DATE:
April 25, 2023
CATEGORY:
Consent
DEPT.:
Community Services
TITLE: Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan,
Project 22-37—Authorize Professional
Services Agreement and Adopt a
Resolution Appropriating and
Transferring Funds
RECOMMENDATION
1. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute a professional services agreement with Next Practice Partners, LLC, to provide professional services for Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan, Project 22-37, in an amount not to exceed $649,771.
2. Adopt a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Mountain View Appropriating and Transferring $600,000 from the General Non -Operating Fund to Capital Improvement Program Project 22-37 and Appropriating and Transferring $600,000 from Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan, Project 22-37, to the Park Land Dedication Fund to Return Funds Originally Appropriated to Project 22 -37, to be read in title only, further reading waived (Attachment 1 to the Council report). (Five votes required)
BACKGROUND
On June 22, 2021, the City Council adopted the Strategic Roadmap with seven Strategic Priorities, including the priority for Livability and Quality of Life . This priority aims to “enhance Mountain View as a great place to live that values community health and well -being.” To help accomplish this Strategic Priority, the Council work plan included a project to develop a comprehensive Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan (“Plan”). At the June 22, 2021 meeting, Council also approved the Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan , Project 22-37, as part of the 2021 -22 Capital Improvement Program (CIP), which was funded with $600,000 from the Park Land Dedication Fund and $150,000 from the Shoreline Regional Park Community Fund.
On September 27, 2022, Council provided staff direction through a Study Session to proceed with the proposed scope of work to develop the Plan. The proposed scope of work consists of 17 tasks, including, but not limited to, confirming and calculating the City’s open space, reviewing and discussing anticipated open space and future growth, evaluating various funding strategies for the acquisition and development of open space, confirming the use of the City’s parks and facilities, reviewing recreation programs and fee structures, and reviewing existing staffing models in the Parks and Recreation Divisions . Many of the tasks will be reliant on a robust
Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan, Project 22-37—Authorize Professional Services Agreement and Adopt a Resolution Appropriating and Transferring Funds April 25, 2023
community engagement process for residents to provid e direct feedback through various community meetings, stakeholder interviews, focus groups, surveys, pop-up input opportunities at City events, and much more. The Analysis section of this Council report includes the specific scope of work issued in the Request for Proposals (RFP) to select consultant services to develop the Plan.
ANALYSIS
Professional Services Agreement
In October 2022, the City issued the RFP, posted through the City’s PlanetBid s webpage with interest from over 40 organizations. The City received one proposal in response to the RFP . A selection committee comprised of staff from the Community Services, Community Development, and Public Works Departments, evaluated the proposal and interviewed the respondent. After a thorough analysis based on the merits of the firm’s experience, demonstration of competence with similar projects, and project understanding, the selection committee unanimously agreed that Next Practice Partners, LLC , was a qualified consultant for this project . For these reasons, staff recommends awarding the contract to Next Practice Partners, LLC.
Next Practice Partners, LLC , is a consulting firm with staff experienced in master planning, strategic planning, and business planning within the parks, recreation, and sports industries, with extensive experience working with national award -winning agencies . Although the firm was founded in 2022, the project team has over 25 years of relevant experience within California and nationwide.
To support the development of the Plan, Next Practice Partners, LLC , has hired various subconsultants, such as Wallace, Roberts, and Todd (WRT) , ETC Institute, and Merge Diverse Abilities Inclusion Consulting (MERGE). WRT specializes in planning and design with a range of services and expertise , including engagement, master planning, commercial corridor revitalization, resiliency, public-realm design, and redevelopment. The ETC Institute is a market research firm that specializes in the design and administration of market research for governmental organizations and would support the delivery of a statistically valid survey as part of the community -engagement process. MERGE provides expert guidance on the inclusion of persons with diverse abilities that would support the Plan’s development by ini tiating an inclusion audit and training.
Project Scope
The scope of work that was confirmed by City Council on September 27, 2022 is summarized in the table below.
Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan, Project 22-37—Authorize Professional Services Agreement and Adopt a Resolution Appropriating and Transferring Funds April 25, 2023
Task Title Description
1 Project Management
and Coordination
• Prepare and facilitate kickoff meeting with staff to
refine the work plan and schedule.
• Conduct monthly (and additional) project meetings,
manage subconsultants, and provide regular reports
for City staff.
2 Establish Plan Vision,
Goals, and Objectives
• Incorporate themes of sustainability, inclusion,
environmental stewardship, safety, preservation,
livability, accessibility, social equity, and historical and cultural character.
• Consider future trends and planning best practices
for use of public space for recreation, wellness, and
community-building.
• Review previously established vision, goals, and
objectives of the period plans and utilize the
community engagement process to establish
recommendations to complete this task.
3 Background Review • Review City and State laws, regulations, and documents related to parks, open space, trails, and
recreation programming.
• Review City Code and Council Policies to identify key policies and standards.
4 Community
Engagement
• Develop and implement a robust community
engagement plan with opportunities for
stakeholders and residents to provide input.
Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan, Project 22-37—Authorize Professional Services Agreement and Adopt a Resolution Appropriating and Transferring Funds April 25, 2023
Task Title Description
5 Inventory and
Assessment
• Compile an inventory and assessment of the existing
parks, facilities, trails, open space, and athletic fields.
• Develop an assessment of each planning area,
including a list of open space facilities, demographic
data, residential density, proportion of multi -family
housing, and needs of open space.
• Perform a comparative analysis of the parks and
recreation sys tems with communities of a similar
size and density.
• Analyze park and recreation systems usage, needs,
desires, and interests of the community today and
15 years from today.
• Review the five -year CIP and recommend priority
Parks and Recreation capital projects.
• Identify emerging parks and recreation trends and
needs compiled from the community engagement
process as well as from national and regional studies.
• Complete an assessment of Parks and Recreation
facilities and athletic fields.
6 Calculation of City’s
Open Space
• Recommend changes to the existing list of open
spaces counted toward the City’s total open space
acreage.
• Define the different types of parks and open space
available within the City and recommend how to
calculate this acreage into the City’s total open
space.
Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan, Project 22-37—Authorize Professional Services Agreement and Adopt a Resolution Appropriating and Transferring Funds April 25, 2023
Task Title Description
7 Anticipated Open Space
Needs and Long-Term
Funding Strategies
• Determine the amount of park space needed to meet
the City’s existing goal of providing three acres of open space per 1,000 residents in the next 15 years.
• Utilize the community engagement process and
analysis of Task 3 to recommend modifications or
changes to existing goals or establish additional or
new goals.
• Determine a cost estimate to create new open space
acreage based on recommended goals.
• Recommend creating funding strategies for
acquisition, development, and renovation of parks
and open space.
• Recommend how to meet the above goal given the
amount of land for new parks.
• Complete a thorough review of the P ark Land
Dedication Ordinance, evaluate any impacts from
2020 Census data, and provide recommended
changes to the Ordinance.
8 Park Accessibility Goals • Recommend accessibility goals by reviewing State and national park access initiatives and best
practices.
9 Recreation Division
Programming
• Review existing Recreation programs and services
and recommend changes to and/or new Recreation
programs based on feedback from the community
and gaps in service.
• Recommend changes to policies and practic es
related to the facility rental program.
Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan, Project 22-37—Authorize Professional Services Agreement and Adopt a Resolution Appropriating and Transferring Funds April 25, 2023
Task Title Description
10 Fees and Recreation
Cost Recovery Policy
• Review the Recreation Cost Recovery Policy and
existing fees and recommend any changes or
modifications.
• Recommend any changes to the existing Financial
Assistance Program.
11 Use of City’s Parks,
Open Space and
Facilities
• Identify various current uses of parks as well as the elements and amenities that are important to the
public based on community feedback. Recommend
additional or new elements desir ed by the
community for existing and future parks to meet
identified needs.
