Lake City: Looking for a Consultant for its Downtown Community Redevelopment Area
Posted May 13, 2015 05:55 am
City Manager Johnson explains the Wilson Park Recreation
Area.
LAKE CITY, FL – Early last night, the Community Redevelopment Advisory Committee (CRAC) met to discuss the City's downtown Community Redevelopment Area. The City's recent loan of $1.3 million will provide the funds to redevelop the Lake DeSoto area, known officially as the Wilson Park Recreation Area upgrade. City Manager Johnson explained it was time that Public Works Director Thomas Henry's concept plan move from the drawing board to reality, and that would require the services of a development consultant.
City Manager Johnson: we need a consultant
City Manager Johnson kicked off the conversation, "How do we put the project together? Thomas Henry from public works has drawn a concept plan for what we are planning to do over at the lake. Some of issues that we’re gonna have with movin’ forward with this project’s gonna require the services of an engineer, an architect, landscape architect, and it is gonna have to be permitted and sealed by someone who really knows what they are doin’... "
Thomas Henry's graphic shows the concept areas.
Mr. Johnson asked the Committee if it wanted to do an RFQ for a consultant to do a design. "There are a number of organizations that specialize in this kinda stuff. A million going for that project is a pretty substantial investment. Do you wanna seek services of an outside consultant to guide us through this project?," he asked.
Section 287.055 of the FL statutes, known as the
Consultants Competitive Negotiation Act, requires that
the City acquire professional services competitively. It
explains the requirements.
Mr. Johnson continued, "Obviously, there’s gonna be a lot of public observation. We got nothin’ to lose by goin’ out for the Request for Qualifications and/or Request for Proposals. We can do one or both; one and then the other; or we can just do the Request for Qualifications and set down and negotiate with who we think is the most qualified."
Dennille Decker, the Chamber director said, "I think we have to get a consultant."
Mr. Johnson mentioned IBI, the group that developed the City's Master Plan, "For example, IBI. They specialize in what I’m talkin’ about. If we do an RFQ they are probably goin’ to submit." (more about IBI and LC)
Mr. Johnson added that Passaro, the consulting engineers for the city airport, do those kind of things.
Mr. Johnson explained, "I think if we sent out an RFQ we would get a pretty good response. Up to a million dollar budget is going to be pretty desirable to people who do this kinda work. Keep in mind, we did our master plan, it was a 100,000 bucks, a big pay day. Typically, the goin’ fee for these kinda things is a percentage of the construction and that will be finalized by the project definition itself. "
Your reporter asked for clarification of the motion.
Mr. Johnson clarified, "It’s an RFQ for a development consultant for a recreation development project. It may include an engineer. Someone with knowledge is goin’ to have to have an engineer for the storm water facility component. This company would have [access] to those kind of resources."
