4 8
6 DATE: December 18, 2023
TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Stefan Chatwin, City Manager
Marlene Subhashini, Assistant City Manager
FROM: Derek Schweigart, Parks and Recreation Director
Frank Fanara, Parks Manager
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL / QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE
DEVELOPMENT OF A PARKS MASTER PLAN (CIP 301-682)
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that City Council adopt the attached resolution approving and authorizing the City Manager to issue the attached Request for Proposal / Qualifications (RFP/Q) for professional services for the development of a Parks Master Plan (FNA Park System Master Plan (CIP 301-682)).
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Parks Master Plan (Plan) is a planning and visioning tool that will guide City decision- makers in the planning, development and/or rehabilitation, maintenance, and funding of Foster City’s parks for the next 20-30 years. Foster City’s existing parks infrastructure needs rehabilitation or redesign to better meet current and future recreational needs of its residents and visitors. The selected firm should have experience and knowledge in park and recreation planning, master plan preparation, project management, and effective public involvement process. The consultant will work closely with City staff in preparing the Plan and creating a document for distribution to the public.
The City’s Parks System consists of 24 parks, eight miles of pedway levee (Bay Trail); 68 medians, 49 cul-de-sacs, 14 easements containing ice plants, sound walls, walkways, and bridges (hereto referred to as Parks System). There are 16 playgrounds, and nine park sites with at least one sport court activity, nine synthetic turf sports fields, and 14 park restrooms. The City has maintained and made continuous improvements to the existing parks infrastructure, ensuring that components meet legal and City standards on a regular basis.
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6 Even so, the City’s parks are over 50 years old, which require attention to the aging infrastructure as well as ensuring that the Parks System remains relevant and continues to meet user needs now and in the future.
The City Council’s authorization of the RFP/Q will allow the process of engaging with a consultant to develop the City’s Parks Master Plan, which was placed on hiatus in 2019 with a shift in City Council’s priorities. In 2021, the City Council validated its intention to resume the Parks Master Plan as a strategic priority but given several management changes and limited capacity, the project was on hold until a new Parks and Recreation Director was hired to lead the initiative.
BACKGROUND
The City's first Parks Master Plan, dating back to 1989, was crafted by city staff under the guidance of the City Manager. The plan encompassed three components:
establishing goals and policies for the Parks and Recreation Department, formulating a practical capital improvement program, and outlining general policies to address the evolving service needs of the community for future enhancements. Collaborating closely with the City Council and the Parks and Recreation Committee, numerous recommendations were crafted, including proposals for capital improvement projects (CIPs).
The plan offered several suggestions, covering both general site enhancements and CIP projects slated for completion in future years. While a substantial number of projects outlined in the plan were successfully executed, adjustments became necessary as project requirements and available funding evolved. The plan was designed to be periodically reevaluated and adjusted to align with the evolving needs of the community and the City's financial capacities.
The overarching goal of the plan was to serve as a roadmap, tracking the progress of the park and recreation system since 1988. It aimed to encapsulate the full spectrum of amenities and services that have been available to the public since the inception and development of the Estero Municipal Improvement District, offering valuable recommendations and guidance for the future.
In 2018, the City Council and staff identified a need to take a fresh approach to the Park System, as Foster City’s parks and their associated infrastructure age, and as a dynamic and diverse community, influences the needs that are addressed through the Park System. The planning effort began in the fall of 2018 when the City hired Placeworks, Inc. to assess the current Parks System and develop a long-term vision and strategy to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse population for the foreseeable future. The initial work of Placeworks resulted in a preliminary assessment of City parks, and a community survey that was distributed to determine any unmet needs. However, the Placeworks contract was terminated in the spring of 2019 before several of the planned public engagement tasks were completed. 4 8
6 On June 9, 2021, the City Council discussed the benefit of developing a comprehensive plan for the Park System versus identifying key amenities within our Park System to be replaced or improved in the next 10 to 15 years and developing a financing strategy to pay for those improvements over time. City Council directed staff to develop a community engagement strategy and survey tool and solicit comments and suggestions from the Parks and Recreation Committee on the outreach strategy before returning to the City Council for further direction. The City Council directed staff to leverage the work that had already been done and to identify the amenities that were either missing, needing to be replaced or refurbished, or consider new ones to be designed and constructed. This collection of feedback was to be prioritized into a CIP plan, priced, validated by staff, and incorporated into the FY 2022-2023 budget for review and ultimate approval by the City Council.
