City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Community Services
Meeting Date: June 18, 2024
Report #:2405-3025
TITLE
Approval of Professional Service Contract Number C25191000 with Grassroots Ecology in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $612,027 for Land Stewardship Services at Pearson-Arastradero Preserve for a period of Five Years; CEQA status – categorically exempt.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that City Council approve and authorize the City Manager or their designee to execute Contract C25191000 (Attachment A) with Grassroots Ecology for Stewardship at Pearson-Arastradero Preserve for a term of five years and a total not-to-exceed $612,027, with a mutual renewal option for an additional five years.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 1996, the City initiated a stewardship program and later an agreement with Bay Area Action for habitat restoration and environmental education at the Enid W. Pearson Arastradero Preserve (Preserve). Since then, Bay Area Action and successor organizations Acterra and Grassroots Ecology have been the Stewards of the Preserve implementing the Arastradero Management Plan.
After solicitation for proposals, staff is recommending City Council’s approval of a five-year contract with Grassroots Ecology to continue being the Steward of the Preserve. The amount of the contract over the five-year period is $612,027.
BACKGROUND
On March 11, 1996, City Council adopted a five-point plan for the management of the Preserve and gave direction to staff to explore opportunities for leveraging City resources to ensure future maintenance and oversight of the natural resources of the Preserve.
This direction included:
1. Explore the possibility of a public/private stewardship agreement;
2. Removal of all existing building structures including a house site, cottage, and barn;
3. Restoration of habitat in the areas where the structures were located;
4. Explore the potential for a new modest facility as an educational gateway to the Preserve;
5. Create a mechanism to allow funding for some or all elements of the Preserve Management Plan.
On May 13, 1996, City Council approved the Arastradero Preserve project work plan1.
One element of the work plan addressed the development of the concept of a public/private partnership for stewardship of the Preserve. On November 4, 1996, City Council approved the Arastradero Preserve Management Plan and the concept of a stewardship agreement with a local non-profit organization2. At its April 28, 1997 meeting, City Council approved a five-year contract with Bay Area Action to act as the steward of the Preserve and to implement action steps of the Arastradero Management Plan.
Since 1997, Bay Area Action and successor organizations Acterra and Grassroots Ecology have been contracted as the land steward for the Preserve. They have and continue to meet and exceed goals of the Arastradero Management Plan.
ANALYSIS
Annually, the Steward collaborates with the Preserve’s Supervising Ranger to develop a workplan. Some aspects of the work have included the following:
•Native plant revegetation along the riparian corridors of Mayfly and Arastradero Creeks •Removal or management of target invasive plant species, including stinkwort, medusahead, thistles, teasel, and hemlock
•Protecting and monitoring native tree saplings to allow the next generation of trees to grow to maturity
•Monitoring and maintenance of wildlife cameras
•Installing, monitoring, and maintenance of bird boxes
The Preserve’s Stewards have used a community outreach model to achieve their respective workplans. Each year, they plan and coordinate volunteers for workdays while also providing youth with an afterschool program focused on environmental science topics and habitat restoration. They also provide interpretive programs for the general public. Currently and planned for Fiscal Year 2025, the community outreach includes the following:
•20 volunteer engagement workdays consisting of 1,200 volunteer hours •10 to 16 events with youth engagement and education
1 City Council, May 13, 1996; CMR:253:96, https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/DocView.aspx?id=60740&repo=r- 704298fc&searchid=e0169f64-1b14-4698-ace8-e9446962d7c5
2 City Council, November 4, 1996; CMR:423:96,
https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/DocView.aspx?id=61200&repo=r-704298fc&searchid=f6c7a35d-cd25-4d9c- 851a-7f632bcc78b9
•Four public days of interpretive engagement covering environmental topics to develop a relationship between visitors and the Preserve
To continue stewardship at the Preserve and meet the goals of the Preserve’s Management Plan, staff recommends City Council approval of contract C25191000 with Grassroots Ecology. The contract’s scope of work is in accordance with the Management Plan and includes native plant revegetation, invasive plant management, community outreach, project management, and various tasks to be agreed upon by the Steward and City staff. Establishing a contract with a local non-profit such as Grassroots Ecology is in accordance with the Management Plan and consistent with the City’s public/private partnership policy.
Request for Proposal Process
An RFP was solicited through the City’s online OpenGov eProcurement platform on April 19, 2024 as RFP 191000 and 3,068 vendors were notified. The solicitation period was posted for 21 days, downloaded by eight organizations and one proposal was received. As the Preserve’s management plan calls for a local non-profit organization to be the Steward, notification of the RFP solicitation was also sent by staff to three habitat restoration non-profits in the Bay Area region. Of the eight organizations which downloaded the solicitation, only Grassroots Ecology attended a mandatory pre-proposal meeting and was the only one to submit a proposal.
After the submittal deadline, staff inquired with several potential vendors and received responses from three of them. One organization informed staff that they do not respond to open solicitations, another responded that they didn’t see the solicitation, and one more informed staff that they only publish potential projects for their members to review.
Table #1: Summary of Request for Proposal
Proposal Description Arastradero Stewardship / RFP 191000 Proposed Length of Project 5 Years
Number Vendors Notified 3,068 Notices
Number of Proposal Packages Downloaded 8 Downloads
Total Days to Respond to Proposal 21 Days
Pre-Proposal Meeting Yes, Mandatory
Pre-Proposal Meeting Date April 24, 2024
Number of Proposals Received 1 Proposal
Proposal Cost $115,475 for Year 1 with 3% annual increase Public Link to Solicitation https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/palo- alto-ca/projects/91221
Proposal Review Process
Staff reviewed the proposal from Grassroots Ecology for adherence to the solicited scope of services, organization profile, stewardship of open space areas in other local jurisdictions, and cost proposal. All reviewers independently scored the proposal highly and within a close range of scores. The proposal closely matched the solicitation’s scope of services and the differences do not impact the intended outcome and achievements. Grassroots Ecology has performed well in past partnerships and the organization’s profile of staff and experience is well matched with the tasks of a Steward for the Preserve. Additionally, Grassroots Ecology has established volunteer and education programs.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
The cost for Year 1 is $115,475 and is funded within the base budget of the Community Services Department’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2025 Operating Budget. Annually, for Years 2 through 5 there is a 3% cost increase.
As the City’s funding allocation needs to be augmented for the Steward of the Preserve to achieve the goals and scope of work, the Steward is required to financially fundraise to supplement funds from the City. The proposal from Grassroots Ecology identifies three grants which they have been awarded to support stewardship of the Preserve. They have been awarded a four-year $145,000 grant from Valley Water to replace invasive teasel with native plants along Arastradero Creek, a four-year $80,000 grant from Valley Water to create pollinator habitat within the Preserve, and a three-year $33,000 grant from California Coastal Conservancy to manage medusahead grass to reduce fire risk.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The solicitation for a Steward of the Preserve was coordinated between staff of the Community Services Department and staff within the Purchasing Division. Upon issuance of the solicitation, staff notified three local non-profits who perform habitat restoration and provide environmental education.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Council action on this item is categorically exempt under CEQA section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Contract C25191000 with Grassroots Ecology APPROVED BY:
Kristen O'Kane, Community Services Director