TITLE:
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AWARD OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR FAIRVIEW PARK MASTER PLAN UPDATE
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DEPARTMENT: PARKS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
PRESENTED BY: KELLY DALTON, FAIRVIEW PARK ADMINISTRATOR
CONTACT INFORMATION: 714-754-5135
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Staff recommends the City Council:
1. Award a Professional Services Agreement to Moore, Iacofano, Goltsman, Inc., in the amount of $314,565, for professional consulting and environmental planning services for the Fairview Park Master Plan Update project.
2. Authorize a ten-percent (10%) contingency, if needed, for unforeseen costs.
3. Authorize an additional expense appropriation of $64,565 from the Park Development Impact Fees fund balance to cover the requested contract value for the Fairview Park Master Plan Update.
4. Authorize the City Manager and the City Clerk to execute the Professional Services Agreement (Attachment 1) and future amendments to the agreement within Council-authorized limits.
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BACKGROUND:
Fairview Park is the City’s largest park, hosting 195 acres of natural open space area and 13 acres of passive parkland for a total of 208 acres. Within the 195 acres of open space, there are two Native American Nationally Registered Historic Sites, and five different habitat ecosystems, which are home to a wide array of sensitive, rare and endangered plant and animal species. These protected habitats and resident species entail local, state, and federal regulatory oversight related to environmental resource protection and preservation. The park also offers users multiple passive recreational opportunities and trails for walking, running, bicycling, and wildlife observation throughout the park’s various habitats. In addition, the City has partnerships with various local non-profit organizations that support activities and programming in Fairview Park.
Between 1996 and 1998, the City of Costa Mesa prepared and adopted the Fairview Park Master Plan (“Master Plan”) to provide a framework for existing and future park improvements, public uses, and restoration opportunities in the park. The City Council subsequently adopted revisions to the Master Plan in 2000 and 2002 to address specific changes in park features, and in 2008 to account for an updated biological survey of the park. Since that time, the City has initiated and completed a number of significant projects and restoration activities within the park, documented a variety of special-status plant and animal species, and introduced educational programs to engage and inform users about the park’s unique environmental features. However, since the adoption of the original Master Plan in 1998, the City has not completed a comprehensive update to the plan that holistically accounts for a quarter-century of the park’s evolution or of developments in the environmental and regulatory landscape surrounding Fairview Park’s protected resources. This period also spans the completion of multiple mitigation and restoration projects within the park, extensive biological observations of rare and endangered species, and significant land management actions that have taken place in contiguous open spaces along the lower Santa Ana River open space corridor. In addition, since the original Master Plan’s adoption, significant advancements have emerged in the realm of geospatial technology and asset management. By integrating these contemporary tools into the Master Plan update project, the final Fairview Park Master Plan will allow the City to effectively and adaptively manage Fairview Park’s diverse capital assets and environmental resources over time.
Fairview Park’s relative abundance of land and its connectivity within the lower Santa Ana River open space corridor has previously made the site a strong candidate for environmental mitigation and restoration. As one of the last remaining land parcels in the region to persist in a mostly natural and undeveloped state, Fairview Park is a critical environmental resource to a wide array of native flora and fauna that has been broadly displaced by urban development. Similarly, the site’s extensive archeological record and deep significance to the indigenous community highlight the importance of protecting and preserving Fairview Park’s rich historical legacy. Given the park’s situational geography within a highly urbanized and populated area along coastal Orange County, the park is also subjected to considerable impact from public use and anthropogenic activity. Throughout Fairview Park’s and the City’s history, residents of Costa Mesa have advocated for the protection of Fairview Park, repeatedly calling upon local officials to ensure that the park’s unique natural character and rich cultural heritage are preserved for future generations. To this end, the City’s land management of Fairview Park requires consistent and deliberate planning to achieve a sustainable balance between the unique environmental resources and public uses of the land.