In 2021, the City worked with ZenCity as part of a broad survey to understand how residents use city parks and the Recreation Center and get residents’ feedback on how to improve them. The survey was conducted between November 23 to December 17, 2021, and received 927 respondents. Respondents were targeted through various media platforms (e.g., social media, apps for Android and Apple, local websites) as well as online survey panels and different city channels. Using data from the Census Bureau, this survey employed quotas to match the distributions of race, ethnicity, age, and gender in Foster City.
The results of the survey were broad and non-specific but provided some insights into park usages patterns, preferences, and suggestions for enhancing parks as well as accessibility and convenience of amenities in the parks. A comprehensive Plan will build on these insights and provide the necessary information to guide future park improvements.
ANALYSIS
It is a standard practice for the City to use consultants for professional engineering services and other specialty professional services for CIP projects and private development projects to support the operations of the City. Consultants assist staff with specific areas of technical and professional expertise necessary to complete the project.
Consultants are solicited through an open and competitive RFP/Q process. The RFP/Q process is used to identify consulting firms with the necessary background and experience to provide services as well as to make certain the cost for services is competitive. Staff coordinated outreach with various local agencies regarding their experience with soliciting services for similar projects, which included recommendations on the process/scope and example documents from which language was incorporated.
The estimated value of the professional services is anticipated to exceed $50,000 and 4 8
6 therefore, the City Council is being asked to approve the RFP/Q in accordance with the City’s Purchasing Policy. The City will request proposals from qualified firms that have the experience and knowledge in park and recreation planning, master plan preparation, project management, and effective public involvement process. Staff members will review the submitted proposals per a qualification-based selection process and rank the top three firms for interview by an evaluation committee designated by the City Manager.
Staff recommends the composition of the evaluation committee to include representation from the Parks and Recreation Department, Public Works Department and a member of the Parks and Recreation Committee.
The top three scoring design firms will present their proposals to the evaluation committee for consideration. The evaluation committee will deliberate and select the final firm. City staff will negotiate with the selected firm on the final scope and fee amount to recommend to City Council for approval.
The selected firm, at a minimum, will provide an inventory and assessment report for all City parks which includes an evaluation and assessment of park amenities. For each park site, the Consultant shall review relevant documents, and prepare a comprehensive Plan that includes design and construction recommendations. The Consultant shall review and evaluate safety concerns, code compliance, upgrade requirements, and constructability.
Potential improvements or upgrades shall include, but not limited to, access routes, pathways, lighting, irrigation, landscaping, hard scape / paving, playgrounds, play surfaces, turf, picnic areas and shelters, sports fields, fencing, restrooms, site amenities, park buildings and parking areas. The overall scope of services will include the following tasks:
1. Develop proposed Plan vision, goals, and objectives.
2. Conduct an existing conditions assessment and facilities study.
3. Develop and conduct a robust outreach and public participation plan.
4. Conduct a needs assessment including conducting a comparative analysis of neighboring cities, identifying emerging local and regional trends that will inform the Plan.
5. Provide recommendations that include a prioritization matrix that will inform an implementation action plan.
6. Develop an implementation action plan with adequate details on costs and potential funding sources.
The full scope of services and expected deliverables for the RFP/Q are included as Attachment A in the RFP/Q document.
The attached resolution authorizes staff to issue the RFP/Q and initiate the consultant selection process. Staff anticipates the award of the agreement for consultant services to be considered by the City Council by March 2024.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
The action to authorize the City Manager to issue an RFP/Q for professional consultant services in the development of a Parks Master Plan is not subject to review under the 4 8
6 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21000, et seq. and the CEQA Guidelines (14 Cal. Code Regs. §§ 15000 et. seq.), including without limitation, Public Resources Code section 21065 and California Code of Regulations 15378 as this is not a “project” that may cause a direct, or reasonably foreseeable indirect, physical change in the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
In FY 2018-2019, the City Council approved $257,500 for the project. To date, project expenditures, namely the agreement with Placeworks, Inc. totaled approximately $117,858. In FY 2021-2022, the City Council approved an additional $227,000 to the project budget for a total of $484,500. The balance remaining for the project is currently $366,641 for the Parks Master Plan (CIP 301-682) which staff anticipate is adequate for the proposed project scope. The cost for the consultant contract will be brought to the City Council along with the contract approval action.
CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC PRIORITY
Facilities and Infrastructure
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Resolution
Attachment 2 – RFP/Q for Consultant Services Agreement for preparation of the Citywide Parks Master Plan
Attachment 3 – 2023 Park Amenities Map