Public Works updates committee on $350M public health and safety bond; cites COVID impacts and higher bid pricing

Public Works program manager Joe Chin briefed the Citizens General Obligation Bond Oversight Committee on progress across the 2016 Public Health and Safety (PHS) bond program and the 2008 San Francisco General Hospital bond.

Chin said the total authorized amount for the PHS program is $350,000,000, allocated across six components and three client departments: the Department of Public Health (DPH), the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH). He said $272,000,000 has been allocated to DPH components (including ZSFG Building 5, Southeast Health Center and community health centers), $58,000,000 to SFFD components (ambulance deployment facility and neighborhood fire stations), and $20,000,000 to homeless service sites.

Chin reported multiple projects moving from design to construction and several reaching substantial completion: Maxine Hall House Center reached substantial completion on October 7; the ambulance deployment facility achieved substantial completion in May; and the ZSFG rehabilitation department phase 1 reached substantial completion in November. He also described program risks: COVID-19 protocols and supply-chain shortages have driven higher bid prices and material delays; "bidders are submitting bid prices with premium pricing that range from 16 to 40% higher in some cases," Chin said, and hospital-project complexity (hazardous materials, occupied building constraints) has discouraged some subcontractors.

Members questioned permitting timelines and seismic retrofit cost increases, particularly where code changes expanded scope at Maxine Hall and Castro Mission health centers. Don DeWitt, assistant deputy chief for the SFFD, described operations coordination with private ambulance providers: the SFFD fields 911 calls and will dispatch private providers when departmental resources are exhausted. Joanne Park of HSH described Prop C as a business-tax measure overseen by the Our City Our Home committee and said current Prop C priorities favor new housing and emergency services rather than immediate repairs to existing congregate shelters.

The committee discussed liaison coverage for the bond program; Member Larkin agreed to serve as interim liaison and staff said they would coordinate follow-up materials on procurement, claims for COVID-related delays, and potential Prop C requests.

Next steps: staff will follow up with detail on procurement outcomes, claim activity, seismic-scope costs and the timeline for projects noted as entering construction.