COMMISSION 
AGENDA MEMORANDUM                        Item No.          8g 
ACTION ITEM                            Date of Meeting      March 26, 2024 

DATE:     January 30, 2024 
TO:        Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director 
FROM:    Jennifer Maietta, Director, Real Estate Asset Management 
Susie Archuleta, Sr. Real Estate Manager 
Jessica Brown, Sr. Environmental Management Specialist 
Rod Jackson, Capital Project Manager 
SUBJECT:  Bell St. Garage Guardrail Upgrade Design and Construction (CIP # C801406) 

Amount of this request:               $4,553,000 
Previously Authorized:                $300,000 
Total requested project cost:          $4,853,000 

ACTION REQUESTED 
Request Commission authorization for the Executive Director to advertise and execute a Public
Works Building Engineering Systems (BES) Contract to replace the Bell St. Garage guardrail 
system in the central parking garage and bring railing system up to current code. This guardrail 
upgrade project has an estimated total project cost of $4,853,000. The amount requested under
this  authorization  is  $4,553,000  ($300,000  was  previously  authorized  by  the  Economic
Development Division).
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
On the weekend of September 23, 2023, a passenger vehicle drove through the Bell Street 
Central Parking Garage guardrail on the 5th Floor and fell 4.5 stories onto the BNSF train tracks
below, impacting a slow-moving train before landing on the ground. Fortunately, the train broke
the fall of the car, and the driver was able to walk away with minor injuries. Since then, it has
been established that the guardrails of the central garage were designed and built per the code
in place at the time. This project will retrofit or replace forty (40+) guardrail sections with a design
that meets current commercial garage code. A third-party contractor will be selected for the
Project to analyze, design, permit, and install the new guardrail utilizing the Building Engineering 
Systems (BES) method of procurement. 


Template revised January 10, 2019.

             COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8g                                   Page 2 of 6 
Meeting Date: March 26, 2024 
JUSTIFICATION 
This Bell St. Garage Railing replacement project supports the Port’s Century Agenda objectives
under the following strategies: 
(1)   Safety improvements are primary for this project. 
(2)   Advance this region as a leading tourism destination and business gateway. 
(3)   Use the Port’s influence as an institution to promote women and minority business
enterprise (WMBE) growth, small business growth and workforce development. 
Further, the project supports the following additional imperatives: 
A.  Upgrade railings to comply with current code 
These upgrades will bring the central garage guardrails up to present commercial garage
codes. 
B.  Leverage Specialized Expertise 
Garage guardrail upgrade work completed alone is a specialty market and local
availability of experienced contractors is limited. Further, public projects are perceived as
more labor intensive and therefore less profitable. This makes early procurement
imperative. 
C.  Meet Contemporary User Experience Expectations 
The existing garage guardrail is now over 31 years old. In addition to improving safety, a
guardrail upgrade will improve the look, feel and function of this system. 
D.  Sustainability 
The project will explore the possibility of re-using the existing guardrails to reduce 
embodied carbon in construction. 
The Bell St. Garage provides parking for visitors and tenants to access the Pier 66 Cruise Terminal, 
Bell Harbor International Conference Center, offices, hotels and nearby restaurants, among other
valuable amenities to the central waterfront. Replacement of the Bell St. central garage guardrail 
system—original to the garage—will not only replace or sustainably re-use the essential system
but also modernize the system per code by improving the Bell St. Garage’s aesthetic appearance
through design and color. 
Diversity in Contracting 
Project staff along with the Diversity in Contracting Department have set a woman and minority
business enterprise (WMBE) aspirational goal of 12% for this project. 


Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

             COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8g                                   Page 3 of 6 
Meeting Date: March 26, 2024 
DETAILS 
The Bell Street Garage is comprised of three sections, each built independently in different years 
as noted below: 
Location              Year Built 
Central garage        1983 
East garage           1998 
North garage        2000 
The guardrail system for each garage section is unique to only that section and is not consistent
across all three garage sections.  During the era when the central garage was being designed,
commercial garage building code did not exist. It appears that the central garage guardrail was
constructed as designed. The east and north garages were designed in eras where commercial
garage building code did exist. Therefore, this project is focused on the central garage only and
bringing that guardrail system into compliance with current commercial garage building code.
The existing damaged partial height guardrail on the 5th floor of the central parking garage is
located between two columns, which are spaced approximately 25’-6” on center. The guardrail
is attached at the base to the concrete slab utilizing cast-in-place anchor plates, which met code
at the time of its installation. Upon impact from the vehicle, the guardrail system broke away at
the base. Damage observed is primarily limited to the guardrail attachment to the slab. The
concrete slab does not appear to have sustained substantial structural damage/. 
The proposed Bell St. Central Garage Guardrail System upgrade will bring the railing up to current
code. This project will be competitively procured as a Building Engineering Systems (BES)
contract. In accordance with RCW 39.04.290, the Port may award contracts of any value for the
design, fabrication, and installation of BES, by using a competitive bidding process or request for
proposals process where bidders are required to provide final specifications and a bid price for
the design, fabrication, and installation of building engineering systems, with final specifications
being approved by the Port. This procurement strategy was chosen because a simplified and selfcontained
turn-key solution is available, while labor and materials represent a large percentage
of the project cost. Further, this provides opportunities for quality, efficiency, and risk reduction
for the Port. Port staff will provide project administration and oversight. 
The project will replace critical guardrail components for the Bell Street central garage railing 
while scheduling to avoid cruise ship operational disruptions.
Scope of Work 
The scope of work for this project includes, but is not limited to, the garage guardrail system
improvements at the Bell St. Garage: 
(1)      Evaluate existing Bell St. Garage guardrails in Central Garage only. 
(2)      Contractor provided design services. 
(3)      Salvaging or reusing guardrail components. 

