a cost of $60,000, and third, another HVAC unit that needed to be replaced at the corporation and sewer yard, estimated to cost $26,900.
Councilman George Spurr questioned why the tree removal was a cost overrun. City Manager Margaret Silveira said the contract said the city was to remove them, while the city had thought it was work supposed to be done by the company.
In order to absorb some of that cost, Silveira said ENGIE is going to give the city a much larger solar array at the Bank of America building for the same cost as they were going to do the smaller array at City Hall.
Ingram added that the larger solar array should offer the city significant energy cost savings.
Councilwoman Mireya Turner moved to approve the change order, with multiple seconds offered by other council members and a final vote of 5-0.
Ingram also received approval from the council to sign a licensing agreement with Dude Solutions for the purchase of SmartGov permit management software for the Community Development Department. The software costs $55,929.25.
His written report explained that for the past 15 years or more the Lakeport Building Division has been utilizing the software licensing services of BlackBear for the management and tracking of building-related permits.
The system is no longer supported and he said it’s been his department’s goal to update its permit tracking system “and integrate other division permit issuance and tracking needs into one system along with the long-term goal to allow for online permit submittal in the future.”
Ingram said the change is much to the chagrin of the city’s building official, who is very happy with it. But with it no longer being supported and not allowing for online permit issuance, they need to make the change.
He said SmartGov has acquired the rights to the legacy BlackBear software products, which allows for a more streamlined software integration process in addition to reducing any loss of legacy department data. The SmartGov software is also compatible with the Tyler Systems software, used by the city’s Finance Department.
Other benefits include the integration of business licensing permitting software and allows for the future integration of planning and code enforcement permit issuance and tracking, according to Ingram’s report.
The purchase already had been budgeted but came in “a little bit higher than we originally anticipated,” which is why the purchase was brought back to the council, Ingram said.
Spurr asked if city staff had made outreach to anyone using the software. Ingram said yes, that the city of Clearlake uses it and they took a field trip down to see how it works. The building officials also had talked to another city in the area that uses it.
Ingram said the company will send out a staffer to help with training, and there also online education and help.
Councilwoman Stacey Mattina moved to approve the purchase, which was seconded by Turner and approved 5-0.
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031919 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd
