HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 1KFrom:Terrence Shugrue
To:City Clerk
Cc:Terrence Shugrue
Subject:E-Public Comment - Demuth Park Pickleball Expansion Project
Date:Monday, May 26, 2025 10:59:35 AM
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The following letter is relative to Item 1K for the 5.28.25 City Council Meeting:
Mr. Mayor, Council Members, City Manager
I would like to share some of my thoughts on the Demuth Park Pickleball Expansion Project. I have a
solid background in project management for all types of commercial construction, as I have worked for
one of the nation's largest General Contractor (Turner Construction) for my entire career that has
spanned six decades, all on the West Coast.
This is a great project that will provide the residents and visitors with professional quality pickleball
courts in a magnificent setting. I understand the budgetary challenges in our current times of economic
uncertainty, fueled by projected reduced revenues, uninsured losses, project cost overruns, and material
escalation.
In an effort to control/reduce costs and perhaps give project costs better predictability I offer the
following bid strategy for the anticipated upcoming rebid of the Pickleball project:
BASE BID - Construct 12 new courts to the west of the existing courts, including
landscaping/hardscaping, with an appropriate Field Allowance amount. The existing courts would remain
thus eliminating the need to establish temp courts ($100k cost) at the Palm Springs COD campus.
ALTERNATE ADD - Convert existing easterly tennis courts into 4 temp pickleball courts. This will be
needed in order to provide 12 courts during construction of Phase 1 (Base Bid), as there is some overlap
between the westerly existing courts and the 12 new west courts.
ALTERNATE ADD - Demolish existing courts (pickleball and tennis) and build the 12 new easterly courts
(including an appropriate Field Allowance) after completion of the 12 new westerly courts as identified in
the base bid.
ALTERNATE DEDUCT - Delete proprietary Musco light poles/sports lighting but foundations,
underground conduit, and wire to remain in appropriate bid package/phase.
ALTERNATE DEDUCT - Delete the furnishing of numerous amenities (i.e.: bleachers, trash receptacles,
benches, bike racks, etc.) and have the City buy direct (FOB jobsite) thus saving contractor's mark-ups
(20% to 30%). These items become OFCI (Owner Furnished Contractor Installed) which is a very
common practice in the industry. Perhaps the City can embellish this strategy by buying major items
such as sports lighting & shade structures.
Obviously to make this happen the "devil is in the details". You have a great design team in Kimley Horn
and should tap their expertise along with the great minds of our Engineering staff to accomplish this
task.
Another issue to think about that I learned over the years when planning projects is that you don't
design/build a 'church' for Easter Sunday, but rather use a typical Sunday as your design basis. I am
sure that the City has performed their due diligence and has extensive studies on the daily existing
pickleball court usage throughout the day, the various desert seasons, and that this supports the true
need for 24 new courts. From a very simplistic view and using actual bid amounts from the original bid,
you can figure each court to cost approximately $250k.
05/28/2025
Public Comment
Item 1K
I am very familiar with this project's scope and details having followed it for the past two years from
the initial concepts to the final construction/bid documents. I provided for the City a peer review of
the Kimley Horn 90% Construction Documents, which included both an estimate and constructability
review.
I would be more than happy to work with the project team to help in any way that it sees fit.
Terry Shugrue
2392 East El Chorro Way
Palm Springs, CA 92264
terryshugrue@outlook.com
503.849.5810
05/28/2025
Public Comment
Item 1K