2007-04-03 P & Z - Laserfiche WebLink

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INTERVIEW SUBCOMMITTEE CONSULTANT SELECTION COMPREHENSIVE PLAN March 28, 2007 From: Tom Lee D. Love Tom Wood The Subcommittee met on Tuesday, March 20, 2007, and interviewed three planning firms. Included in the interviews were: Dean Johnson of Resource Strategies Corporation Dan Jochum and Mike Darrow of Short Elliott Hendrickson Mark Statz and Tina Goodroad ofDSUlBonestroo All of the firms had very good credentials and seemed capable of completing the plan. Costs for the service ranged from approximately $16,500 to about $26,500. All three emphasized the point that this plan is the last one prior to full development. That point may not have been adequately considered as the process began. The Subcommittee discussed the three firms at length and each of their strengths. It seemed compelling that the planning firm of Dahlgren, Shardlow, Uban (DSU) is now merged with the engineering firm Bonestroo & Associates who provides city engineer services to Centerville. The prior and ongoing relationship with Bonestroo allowed DSU to articulate their plans in assisting Centerville with planning for the future not simply doing the minimum necessary to complete the document. The connection will be particularly valuable to assist the City in implementing the comprehensive plan. Although the firm DSU/Bonestroo had the highest cost estimate, it was also clear that they were anticipating many more meetings than the other firms. It is possible that those meetings are necessary, but if it were determined that fewer meetings would be adequate, substantial costs could be saved. The Subcommittee encourages the Planning and Zoning Commission to recommend the firm of DSU/Bonestroo to do the Comprehensive Plan update. However, prior to entering into a contract with DSU/Bonestroo for the full planning process, we recommend that the firm be authorized to do the "Initiation Meeting" identified in their proposal work plan (should be a joint meeting with the Council and P&Z). Subsequent to feedback during that meeting, the consultant would be expected to provide a revised proposal that reflects the agreed upon level of meetings and other services. The Council could then authorize a contract with the firm. The agreement should also be structured to make it clear that the consultant could not bill more than $15,000 during 2007 (budgeted amount).