New clubhouse for De Bell approved

Laura Sturza

Golfers who have outgrown the 33-year-old De Bell Municipal Golf

Course clubhouse can now look forward to new digs in 2005.

The City Council has approved a preconstruction services contract

with Jones Lang LaSalle to assist city staffers in tracking the

project’s budget and schedule and reduce overall costs.

Structural, plumbing and electrical problems that have plagued the

aging facility will be resolved with a new clubhouse, according to

Mike Flad, Burbank’s Park, Recreation and Community Services

director.

“The current clubhouse is one of our oldest facilities,” Flad

said. “[It’s] well below city standards.”

The $182,500 contract will also pay for similar consulting

services for the South San Fernando Park Project. The cap for the

contract was $180,000, but allowed for $2,500 in reimbursable costs

such as printing, city officials said.

Although Jones Lang LaSalle was the highest bidder, the company

was recommended by staff because “they had the best overall quality,

depth of experience and similar project experience,” said Phillip

Clifford, the city’s Capital Projects Manager.

The project’s lowest bidder -- Davis Langdon Adamson -- came in at

$150,000. According to city officials, the city’s municipal code has

different requirements for awarding different types of contracts.

“For professional services, price is one of the considerations,

but there are so many other variables involved in selecting a

professional,” Stevenson said, adding that a firm’s philosophy about

a project and whether they would make a good team member are also

factored in.

General contracting awards that pay for construction are more

heavily based on price, but factors such as quality of supplies and

previous track record are also considered, Stevenson said.

“As a general rule, [we accept] the lowest responsible bidder for

public-works construction contracts,” Stevenson said.

The clubhouse project is expected to cost between $4 million and

$5 million, and will be paid for by golf-course fees, Flad said.