Title
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING PRIOR APPROVAL OF A SOLE SOURCE PURCHASE OF AN ESTIMATED 8100 SQUARE FEET OF AERIAL LIFT BRIDGE DECKING MATERIAL FROM FRONTIER GRATINGS FOR AN ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF $1,000,000.00.
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CITY PROPOSAL:
RESOLVED, that the proper city officials are hereby authorized to contract with Frontier Gratings for the purchase of aerial lift bridge decking material in the estimated amount of $1,000,000, payable from 411-035-5530 (permanent improvement, capital projects accounts, improvements other than buildings), city project 2095.
Statement of Purpose
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: This resolution authorizes the purchase of an estimated 8100 square feet of aerial lift bridge decking material from Frontier Gratings for an estimated amount of $1,000,000.
The aerial lift bridge is designated a historic structure and as such the City is required to match the existing material as closely as possible when making repairs to the bridge. The special shape grid main grate beam that matches the existing bridge main grate beam is no longer being produced anywhere in the world. The last mill that produced these beams discontinued production at the end of 2023. The City has identified Frontier Gratings as the one supplier in the country that still has enough stock to supply the number of special shape main grate beams required to replace the bridge decking. However, their supply is dwindling as other entities clamor to secure the same stock for their own projects.
The industry is in the process of developing new grid designs using standard structural shapes to replace the discontinued special shape grid main beam, but that effort is basically in its infancy and finalized designs will not be available before the bridge deck must be replaced.
Standard rectangular main grate beams that are widely available today weigh more than the discontinued beams. If standard grate decking were used to replace the existing grate decking, not only would it look significantly different from the existing grate decking, it would add substantial weight to an already heavy bridge span. If standard grating were used, it would require adding weight to the bridge counterweights to offset the additional bridge span weight, which would cause more stress to, and shorten the life of, the counterweight cables. If unable to secure the special shape grid main beam, the City will need to get approval form the State Historic Preservation Office for another style of grate and engineer a design option to handle the weight difference.
For these reasons, city staff feel it’s imperative to get authorization to move forward with a purchase based on these estimates to ensure we can respond quickly once actual costs are known. Should our standard process be required, potentially adding two weeks to a purchase cycle, we could jeopardize our opportunity to secure the necessary material.
If requested by Council, city staff could report on the actual costs of the purchase after the fact.