Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Proposal No. IR20-544

El Camino Community College District

16007 Crenshaw Boulevard
Torrance, CA 90506-0001

Attention: Mr. Jorge Gutierrez,

Executive Director Facilities, Planning & Services

Subject: Proposal for Geotechnical Exploration

Proposed New Music Building
El Camino College
16007 Crenshaw Boulevard
Torrance, Los Angeles County, California

In response to the request on behalf of El Camino College from DLR Group, the project
architect, Leighton Consulting, Inc. is pleased to provide this geotechnical exploration
proposal to support the design of the proposed Music Building at the main El Camino
College campus in Torrance. This proposal is solely for a geotechnical exploration for
design, and does address neither geotechnical nor materials testing during construction.

This is a scope and fee proposal. Upon request, we can send you information
regarding our qualifications. However, Leighton Consulting, Inc. is uniquely qualified to
provide these services, due to our recent experience on this campus; including recently
completed similar reports we prepared for other projects on this campus, which were
approved by the California Geological Survey (CGS) in one submittal.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Our understanding of this project is based on DLR’s October 21 e-mail and the site plan
sketch of proposed location for the new Music Building. There is little information about
these proposed buildings at this time. However, we understand the new building will be
located where the existing Art & Behavioral Science Building, the Art Gallery, and Art-
North Building are located; see:
http://www.elcamino.edu/about/maps/ECC-Campus-Map.pdf

Board of Trustees Agenda/Measure - December 21, 2020 - Page 1

We understand that the Art & Behavioral Science Building will be demolished to make
room for the new Music Building. We also understand that the new Music Building
footprint is no larger than (≤) 66,500 square feet.

14 borings (rounded up) are the minimum required by the 2019 California Building Code
(CBC) Section 1803A.3.1, assuming the footprint is no-larger-than (≤) 66,500 square-
feet. Actual depths of the borings will be the planned depths or to refusal, whichever is
the deepest.

We were provided the site plan of the new Music Building and expected gravity loads by
the structural engineer. Expected column loading are typically 250 kips (D+L,
unfactored) and long span/long bay areas are anticipated as 415 kips (D+L, unfactored).
Currently, the new building finished floor elevation is unknown at the time of preparation
of this proposal. However, we know the general location, and this part of the campus is
relatively level. Therefore, we assume ground floor elevation for the new building will
match or be slightly higher than existing adjacent elevations.

As regionally mapped on the March 25, 1999 California Seismic Hazard Zones Official
Map, for the Inglewood Quadrangle, the proposed Music Building is not located within a
potential liquefaction hazard zone. We assume our geotechnical report for this public-
school project will be reviewed by the California Geological Survey (CGS) and the
California Division of the State Architect (DSA).

PROPOSED BASIC GEOTECHNICAL EXPLORATION

Our services for this project will be mobilized and managed from our Irvine office. Due
to site access restrictions, we propose a combination of truck-mounted drill rig,
cone penetration test soundings, and hand-auger borings. We propose to drill
three borings with a truck-mounted drill rig to depths of 20 to 50 feet, five cone
penetration test (CPT) soundings to depths of 50 feet (One of the CPT’s will be used to
measure shear wave velocities for seismic evaluation.), and six borings with a hand
auger to a depth of approximately 5 feet, or to refusal, at this site. We will then test
recovered soil samples at our in-house geotechnical laboratory (DSA LEA-63), perform
site-specific geotechnical analyses and prepare a report of our geotechnical findings,
conclusions and recommendations (for CGS review); as described in the following
subsections.

Board of Trustees Agenda/Measure - December 21, 2020 - Page 2

Subsurface Exploration
We assume we will have unhindered access to the site to drill borings adjacent to the
existing Art & Behavioral Science Building. For the purposes of this proposal, we
assume that you will provide us with legal access to this site for our fieldwork. We have
provided options (discussed later in this proposal) to drill borings either at night or on
weekends if school will be in session to avoid classroom disruption and for safety. We
have not budgeted for drilling crew fingerprinting and/or background checks; but upon
request, we can do so. (Leighton’s staff have been cleared with Live Scan.)

We assume that all 14 borings will be drilled within El Camino College controlled
property, such that no permits will be required. Before we begin fieldwork, we will mark
proposed boring locations and notify you and Underground Service Alert (USA), so that
known public or private underground utilities can be identified. USA will not likely be
effective location utilities on District property, so we will need to rely on as-built utility
plans from the College (District). We are not responsible for damage to unidentified
utilities. We have presented another option (discussed later in this proposal) to
subcontract a private utility locator to clear ferrous and otherwise remotely detectible
utilities at our proposed boring locations.

