$8.7M Contract To Rebuild Margarita Rec Center: OK Expected

TEMECULA, CA — Tuesday night Temecula City Council is expected to approve a multi-million dollar contract to demolish and rebuild the Margarita Recreation Center at 29119 Margarita Road.

Tuesday night's meeting agenda includes approving the design-build agreement with De La Secura Builders, Inc. that defines a guaranteed maximum cost to the city of $8,680,459 for the project. The agenda item also calls on City Council to authorize City Manager Aaron Adams to approve change orders up to 1.4 percent of the agreement amount, or $120,000.

The existing Margarita Recreation Center and pool have a long history in the city. For many years, the building was used by the YMCA to run youth development and community service

programs.

But in 2012, Temecula City Council unanimously approved the purchase of the struggling facility — which sits on city-owned land — for $1.6 million. At the time, the YMCA said its Temecula location was in dire financial straits.

Over the years, the city has continued to provide community programs and classes at the center. But to expand the uses there, city officials decided that demolishing the existing facility — to make way for a new building and pool — would best address the needs of the city and community.

"There have been several assessments of the building regarding retrofit, repair, and/or expansion to address building deficiencies along with the need to expand uses of the facility," according to Tuesday's meeting agenda documents. "Most recently, the Margarita Recreation Center Community Needs Assessment was completed in 2017. Ultimately, it was determined that a complete demolition of the existing facility and replacement with a new building and pool would best address the needs of the City and community. Furthermore, City staff considers delivery of these improvements via design-build methodology to be suitable and advantageous, as it allows greater flexibility in decision-making while controlling overall cost."

If approved Tuesday night, the Margarita Recreation Center would mark the city’s first design-build project. The agreement includes the design, environmental clearance, and construction of the new recreational center, and demolition of the existing facility. The cost breakdown is $565,000 for the facility's design, $7,472,462 for construction, and $642,997 of profit to De La Secura Builders, Inc., the city documents show.

The new recreational center would be approximately 8,600 square feet of indoor space, including a classroom, multipurpose room with operable partition, dance/fitness room, kitchen, administrative/reception offices, lifeguard/aquatic and first aid rooms, locker rooms and restrooms.

The new center’s outdoor facilities would include multiple patio spaces and a 45-foot-wide- by 75-foot-long-pool.