DATE: June 17, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers and President and Directors of the Harbor District Board
FROM: Development Services Department
TITLE: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR CONSULTING SERVICES TO PREPARE A FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS REPORT FOR THE HARBOR MARINE SAFETY UNIT MODULAR BUILDING
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council approve a Professional Services Agreement (PSA) with Stephen Dalton Architects (SDA), in the amount of $116,633, to conduct a Feasibility Analysis Report for the Harbor Marine Safety Unit Modular Building Project; and authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute the agreement upon receipt of all supporting documents.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
The Harbor is served by the Marine Safety Unit (MSU) of the Oceanside Fire Department Lifeguard Division. The MSU provides 24-hour marine and land-based enforcement services to residents, visitors, and boaters. MSU officers are trained in emergency medical procedures, CPR, dive rescue and salvage, boating rescues, and firefighting.
The MSU currently leases space at the Oceanside Marina Suites, where the three-person emergency response crew operates during off-hours. The current location presents space and operational limitations and was considered temporary quarters when the MSU was first launched in 2023. To address these constraints and create permanent housing quarters for the MSU, the City has explored various options including utilizing or repurposing existing buildings including the former Coast Guard headquarters space, the existing Harbor Administration building and the Junior Lifeguard building. Each of these options present unique challenges often faced when retrofitting existing buildings so it was determined that the City should also explore construction of a new, purpose built structure. The concept currently under consideration includes construction of a new one-story modular facility to support MSU’s 24-hour operations. The building being considered would be located adjacent to the existing MSU boating docks at 1540 Harbor Drive North and will provide a dedicated living and operations space. This location, if deemed feasible, would be ideal in that the headquarters would be located immediately adjacent to the watercraft used for emergency operations and have an unobstructed view to the harbor entrance, thereby significantly improving response capabilities.
In December 2025, the City issued a Request for Proposals for consulting services in accordance with Procurement Policy AD-21. After reviewing the proposals, SDA was determined to be the most qualified firm based on its experience, approach, and understanding of the project scope. Due to current funding constraints, the City will proceed with awarding only Task 1 - Feasibility Analysis and Coastal Policy Review, with additional tasks to be considered as funding becomes available.
Task 1 will evaluate the feasibility of constructing the modular facility at the preferred location. The consultant will assess constructability, environmental, and operational constraints. Because the site falls within the jurisdiction of the California Coastal Commission, Task 1 includes preparation of a Coastal Act consistency analysis and alternatives assessment evaluating feasible sites and potential impacts to public access, views, recreation, biological resources, and coastal resilience. The consultant will also initiate early coordination with relevant state and federal agencies and prepare a preliminary matrix of available grant funding opportunities, with emphasis on coastal resilience and public access.
Although the consultant’s proposal identifies the potential need for an updated eelgrass survey, the City is not recommending authorization of this work at this time. Existing harbor-wide eelgrass data from 2023 is sufficient for feasibility-level planning. An updated eelgrass survey may be considered at a later date if the preferred project location of regulatory coordination indicates that new biological resource data is required to support future permitting or design phases.
The consultant also identified a potential Geotechnical Feasibility Study. This work is not anticipated at this stage and would only proceed if the feasibility analysis determines that subsurface information is necessary to evaluate structural design or constructability. Although optional, the associated cost has been retained in the cost impact for future budget planning.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Professional Services Agreement awarded to SDA for Task 1 services is $116,633. This amount includes the complete Task 1 scope of work as identified in Attachment A, as well as the optional Geotechnical Feasibility Study. While the study is not presently anticipated, its cost has been retained in the fiscal impact to ensure adequate budgeting should geotechnical evaluation become necessary.
This feasibility analysis is not being paid for with Harbor funds. Rather, funding for this agreement is available in Fund 503, Municipal Facilities and sufficient funds are available.
|
Account (Jr Lfgrd HQ/Hbr Office/RR Rplc) |
Available Budget |
PSA |
|
907184623503.5703.10600 |
$590,062 |
$116,633 |
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
The scope of this project has been shared with the Harbor & Beaches Advisory Committee at its February 16th and April 20th meetings.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
The referenced documents have been reviewed by the City Attorney and approved as to form.
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Prepared by: Edwin Medina, Associate Engineer
Reviewed by: Brian Thomas, Acting Development Services Director
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Professional Services Agreement
2. 6-3-26 Agenda Item 12 Memo
3. 6-3-26 Agenda Item 12 Correspondence Received