Event safety and security for special events is a high priority for the City of Sparks. The City’s downtown area brings in numerous events that attract large volumes of visitors. The City is making it a priority to provide additional protection again outside threats seeking to make large impacts on life and safety.

Sadly, we have seen public events around the world marred by both terrorist attacks and vehicle crashes. From world centers like Berlin, Paris and London to events such as the City of Reno’s Wingfest, vehicles have become a weapon of choice.  With outside threats to special events unfortunately becoming more of a concern, City staff worked to develop a plan to provide a higher level of security for downtown events. The downtown area was looked at for a range of small and large sized special events, such as Lavender Festival, concerts in the new downtown events center and the Best in the West Rib Cookoff. Current construction in the area and future planning for development was also taken into consideration. A city team was assembled with staff from Community Services, Public Works Maintenance, Parks and Recreation, Police and Fire. The team was established to develop an overall Downtown Safety Barricades Project looking at all the different types of current special events. The plan considered access for first responders, Public Works Maintenance, event promoters, as well as visitor security and safety. For the purposes of testing new pedestrian and vehicular traffic control concepts, security products, and budgetary consideration, the overall project was divided into smaller phases.

In determining a specific security product to evaluate, Police Chief Krall reached out to other police departments to learn about means and methods of protecting such threats. Delta Scientific was introduced to the Sparks team and their products come with real life experience and recommendations from the Freemont Police Department. Sparks staff reached out to the local representative from Delta Scientific for guidance to better understand the security products and options available.

One of the largest vulnerabilities of the City’s downtown corridor is the long, straight roadway just east of the intersection at Pyramid Way and Victorian Avenue, the eastern entrance to many of the downtown special events. Securing this entrance is a major concern to the Police Chief and requires a lot of time and coordination with Maintenance and the Fire Department. This area was designated as a high-speed run-up threat and the chosen safety equipment here is the DSC2000 High Security Shallow Mount Barricade System. This system will comprise of a series of in-ground barricades that can be manually “popped up” to provide a barricade that is crash rated to stop a 15,000-pound vehicle traveling 50 mph.

Delta Scientific also offers mobile surface mounted barrier systems. These are mobile trailer units that can be moved into place where and when needed. These barriers provide a barricade that is crash rated to stop a 15,000-pound vehicle traveling 30 mph. Each system contains a hydraulic control panel that will allow the barricade to lower and raise, to help in access needs. The city team determined the need to evaluate a 12’ mobile surface mounted barrier system and a 16’ mobile surface mounted barrier system because the barrier lengths could be easily used in future project phases. An additional advantage to these mobile systems is their flexibility to be used in other areas, besides downtown, and in emergency situations.

Two types of bollards are included in this purchase proposal. Some areas in the vicinity represent locations where vehicle access needs to be restricted. Two types of high security bollards are included in this purchase, fixed bollards that will be installed permanently, and removable bollards where the sleeves are installed permanently but Maintenance will have the flexibility to remove the posts when the access restriction is not needed. With the installation of bollards in walkways, appropriate ADA access spacing will be maintained and was considered to quantify the equipment purchase order.

The purchase must be approved by the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Sparks. The project area is located entirely within the City of Sparks Town Center Redevelopment Area, also referred to as Redevelopment Area 1.

In sourcing this security and safety products, if approved, the City would be using the joinder provision allowed under NRS 332.195, and purchasing the equipment utilizing US General Services Administration (GSA) contract number 47QSWA18D003B. This represents government pricing for this equipment. Utilizing the “joinder” provision allows the City to precisely define the security and safety equipment needed while foregoing the need to formally bid the item.

The $293,667.80 expenditure will allow Community Services to work with a contractor to install this security and safety equipment to make the downtown corridor safer from outside threats.  The City will advertise for a contractor to install the barricades and bollards. The installation project is scheduled to come before the Redevelopment Agency in late January 2020 and construction is expected to start in late February/early March with the installation being completed by late April.

1. The Redevelopment Agency could approve this expenditure.
2. The Redevelopment Agency could reject the proposed expenditure and provide direction to the Chief Administrative Officer.

I move to approve an expenditure of $293,667.80 to purchase high security, safety barricades and bollards for the Downtown Safety Barricades Project – Phase 1 from Delta Scientific utilizing a joinder with the GSA contract number 47QSWA18D003B.