• Recommend changes to the City’s existing policies
and procedures for use of facilities and athletic
fields, including the Athletic Field Use Policy.
• Recommend changes to the times fields are available
for organized use and clearly define the different
types of organized sports programs.
12 Staffing and
Maintenance Standards
• Recommend appropriate staffing levels for the Parks
and Recreation Divisions.
• Recommend new maintenance and operations
standards, including regular park renovations and
replacement schedules.
• Reference the progress on the Biodiversity Strategy
and Urban Forest Plan to determine if any
recommendations will impact future staffing levels.
13 Accreditation of Park
and Recreation
Agencies
• Integrate the Commission for Accreditation of Park
and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) objectives,
methods, and standards where applicable.
• Make recommendations on actions with a long-term
goal of achieving CAPRA certification.
Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan, Project 22-37—Authorize Professional Services Agreement and Adopt a Resolution Appropriating and Transferring Funds April 25, 2023
Task Title Description
14 A Living, Action-
Oriented, Outcome-
Driven Document
• Recommend timelines for periodic review over the
life of the Plan.
15 Vision and Goal Setting • Develop a vision and mission statement for the Community Services Department with staff
involvement.
16 Draft and Final Parks
and Recreation Strategic
Plan
• Document the engagement process, key findings
from the existing conditions analysis, prioritized
project list, and all other aspects of the Plan into an accessible and easy-to-read graphic report.
17 Presentations • Prepare and deliver presentation materials throughout the Plan development process.
Development of the Plan will be closely coordinated with the Biodiversity Strategy and Urban Forest Plan as well as the Active Transportation Plan, which are both being prepared within the same timeline as the Plan.
Appropriation of Funds
The Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan, Project 22 -37, is currently funded with $600,000 from the Park Land Dedication Fund and $150,000 from the Shoreline Regional Park Community Fund.
Following review of available funding sources, staff is now recommending Counc il approve the transfer of $600,000 from Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan, Project 22 -37, back to the Park Land Dedication Fund and appropriate $600,000 from the General Non -Operating Fund to Project 22-37.
NEXT STEPS
If Council authorizes the recommended consultant agreement with Next Practice Partners, LLC , work on the Plan will begin in spring 2023. It is anticipated that the Plan will be completed by the end of 2024.
FISCAL IMPACT
Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan, Project 22 -37, is funded with $600,000 from the Park Land Dedication Fund and $150,000 from the Shoreline Regional Park Community Fund. The recommended actions will transfer $600,000 from the CIP to the Park Land Dedication Fund and Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan, Project 22-37—Authorize Professional Services Agreement and Adopt a Resolution Appropriating and Transferring Funds April 25, 2023
instead appropriate $600,000 from the Ge neral Non-Operating Fund. The total funding for the CIP will remain $750,000. The current available expenditure budget is $704,226 , which is more than sufficient to fund the recommended agreement amount of $649,771.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Do not authorize the professional services agreement and direct staff to reissue the RFP.
2. Provide other direction.
PUBLIC NOTICING
In addition to the standard agenda posting, the notice for this meeting was posted to the City website, City social media channels, and Nextdoor.com. Staff sent a notice to all neighborhood associations and registrants from recreation programs from 2020 to present. Notice has been provided to City -recognized youth sports organizations, Mountain View Masters, Los Altos Mountain View Aquatics Club, Mountain View Tennis Academy, Mountain View Tennis Club, Community Services Agency, Mountain View Whisman School District, Los Altos School District, Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District, Soil+Water, Friends of Mountain View Parks, Greenspaces MV, Audubon Society, Canopy, and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.
Prepared by:
Kristine Crosby
Recreation Manager
Approved by:
John R. Marchant
Community Services Director
Audrey Seymour Ramberg
Assistant City Manager
KC/1/CAM
205-04-25-23CR
203025
Attachment: 1. Resolution of the City Council Appropriating and Transferring Funds