Title
Staff Report for a Resolution Approving a Contractual Services Agreement with Stantec Consulting Services Inc. for the Preparation of the San Leandro Creek Trail Master Plan
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that the City Council approve 1) a contractual services agreement (CSA) with Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $138,062 to prepare the San Leandro Creek Trail Master Plan and 2) a $156,118 carryover of unallocated Caltrans grant funds from FY 2014-15 to FY 2015-16. Of the $156,118, $138,062 shall be allocated for the Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., agreement and the remaining $18,056 shall be used for ongoing City staff grant administration costs.
BACKGROUND
The proposed San Leandro Creek Trail Master Plan Study (a feasibility study) is an effort to develop a plan, design concepts, and an implementation strategy for a multi-use trail and path along segments of the San Leandro Creek in the Cities of San Leandro and Oakland. This project will build on several years of preliminary outreach and analysis of the corridor in Oakland; over a decade’s worth of effort by the Friends of San Leandro Creek to restore a thriving riparian corridor within Oakland and San Leandro; and many other efforts by a diverse group of stakeholders. The multi-use trail was initially envisioned in 2012 and soon after the San Leandro Creek Alliance began serving as the forum for ongoing meetings of project partners, including the cities of San Leandro and Oakland, BART, Alameda County Flood Control & Water Conservation District, East Bay Municipal Utility District, East Bay Regional Parks District, Friends of San Leandro Creek, the National Park Service, Merritt College, and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
In November 2013, the State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced the availability of transportation planning grant funds to support multi-modal transportation to improve mobility and accessibility for all people, with a focus on sustainability. In February 2014, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy staff, on behalf of the San Leandro Creek Alliance, submitted a grant application to Caltrans for the San Leandro Creek Trail Master Plan. In July 2014, following the grant submittal, which identified the City of San Leandro as the lead agency, the City was awarded $201,510 from the Caltrans State Highway Account - Partnership Planning for Sustainable Transportation grant program. In September 2014, the City Council authorized the City Manager to execute agreements with Caltrans, which allowed for the grant funds to be made available to the City. The grant funding is allocated to cover the cost of the consultant study and for project work by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, City of Oakland, and City of San Leandro.
The grant allows for the development of the San Leandro Creek Trail Master Plan Study, design concepts, and implementation strategy for a multi-use trail along San Leandro Creek through the cities of San Leandro and Oakland. For context, approximately 2.1 miles of the creek are located in the City of San Leandro, 2.1 miles in the City of Oakland, and 1.8 miles runs along the border of the two cities.
The multi-use trail is intended to bring more awareness to the creek and to provide connections among certain segments of the creek. The approximately 2.1 miles of the San Leandro Creek that is located entirely within the City of San Leandro limits, including the three-quarter mile stretch of the creek from Root Park to the Southern Pacific Railroad, would be studied. In 2013 and 2014, the Creek Walk was a funding priority for City Council’s federal lobbying efforts as it promotes healthy living, supports efforts to restores the flow of the creek, and reconnects the community with waterways.
Analysis
In August 2015, staff distributed a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the San Leandro Creek Trail Master Plan to eleven qualified consulting firms. The RFP was also posted on the City website. Seven consulting firms attended a pre-application meeting.
Four consulting firms submitted proposals by the September 4, 2015 deadline. Staff from the City of San Leandro’s Community Development Department, along with staff from the City of Oakland, Caltrans, and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy carefully reviewed the proposals and interviewed two firms and their teams of sub-consultants. Upon completion of the interviews, the reviewers selected Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. as the best qualified firm for recommendation to the City Council. The consultant team consists of:
• Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. (lead consultant)
• Circlepoint (subconsultant)
Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. (Stantec) is a highly experienced professional consulting firm with extensive experience in planning, engineering, architecture, landscape architecture, environmental sciences and feasibility study preparation for recreational trails, bikeways, and multi-use trails. Stantec has partnered with Circlepoint, a firm that specializes in communication, facilitation, and public outreach. Both Stantec and Circlepoint will work closely with the Cities of San Leandro and Oakland, and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, throughout the feasibility study process.
Stantec and Circlepoint will carry out most of the technical work for this project, which includes preparation of the draft and final reports, and assistance with 14 public meetings. The study is projected to take approximately 19 months and the anticipated completion date is May 2017. The deliverables from the consultants will include a public outreach engagement process (which includes 14 public meetings), maps, analysis, photo simulations, and plans developed through the extensive input process. Recommended trail segments (alignments) and sample trail sections alternatives will be identified and trail design standards will be provided. Near the completion of the project, the study, including technical recommendations and next steps, will be presented to the City Councils of Oakland and San Leandro.
Previous Action
• The City Council approved Resolution No. 2014-096 authorizing the City Manager to execute agreements that accept federal and/or state funding and obligates the City to provide matching funds for the San Leandro Creek Trail Master Plan project
Environmental Review
The CSA with Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. is a professional services contract and is exempt from CEQA per CEQA Guidelines, Article 19, Section 15306, as the feasibility study consists of Information Collection.
Public Outreach Effort
• Community Meeting held Thursday, October 29, 2015 at the Main Library from 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Legal Analysis
The City Attorney’s Office reviewed and approved as to form the staff report and CSA.
Fiscal Impacts & Budget Authority
This contract award is for an amount not to exceed $138,062 and will be funded by the Caltrans grant funding (Account number 150-41-211-5120). There is a balance of $156,118 from the Caltrans grant that needs to be carried over into FY 2015-16. Upon City Council approval to carryover the $156,118, $138,062 shall be allocated for the Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., agreement and the remaining $18,056 shall be used for ongoing City staff grant administration costs.
ATTACHMENT
Attachment to Resolution
• Contractual Services Agreement with Stantec Consulting Services Inc.
PREPARED BY: Anjana Mepani, Planner II, Community Development Department