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

             COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8g                                   Page 4 of 6 
Meeting Date: March 26, 2024 
(4)      If possible, provide future low maintainability. 
(5)      Propose and explore options for appealing aesthetics and appearances through 
materials and/or color. 
(6)      Installation of new guardrail system. 
Schedule 
Activity 
Commission Design & Construction authorization      March 26, 2024 
Advertisement and Award                          May 2024 thru Sept 2024 
Design Start                                             Q4/2024 
Construction Start                                      Q1~Q4/2025 
In-use date                                             Q2/2026 
Cost Breakdown                                     This Request           Total Project 
Design & Construction                                   $3,869,000             $3,869,000 
POS Soft Costs                                              $684,000               $984,000 
Total                                                         $4,553,000              $4,853,000 
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED 
Alternative 1 – Maintain Status Quo. With this alternative, the various existing parking garage
guardrails may be insufficient to contain runaway vehicles at the Bell St. Central Garage.
Cost Implications: $0 
Pros: 
(1)   Lowest capital cost option 
Cons: 
(1)   Does not advance the environmental goals. 
(2)   Does not address potential future accidents at the guardrail. 
(3)   Does not address current code concerns. 
This is not the recommended alternative. 
Alternative 2 – Repair only the damaged guardrail section at the Bell St. central garage.
Cost Implications: $96K 
Pros: 
(1)   Replaces or retrofits only one damaged section of guardrail. 
(2)   Damaged guardrail section can quickly be replaced or retrofit. 
(3)   Lowest capital cost option: 1/40 the cost of the recommended alternative 
(4)   Does advance the environmental goals at only this section of the guardrail. 
(5)   Does address potential future accidents at only this section of the guardrail. 
(6)   Does address current code updates at only this section of the guardrail. 

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

             COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8g                                   Page 5 of 6 
Meeting Date: March 26, 2024 
Cons: 
(1)   Does not address future code updates at other areas of the central garage. 
(2)   Does not advance the environmental goals at the other areas of the central garage. 
(3)   Does not address potential future accidents at the other areas of the central garage. 
This is not the recommended alternative. 
Alternative 3 – Complete Central Bell St. Garage Guardrail Improvements at the perimeter of the
parking garage to improve the safety of all garage users. This is consistent with the Port’s business
strategy to “Position the Puget Sound region as a premier international logistics hub”.
Cost Implications: $4.8M 
Pros: 
(1)   Replaces or retrofits  forty (40)  sections  of guardrail  including connection  to the
structural system. 
(2)   Advances the environmental goals at all sections of the guardrail. 
(3)   Addresses potential future accidents at all sections of the guardrail. 
(4)   Addresses current code updates at all sections of the guardrail. 
Cons: 
(1)   Highest capital cost option. 
(2)   Construction period is several months long. 
(3)   Capital costs are forty times more than Alternative 2. 
This is the recommended alternative. 
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 
Cost Estimate/Authorization Summary               Capital        Expense           Total 
COST ESTIMATE 
Original estimate                                 $4,853,000               $0      $4,853,000 
AUTHORIZATION 
Previous authorizations                            $300,000                0        $300,000 
Current request for authorization                 $4,553,000                0      $4,553,000 
Total authorizations, including this request       $4,853,000                0      $4,853,000 
Remaining amount to be authorized                    $0             $0             $0 
Annual Budget Status and Source of Funds 
This project was not included in the 2024 Plan of Finance. This project will be funded using EDD
Reserve C800216. The updated current total project cost estimate is $4,853,000 and has been
included in the draft 2025 Capital Plan. 

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

             COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8g                                   Page 6 of 6 
Meeting Date: March 26, 2024 
This project will be funded by the General Fund. 
Financial Analysis and Summary 
Project cost for analysis              $4,853,000 
Business Unit (BU)                  EDD Portfolio Management 
Effect on business performance    Annual depreciation will increase by approximately $97K 
(NOI after depreciation)             based on estimated 50-year service life, thereby reducing
the NOI by the same amount. 
IRR/NPV (if relevant)                NA 
CPE Impact                       NA 
Sustainable Evaluation Framework Summary: 
The Bell Street Central Garage guardrail upgrade project has been assigned a Tier 1 rating under
the Sustainable Evaluation Framework (SEF), so does not require the full SEF process but does
require some sustainability elements beyond typical Port design. 
Those elements are: 
(1)  This project will endeavor to reduce embodied carbon by attempting to re-use existing
guardrail in design. If this is not possible, the project team will procure environmentally preferred
materials. 
(2) The project will support the community by improving the aesthetic appearance of the Bell
Street Central Parking Garage through design and color. 
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST 
(1)   Presentation slides 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
None 






Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).