Fourteen borings are the minimum required by the 2019 California Building Code (CBC)
Section 1803A.3.1, assuming the building footprints are no-larger-than (≤) 66,500
square-feet. Actual depths of the borings will be these planned depths or to refusal,
whichever is the deepest; as tabulated below:

Building Boring Type Number Depth (feet)

Truck-mounted hollow-stem 3 20 to 50
Music Building Cone Penetration Testing Soundings 5 50
Hand-auger 6 5

Boring locations on existing concrete pavement will be cored. We anticipate some

locations will be on grass or landscape areas. Each boring will be logged by a member
of our technical staff. Representative soil samples will be collected and transported to
our in-house Irvine (DSA-LEA approved) laboratory for geotechnical testing. Borings
will be backfilled with drilling cuttings and patched at the surface with ready-mix
concrete, where required. Our services exclude replacement of tile, re-paving, re-
vegetation and/or landscaping restoration (some lawn restoration may be required). We
request that irrigation in the drilling areas be halted for 48-hours in advance, to
reduce lawn rutting.

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Our proposed scope of work does not include an assessment of this site for the
presence of substances that may be considered hazardous. If we encounter material
that we suspect may be hazardous, we will discontinue work in the immediate area and
notify you. If required, we have available geoenvironmental specialists who can assist
you. Upon request, a proposal to address handling of such materials and
recommended further action will be submitted.

Geotechnical Laboratory Testing

Selected soil samples obtained from our borings will be tested at our in-house Irvine
(DSA-LEA-63 approved) geotechnical laboratory in general accordance with applicable
ASTM standards. We expect that in-place moisture and density, percent fines,
Atterberg limits, direct shear, Expansion Index (EI), R-Value, corrosivity testing, and
consolidation tests will be performed. Unused samples remaining after completion of
geotechnical laboratory testing will be stored in our laboratory for at least 30 days after
sampling.

Geotechnical Analyses and Report Preparation

We will review all readily available site-specific geotechnical reports, Alquist-Priolo
maps, seismic hazard maps, and other literature and historic aerial photographs
available from our in-house library or in the public domain. We will prepare a
geotechnical design report addressing the proposed building. Our report will be signed
and stamped by a California Geotechnical Engineer (GE) and Certified Engineering
Geologist (CEG), as required for California public school projects. Our report will
specifically address all required items in the California Geological Survey’s (CGS’s)
current Note 48; see:

http://www.consrv.ca.gov/CGS/information/publications/cgs_notes/note_48/note_48.pdf

In this report, we will document our geotechnical findings, conclusions and

recommendations for the proposed Student Activities Center Building, and specifically
address the following:

 Geologic Hazards: We will discuss potential geologic hazards at this site, including
potential for surface fault rupture, ground shaking, liquefaction, lateral spreading and
differential seismic compaction at the site using available data.
 Seismicity: We will provide a regional fault map showing proximity of this site to
major faults identified by the California Geological Survey (CGS) within a 100-
kilometer radius of the site. We will also provide site-specific seismic coefficients in
accordance with ASCE 7-16 and the 2019 California Building Code (CBC), which will

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 also include a site-specific ground motion analysis in accordance with Section 21.2
of ASCE 7-16.
 Grading and Earthwork: We will present earthwork criteria, including
recommendations for fill and backfill materials, and backfill compaction.
 Foundations: Utilizing data collected during our current exploration, we will
recommend allowable vertical and lateral bearing pressures for use in designing new
spread-footing foundations. We will also provide foundation design criteria including
recommendations for minimum size, embedment depth, allowable vertical and
lateral capacities, and expected total and differential settlements.
 Slabs-On-Grade: We will present concrete slab-on-grade design criteria, including
recommendations for subgrade preparation, moisture vapor mitigation and if
necessary, non-expansive fill.
 Lateral Earth Pressures: For design of retaining walls, we will provide
recommended lateral earth pressures (active, at-rest and passive) and friction
resistance (including soil angle of internal friction), including retaining wall backfill
and drainage recommendations.
 Preliminary Pavement Sections: We will provide preliminary pavement sections
for Portland cement concrete and asphalt concrete pavements for typical Traffic
Indices (TI) of 3, 5, 7, and fire access roads, unless project-specific TI’s are provided
to us.
 Temporary Excavations: Utilizing the data collected during our exploration, we will
present temporary excavation guidelines (construction site safety is the responsibility
of the contractor).
We will assist the District in submitting the report to CGS/DSA for review. CGS/DSA
application and review fees are typically paid by the District. Therefore, these fees are
excluded in our proposal.

OPTIONAL GEOTECHNICAL DESIGN SERVICES

Option 1: Private Utility Locator

As noted above, we will contact Underground Service Alert (USA) prior to beginning
fieldwork so that registered public utilities in the area of our 14 borings will be marked.
However, USA will not mark unregistered (private) utility locations, particularly on sites
off the public right-of-way, such as where we propose to drill our borings. Therefore,
unless a private utility locator is subcontracted, we will need the College (District) to
mark private utilities where we propose to drill our borings, or provide us with up-to-date
utility plans prior to exploration. We are not responsible for damage to unidentified
underground utilities. A private utility locator can help reduce the risk of damaging
underground utilities during subsurface exploration, especially on sites where little

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information is available regarding existing underground utilities. If desired, we can
subcontract a private utility locator.

