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4 DATE: May 6, 2024
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: AWARD OF AN AGREEMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES WITH
WRT DESIGN, LLC FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PARKS MASTER
PLAN (CIP 301-682) FOR NOT-TO EXCEED AMOUNT OF $419,949, APPROVE A PROJECT CONTINGENCY OF $41,995, AUTHORIZE A
TRANSFER OF $95,303 FROM GENERAL FUND (FUND 001) TO CITY CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND (FUND 301), AND AUTHORIZE A BUDGET APPROPRIATION FOR $95,303 TO 301-0910-682-4251
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached resolution authorizing:
1. Award of a Professional Services Agreement to Wallace Roberts & Todd Design, LLC (WRT) in the amount not-to-exceed $419,949 to provide professional planning and consultant support services for the Parks Master Plan Project (CIP 301-682) and authorizing the Mayor to execute said Agreement;
2. A project contingency in the amount of $41,995 with authority given to the City Manager to execute contract amendments up to the contingency amount, if necessary;
3. Authorize a transfer of $95,303 from General Fund (Fund 001) to City Capital Projects Fund (Fund 301);
4. Authorize budget appropriation in the amount of $95,303 to 301-0910-682-4251; and
5. Find the project categorically exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15306 (Class 6 - basic data collection, research).
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4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City’s parks are over 50 years old, which requires 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. CIP 301-682 involves the development of the City’s Parks Master Plan as a visioning tool that will guide City decisionmakers in the planning, development and/or rehabilitation, maintenance, and funding of Foster City’s parks for the next 20-30 years.
Execution of the consultant agreement with WRT will allow the planning process for the Parks Master Plan to proceed. The consultant agreement will include master plan preparation, an inventory and assessment report, project management, effective public involvement process, working closely with staff to prepare the Plan, and creating a document for distribution to the public.
WRT was selected from six firms that submitted proposals. The fees in the amount of $419,949 have been negotiated and determined reasonable based on the scope of services. The total Project cost including the necessary 10% contingency ($41,995) is $461,944. Funding in the amount of $366,641 is currently available in the approved Project budget for consultant services and an additional budget appropriation in the amount of $95,303 is necessary to complete the work. With the execution of the agreement, staff will begin work with WRT on the initial inventory and assessment report for the Parks Master Plan and plan the public engagement process.
BACKGROUND
The planning effort around the Foster City’s parks began in September of 2018 when the City entered into an agreement with Placeworks, Inc. to assess the City’s 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 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.
The Placeworks contract initially produced a comprehensive assessment of City parks, and a community survey was distributed to determine any unmet needs. The agreement with Placeworks included public outreach to be conducted in a few phases consisting of soliciting input from City staff, stakeholder groups, and community members through online engagement, community and pop-up events, workshops, and other opportunities for public involvement. However, the Placeworks contract was terminated in the spring of 2019 before several of the planned public engagement tasks were completed. The work completed with Placeworks will be updated by the new Project consultant. 5 5
4 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. Given the amount of time passed since the City assessed its park amenities and the likely shift in how recreational programs and space may be provided and utilized in a post-COVID environment, City Council directed staff to work with the Parks and Recreation Committee (PRC) to provide input on a community engagement strategy and a survey tool to validate the assumptions made by the consultants about future Recreation Center and park system needs. City Council directed staff to develop a community engagement strategy and survey tool and solicit comments and suggestions from the PRC on the outreach strategy before returning to the City Council for further direction. This consolidated 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. 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 Parks Master Plan would build on these insights and provide the necessary information to guide future park improvements.
On December 18, 2023, the City Council approved the Request for Proposal/Qualifications (RFP/Q) for professional consultant services for the development of a Parks Master Plan. The RFP/Q opened on January 4, 2024, with a due date of February 2, 2024.
ANALYSIS
Consultant Agreement Approval
The RFP was posted on the Foster City website and distributed to a network of consulting firms that perform similar work. The City received six (6) proposals by the end of the advertised period. Staff reviewed the submitted proposals based on a qualification-based selection process and narrowed it down to the top three (3) firms for an in-person presentation and interview:
•RHAA
•WRT
•Gates
An evaluation committee that included representation from the Parks and Recreation Department, Public Works Department, City Manager’s Office and Parks and Recreation Committee served as interview panelists. Following the interview process, the evaluation committee, together with City staff, deliberated and determined WRT to be the best firm for the project. WRT has put together an exceptional team of consultants encompassing all the necessary fields to complete the project. They are a well-established company with significant experience performing similar work on like projects throughout the peninsula.
Other agencies had very positive comments about their performance and work product. 5 5
4 The proposal from WRT was reviewed and the fee negotiated in the amount of $419,949.
Since the initial proposal submittal, staff coordinated with the consultant to modify the scope of services as necessary to include the essential services required to complete the Park Master Plan. Other services that were not deemed necessary and are viewed as optional services to be added later are included as separate line items which will require approval by the City Council. The fees were determined reasonable and fall within the customary range for consultant services of this magnitude and terms of the discounts were determined reasonable.
The scope of services for this project includes include master plan preparation, an inventory and assessment report, project management, effective public involvement process, working closely with staff to prepare the Plan, and creating a document for distribution to the public.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
The project is categorically exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15306 (Class 6), which allows for information collection, research, and resource evaluation activities as part of a study leading to an action which a public agency has not yet approved, adopted, or funded. The results of the project will identify environmental reviews and studies required to advance the project.
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed fees in the amount of $419,949 have been negotiated and determined reasonable based on the scope of services. Additionally, a project contingency in the amount of $41,995 or approximately 10% of the contract amount is recommended to pay for additional services to mitigate unforeseen tasks or for additional services that may be required.
Funding in the amount of $366,641 is currently available in the approved Project budget for consultant services. Transfer of $95,303 from General Fund (Fund 001) to City Capital Projects Fund (Fund 301) and an additional budget appropriation in the amount of $95,303 to Account 301-0910-682-4251 is necessary to complete the work.
The City Council’s approval of the attached resolution will allow staff to proceed with the initial evaluation and assessment of the Parks Master Plan with the consultant as well as plan the public engagement process.
CITY COUNCIL VISION, MISSION, AND VALUE/PRIORITY AREA
Facilities and Infrastructure
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 - Resolution
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4 Attachment 2 - Agreement
Attachment 3 - Detailed Fee Spreadsheet