Pasadena City Council pushes back vote on Central Library project contract amendment

The Pasadena City Council Monday, Feb. 9, voted to pause the Central Library seismic retrofit project until its lead construction contractor provides its plan for including local hiring into the project.

In a 6-2 vote, with Councilmembers Steve Madison and Gene Masuda voting no, the council called on PCL Construction Services to come back to the Feb. 16 meeting with a clear plan about how local hiring and local procurement would be incorporated into the project.

In July, council members approved an $8 million contract with PCL for Phase 1 of the project, which included pre-construction services, selective demolition and abatement. City Council members Monday voted to push back a vote that would have amended the contract to no more than $186,186,155.

Councilmembers Justin Jones and Tyron Hampton pushed PCL representatives about how much local hiring was part of Phase 1 and how much would be part of the project moving forward.

PCL officials said local involvement fell below its 10% goal, but that was due to the nature of the work in Phase 1, which was more specialized.

“We need to have someone in our city that’s really tracking the local hire and the local business procurement on Central Library project, on any other city project as well,” Jones said.

During the meeting, PCL said it estimates that about 11% to 12% of its Phase 2 contract spend will be going back into the local economy, which includes local supplies brought onto the project, trade partners and local workforce.

Citing past projects where promises went unkept, councilmembers pushed for numbers around local hiring and procurement be done in writing before moving forward with the project.

Madison and Masuda did not support the rescheduling of the vote so as not to delay the project timeline.

The $195 million bond supported seismic retrofit project closed the library, located at Walnut Street and Garfield Avenue, in May 2021 after unreinforced masonry was found during an assessment in 2020. A large portion of the library’s collection is being held in storage until the project is completed.

Phase 2 construction was expected to begin this month and be completed in July 2028. The work will include structural work, mechanical, electrical and plumbing, interior finishes, site work and landscaping and commissioning and closeout.

Public Works Director Greg de Vinck said after all the construction work is done, more than 300,000 books will need to be moved back in to the right place.