CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA

Council Report
March 3, 2015
To:

Honorable Mayor Burnett and Members of the City Council

From:

Douglas J. Schmitz, City Administrator

Subject:

Forest Theater: (1) Consideration of Receipt of a Donation in the amount

of $10,000 to add an alternative to the bid package regarding terracing;
(2) if Donation is accepted, authorize City Administrator to sign an
amendment to the CAW contract for extra work related to terracing.

RECOMMENDATION(S):
If donation is accepted, authorize the City Administrator to sign an amendment to the CAW
Contract to add an alternate for terracing at Forest Theater.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
At its 15 January 2015 Special Meeting on the Forest Theater, the City Council authorized the
Triage phase of the project to go to bid. The Council also provided directives or guidance on
eight (8) matters. A draft copy of the motion and the farragoes is attached.
One item raised as an addendum item pertained to the exploration of terraced steps. The
Councils direction was to ask architect and staff to look at the option of the 6 foot landings in
the aisles.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
TERRACING
As related to the main portion of the seating bowl, the building code and ADA require a
continuous handrail at the side aisle stairs. There is a desire by some Forest Theater user
groups to have breaks in this handrail in order to allow actors interaction between the
seating bowl and the adjacent forest. Hence, a continuous handrail would block access
from/to the forest or bowl seating areas. To mitigate this issue, CAW Architects incorporated
two new and very short seat rows, on both the east and west sides of the bowl, adjacent to
the forested areas---four (4) rows in total. This design may necessitate user groups,
depending upon the production and whether the forest/bowl access is used for a
performance, to ensure that these seats are not occupied if actors will be entering or exiting
the aisles at these two locations. With this design, three access ways exist from the forest to
the aisles---at the top and bottom of the east and west railings and at the new seating rows.

Council Agenda Packet for 3/3/15

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Council Meeting Date: 3/3/15

Agenda Item: 8.F

An alternative design approach is terraced steps. A more technical description would be

intermediate stairway landings. Intermediate stairway landings do not require handrails, and
therefore breaks in the handrail can be incorporated at these locations. This results in a +/-3
elevation difference between the terraced steps (located at the side and center aisles) and the
seat row aisles. The elevation difference alternates from up, to down, at every row. To
mitigate this difference in elevation, seat row aisles would be ramped; patrons would have a
ramp or sloped surface under their feet at their seats. At alternating rows, the seat row ramp
would be downward in the direction of the row, creating an area where water could not gravity
drain to the outside or to the center island. Thus, puddling of water would occur. To mitigate
this impact, a drainage system would need to be installed as part of a terracing plan.
The estimated cost for the preparation of plans for bidding purposes by contractors for the
terracing is $10,000. The estimate to construct the terracing and to install the drainage
system is $40,000-50,000 in addition to the preparation of drawings.
Pursuant to the Councils instruction to look at the terracing option, staff and the architect
held several discussions. Due to the amount of money involved for drawings and construction
($50,000-60,000) as well as the sloping of the walk aisles fronting the seating of the patrons, I
instructed the architect to not include terracing in the plans and bid package. This decision
has met with opposition from some user group representatives and theater supporters.
In response to this decision, the Pac Rep representative raised $10,000 so that the terracing
could be included as a add alternative for bidders. An add alternative would necessitate
CAW to develop plans (thus the $10,000 expense); bidders would provide a price in their bids
for the construction costs to do the terracing. At this time, the original CAW idea for the
creation of two short rows of new seats on the east and west sides of the aisles is the primary
item for bidding in the plan sets.
CAW ARCHITECTS CONTRACT
The contract with CAW does not contain monies for the development of plans for terracing
for bidding purposes. Also, the contract does not contain contingency monies. Thus, if Council
desires to proceed with add alternative, it would accept the donation from Pac Rep.
Although the project will be out to bid by the time of the Councils decision---if affirmative to
proceed---the plans will be readied and sent to bidders in sufficient time for inclusion in the bid
proposals to be received at the end of March.
FOREST THEATER MEETINGS CHRONOLOGY: CITY COUNCIL
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

5 May 2014: Council Workshop

10 June 2014: Council Approves Budget
5 August 2014: Council Approves CAW Architects
21 October 2014: Presentation of Triage Plan
29 October 2014: Council Authorizes Construction Drawings to Proceed
5 January 2015: Council Approves Contract Amendments with CAW Architects
15 January 2015: Council Authorizes Project to Go to Bid

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Council Meeting Date: 3/3/15

Agenda Item: 8.F

FOREST THEATER STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS CHRONOLOGY

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

25 August 2014: Stakeholder Kickoff

3 October 2014: Stakeholder/Staff
18 November 2014: Stakeholders/Architect on Site
9 January 2015: Stakeholders Meeting on Triage Phase and Phase II Concepts
21 January 2015: Mayor and Vanderford Meet with Forest Theater Foundation. Three of
four Stakeholders Present
6) 26 January 2015: Stakeholders Meeting on Terracing.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Budgeted: No

Funding Source: Donation

PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION/DECISION HISTORY:

ATTACHMENTS:
1. Minutes of January 1, 2015 City Council Meeting Minutes Experpt
APPROVED:

____________________________________
Douglas J. Schmitz, City Administrator

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Date: ____________________

Council Meeting Date: 3/3/15

Agenda Item: 8.F

The following is an excerpt from the DRAFT Minutes of the Work Study Session on
January 15, 2015.
Action: Upon motion by Mayor Burnett , seconded by Council Member Talmage, and amended
at the request of Mayor Pro Tem Beach, the Council adopted the Phase I-Triage Phase, as
refined with a number of additions noted as follows (1-8), approved the temporary restrooms to
the east side of the property, received the hazardous materials report, received the Phase II
concepts and authorized the Phase I Triage Project to go to bid; and tabled the issue of
appointment of community members for Phase II for the time being.
1. That Council ask the architects to do a review overall of miniziming railings, particularly
railings around the steps coming up from the lower parking lot.
2. Ask Architect and Staff to look at the option of the 6 foot landings in the aisles.
3. General review to avoid right angles and straight lines, and general conformity with City
design guidelines.
4. State a preference for quick completion, leave the details to the City Administrator
5. Appoint City Administrator as the final decision maker for issues that come up through
construction
6. Reiterate desire for a Master Plan, out of which the City can identify investments that
can be made in the coming Fiscal Year
7. As part of the Master Plan, an assessment of the feasibility of a 1-in-20 pathway on the
west side going into the mid-aisle bowl and a 1-in-20 pathway from the parking lot in the
ADA connected area.
8. Look into the feasibility to move the future restroom side ramp to the fence, subject to
complying with the zoning regulations.

Council Agenda Packet for 3/3/15

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Council Meeting Date: 3/3/15

Agenda Item: 8.F