Nature center on track

Lauren Vane

The James and Rosemary Nix Nature Center, sited for Laguna Coast

Wilderness Park’s Little Sycamore Canyon, will finally come to

fruition this summer after the county announced it has accepted a

project bid -- nearly $1 million over budget -- from a Newport Beach

contractor.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $3

million bid May 17 from Metro Builders and Engineers Group, Ltd., the

contractor responsible for building the Peter and Mary Muth

Interpretive Center in Newport’s Back Bay.

“It was a bit of a shock,” said Laguna Canyon Foundation Executive

Director Mary Fegraus, of the bid price tag.

Though county officials also said they were surprised at the cost,

the county scraped together the money and the project is moving

forward.

“Everybody has coalesced to come together and make up the

differences,” said Fifth District Supervisor Tom Wilson. “Once a

commitment’s made, I don’t want to back away from that.”

The original project budget consisted of voter-approved state bond

funds, along with an initial $500,000 contribution from Leisure World

residents James and Rosemary Nix, for whom the center is named, and

$350,000 raised by the Laguna Canyon Foundation.

To make up for the $1 million difference in the accepted bid,

Supervisor Wilson transferred county park funds from another project

in a neighboring district, he said. Additionally, the Laguna Canyon

Foundation pledged another $100,000 to the project.

A higher-priced bid than was anticipated can be attributed to

rising costs in construction materials, according to the project

manager from Metro Builders, who declined to give his name.

Construction materials such as petroleum products, steel and

concrete, have increased tremendously within the last six months,

said county Design Manager Scott Thomas.

“It (the bid price) was a surprise, but it’s not out of line with

what’s going on in the industry,” Thomas said.

High costs are also coupled with an overall shortage of available

contractors, Thomas said. Many contractors are busy with storm damage

work and school modernization projects, Thomas said.

The Public Contract Code requires the county to accept the lowest

and most responsible bid, Thomas said. The bidding contractor must

meet a criteria of proper license, insurance and qualifications.

Although the $3 million figure was over budget, the county felt it

was not likely to receive lower bids if the project was put up for

bid a second time, Thomas said.

Thomas said he plans on exploring cost-reduction options with the

contractor.

The county has worked with Metro Builders on prior projects and

feels confident they’ll do the job right, Wilson said.

“We know them, we’ve worked with them and we think that was very a

prudent decision,” Wilson said.

With the bid finalized, construction on the 3,000 square-foot

nature and interpretive center should begin this summer. The county

estimates the project will take nine months to complete, Thomas said.

The center, located off the new section of Laguna Canyon Road,

will feature interactive exhibits, a designated painting area with

space for artists and easels, and picture windows framing views of

Quail Peak and Sycamore trees.

“The nature center is going to tie together our 17 acres of

wilderness parkland,” Fegraus said.

Two-thousand square feet of the center will be dedicated to an

interpretive center that will offer visitors a glimpse at the natural

surrounding from the varying points of view of a scientist, artist

and historian, Fegraus said.

“We’re trying to encourage people to learn something about the

outdoors and get out there,” Fegraus said.

The nature center building and interpretive exhibits were designed

simultaneously, resulting in a project that will hopefully draw a

deep connection between visitors and nature, said park ranger Larry

Sweet.

Now with everything in place, including the money, the only thing

that could stand in the way of construction on the nature center is

nature itself. The breeding season for the California gnatcatcher is

in full swing until mid-August and surveys may need to be conducted

to determine whether or not gnatcatchers are nesting on or near the

construction site, Fegraus said.

Thomas said the county will work with the Department of Fish and

Game to decide how to proceed with construction while being

considerate of the gnatcatchers’ breeding needs.