Option 2: Saturday or Nighttime Drilling

To reduce school disruption and for student safety, as an option, we can drill our
borings on weekends (Saturdays) or at nighttime, when student activities are
presumably less on campus. Incremental overtime charges will be charged as part of
this option. Our incremental fee for this option does not include lighting. Therefore, this
option is based on the assumption that ample campus lights will be available in the area
of our drilling locations. We have provided an incremental fixed-fee for this option to
cover overtime labor charges. If chosen, this option must be authorized simultaneously
with our basic scope. Sunday or holiday drilling will be at “double-time” in accordance
with California labor laws.

Option 3: Plans and Specifications Review (Post Design and Pre-Bid)

Upon request, we can review draft plans and specifications pertaining to the
geotechnical aspects of this project. We can provide services during bidding to respond
to contractor’s questions pertaining to geotechnical aspects of this project and prepare a
clarification letter(s), if needed. However, this option is based on no-more-than (≤) eight
hours of Associate Geotechnical Engineer’s time. This proposal does not include
neither geotechnical testing nor observation during construction.

SCHEDULE
Leighton Consulting, Inc. will begin scheduling field equipment and personnel for our
geotechnical exploration immediately upon receipt of your written authorization to
proceed. About five working days will be required to schedule personnel and
equipment, and to obtain USA and District utility clearance prior to drilling. Additional
delay may occur due to site access constraints and weather. For example, a week or
two additional delay may occur if drilling must occur on weekends. Our 14
borings will be drilled within approximately two to three working days. Geotechnical
laboratory testing, analysis and report preparation will require 15 to 20 working days
after subsurface exploration is completed. Upon request, project updates can be
provided as our data is developed.

FEES AND TERMS

Geotechnical Exploration (Design) Fixes Fees

Leighton Consulting, Inc. will provide this basic scope and options for the fixed fees
listed in Table 1, below:

Board of Trustees Agenda/Measure - December 21, 2020 - Page 6

 TABLE 1. GEOTECHNICAL EXPLORATION FEES

Basic Geotechnical Exploration Services

Field Exploration ......................................................................................... $18,564
14 borings (California Prevailing Wage rig, cone penetration testing, and hand auger)
USA, access coordination, logging and management (permits not included)
Geotechnical Laboratory Testing .............................................................. $5,700
Analyses and Report .................................................................................. $12,860
Engineering analysis
Drafting/CAD and report preparation
Design Geotechnical Exploration Report Total:........................... $37,124 ___________
Optional Geotechnical Exploration Services
Option 1: Private utility locator for 14 borings................................... $1,225 ___________
Option 2a: Saturday or nighttime drilling overtime ........................... $2,960 ___________
Option 2b: Sunday or holiday drilling “double-time” ......................... $5,920 ___________
Option 3: Plans and specifications review, and bidding clarifications $1,656 ___________
Please initial to authorize

Please initial next to any chosen optional task(s), to authorize them. Our “basic” fixed
fees, above, exclude (1) permit fees, which can be invoiced at cost plus 20-percent (if
any), (2) evaluation of the potential for hazardous materials at the site, (3) meetings,
and/or (4) additional reports. Let us know if these additional services will be required.
We assume this project is subject to California Prevailing Wage Law. If this project is
not subject to prevailing wages, our field exploration fees will be reduced significantly.
This Basic scope fee is based on the assumption that our borings can be drilled during
normal weekday daylight-hours, without any site stand-by or delay. Additional costs
will accrue for nighttime or weekend field work (see Option 2). This proposal excludes
geotechnical and/or materials testing during construction.

Terms and Conditions

We understand that this work will be authorized under a standard El Camino
Community College District professional services agreement as we have executed in
the past. If you wish us to proceed, please send us such an agreement to review and
sign.

Board of Trustees Agenda/Measure - December 21, 2020 - Page 7

CLOSURE
We appreciate the opportunity to be of additional service to the District. If you have any
questions or information that would update our scope of work, please call us at your
convenience at (866) LEIGHTON, directly at the extension and/or e-mail listed below.

Respectfully submitted,

LEIGHTON CONSULTING, INC.

Eduardo Dominguez-Beltran
Staff Engineer
Extension 1691, [email protected]

Edward Che, PE, GE

Associate Engineer
Extension 4283, [email protected]

EDB/EC/gv

Distribution: (1) addressee (PDF via e-mail)

Board of Trustees Agenda/Measure - December 21, 2020 - Page 8