BACKGROUND:
In December 2021, State Parks awarded the City of Cathedral City a Proposition 68 Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program Grant in the amount of $8,498,000 for the Dream Homes Park to be built on a vacant 7.52-acre City- owned site in the Dream Homes neighborhood at San Diego Drive and San Gabriel Circle, adjacent to the CV-Link.
In February 2022, the City received authorization from State Parks to proceed with the design and construction of the Dream Homes Park Project. State Parks grant funds require the Dream Homes Park be designed, built, and open to the public by March 30, 2025.
Cathedral City designated the City owned 7.52-acre vacant land in 2016 as part of a long-term plan to provide a neighborhood park in the Dream Homes community. This park was needed due to the Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD) upgrading and expanding the Agua Caliente Elementary school in 2014, which resulted in the closure of the joint use neighborhood park located on the elementary school property site. The old neighborhood park on the school site was operated under a joint-use agreement with the City, until the property was needed for school expansion purposes.
Since 2016, the Dream Homes Park concept for the 7.52-acre site has had significant community input, including six neighborhood workshops and an eight-day online outreach event done during the COVID-19 pandemic by the City and in conjunction with Agua Caliente Elementary School staff, students, and parents. The outreach and social media push to gather community ideas for the park was the foundation of the City’s State Parks grant application.
As a result of the extensive community outreach, the Dream Homes Park concept includes a community central plaza area, children’s play areas and equipment, an outdoor fitness area, soccer fields, a multi-use field/play lawn that can also be used for community events, basketball courts, fenced dog park area for large and small dogs, picnic and barbeque areas, walking paths, drought-tolerant landscaping and trees, lighting, signage, a restroom, and parking areas.
DISCUSSION:
The Dream Homes Park concept plan has already been completed by the Dream Homes Community as part of the State Parks Grant process. After the Grant award by State Parks, State Parks issued the City a Notice to Proceed. In order to move forward with construction plans and specifications, on May 4, 2022, Cathedral City issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for professional landscape architect, design, and engineering services to prepare final design and engineering plans, contract bid documents, and technical oversight during construction of the Dream Homes Park.
The City received six (6) proposals in response to the RFP from the following firms:
•BMLA Landscape Architecture – Corona, CA
•David Volz Design – Costa Mesa, CA with an office in La Quinta, CA •Hermann Design Group – Palm Desert, CA
•MIG – Berkley, CA with an office in Riverside, CA
•SALT Landscape Architects – Los Angeles, CA
•Verde Design – Santa Clara, CA with an office in Riverside, CA Of the six proposals received, one was disqualified. An evaluation committee reviewed the five qualified proposals. Based on the evaluation committee’s review and ranking of the proposals, Verde Design was selected as the highest ranking.
As a result of the evaluation committee’s work, the Director of Engineering/Public Works confirmed with Verde Design the Dream Homes Park Project scope of services with the resulting final fees of $533,288, which is within the Dream Homes Park Project State Parks Grant budget.
The Verde Design scope of services final fee includes design and engineering services, construction documents, bidding support services, construction technical oversight administration support services, and record drawings for the project.
Verde Design has a team of landscape architects and civil engineers that have experience with public projects, consensus building, staying mindful of schedules and budgeting, incorporating sustainability into projects, integrating design and engineering plans and specifications into a complete and buildable set of construction documents, and providing technical oversight during the construction phase.
Verde Design is ready to start the work immediately and has committed to meeting the schedule requirements required by the State Parks Grant awarded for the Dream Homes Park.
City Staff is requesting that the City Council authorize the City Manager to execute a Design Professional Services Agreement with Verde Design in the amount $533,288 for the Dream Homes Park Project (City Project No. C07021) for Professional Landscape Architect, Design, and Engineering Services; and, a 5% contingency in the amount of $26,712 for unforeseen design related contingencies making the total Project encumbrance $560,000.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Funding for the Dream Homes Park Project will come from the City’s Proposition 68 Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program Grant in the amount of $8,498,000 that covers 100% of the eligible costs, including professional landscape architect, design, and engineering services for the park.
The Design Professional Services Agreement with Verde Design in the amount $533,288 for the Dream Homes Park Project (City Project No. C07021) for Professional Landscape Architect, Design, and Engineering Services; and, a 5% contingency in the amount of $26,712 for unforeseen design related contingencies making the total Project encumbrance $560,000 will be funded from the Proposition 68 Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program Grant (100%) of $8,498,000.