ANALYSIS:
On August 11, 2022, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued for the Fairview Park Master Plan Update. In response to the RFP, staff received three (3) proposals from the following consulting firms:
• Moore, Iacofano, Goltsman, Inc.
• OLIN
• Endemic Environmental Services
A panel of subject matter experts reviewed and ranked the proposals and found them well qualified to perform the required professional services. Proposals were reviewed for compliance and responsiveness to the City’s Request for Proposals; qualifications of the firm; approach and methodology; experience of project team; and cost. During the evaluation, Moore, Iacofano, Goltsman, Inc. (MIG) presented their firm as having a thorough understanding of the project and demonstrated extensive experience and technical ability to perform the outlined scope of work.
Due to the multitude of environmental features involved in Master Planning for Fairview Park, the RFP emphasized the need for consultants to present both depth and breadth of technical expertise in various fields: landscape architecture, environmental planning, community outreach, biological management, regulatory compliance, habitat restoration, cultural resources management, and environmental and geotechnical engineering. MIG’s proposal exhibited a strong interdisciplinary team of subject matter experts with capacity to work in an integrated fashion to successfully deliver on the project. In addition, the MIG team showed a strong track record of experience and successful performance in similar projects in Orange County and in leading other conservation and park planning efforts in Southern California.
The Scope of Work for the project will include the following primary tasks:
Task 1: Historical Summary / Review of Existing Documentation
Task 2: Community Outreach
Task 3: Resource Assessment and Analysis of Existing Conditions
Task 4: Master Plan Update Findings and Recommendations
Task 5: Environmental Compliance Documentation
A detailed scope of work, project schedule, and list of sub-tasks are included in the consultant’s proposal, shown as Exhibit B in the Professional Services Agreement.
If awarded the contract, MIG will be responsible for performing a comprehensive update to the Fairview Park Master Plan that guides future restoration, improvements, operations, and activities for years to come. MIG will also be leading community outreach meetings and preparing applicable presentation materials to be shared with park advocates and the community during this planning process. In addition, as part of the Community Outreach task, the consultant team will create a Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) made up of representatives of the tribes with affiliation to the Fairview Park cultural site. This important addition to the original project scope was included based on MIG’s proposal recognizing that the Plan area and immediate vicinity are sensitive to archeological and Tribal cultural resources. Given that the site has been identified as culturally important to the local Native American Tribes, staff recommends the inclusion of this sub-task to afford tribal representatives a dedicated venue to provide their input in meetings separate from the general public.
ALTERNATIVES:
The City Council may choose to reject all bids and provide staff with further direction. However, this alternative is not recommended, as it would further delay the Fairview Park Master Plan Update process.
FISCAL REVIEW:
Upon City Council approval, an additional expense appropriation of $64,565 from the Park Development Impact Fees fund balance will be established for the Fairview Park Master Plan Update. As of June 30, 2022 the Park Development Impact Fees Fund has a fund balance of $3.6 million.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report, and prepared and approved the Professional Services Agreement as to form.
CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND PRIORITIES:
This item supports the following City Council Goal:
• Advance Environmental Sustainability and Climate Resiliency
Fairview Park contains an array of environmental resources and features that provide important habitats for endangered species, and support high biodiversity. Approving the proposed contract will support the City in planning for the restoration and preservation of Fairview Park and its rich environmental resources.
CONCLUSION:
1. Award a Professional Services Agreement to Moore, Iacofano, Goltsman, Inc., in the amount of $314,565.00 for professional consulting and environmental planning services for the Fairview Park Master Plan Update.
2. Authorize a five-percent (5%) contingency if needed, for unforeseen costs.
3. Appropriate the remaining Capital Improvement Project budget balance of $250,000, plus $64,565 from the available Park Development Impact Fees Fund balance to cover the requested contract value for the Fairview Park Master Plan Update.
4. Authorize the City Manager and the City Clerk to execute the Professional Services Agreement (Attachment 1) and future amendments to the agreement within Council-authorized limits.