Board of Commissioners Meetings

The agenda for the March 30, 2023, Special Board Meeting is available here.

The Board Meeting will begin at 9:00 AM in the Board Room of the Three Rivers Park District Administrative Center, 3000 Xenium Lane N., Plymouth, MN.

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

NO ACTION REQUIRED; THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.

Background:

• Reference 3A-1: 2023 Proposed Board Meeting and Study Session Calendar
• Reference 3A-2: Calendar of 2023 Meetings and Events

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

NO ACTION REQUIRED.

Background Information:

Any individual wishing to address the Board on subjects which are not part of the meeting agenda may do so at this time. Such items will typically be referred to staff for review, action and/or recommendation for future board action. The public will also be provided an opportunity to address the Board on items which are on the agenda at the appropriate time.

If you would like to submit written comments in advance of the Board Meeting that will be shared with the Board, you may post them below in the comment box under the agenda item you wish to address or under Citizens Wishing to Address the Board if it's a topic not on the Board Meeting agenda. Comments received by 3:00 p.m. on the Wednesday before the Board Meeting will be shared with Commissioners at the meeting.

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE:

1. FIRST ROUND OF CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS IN THE TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $2,516,482, PLUS A SIX AND ONE-HALF PERCENT CONSTRUCTION CONTINGENCY IN THE AMOUNT OF $156,691 FOR THREE RIVERS-FUNDED COMPONENTS, AND A FIVE PERCENT CONSTRUCTION CONTINGENCY FOR CITY-FUNDED COMPONENTS IN THE AMOUNT OF $16,961, FOR A TOTAL CONSTRUCTION BUDGET AMOUNT OF $2,690,134 FROM THE PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED PROJECT BUDGET, WHICH INCLUDES FUNDING FROM THE CITY OF BROOKLYN PARK PER THE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.
2. CONTRACT WITH H+U CONSTRUCTION TO PROVIDE CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SERVICES IN THE AMOUNT OF A FEE OF 0.5 (ONE-HALF) PERCENT OF THE FINAL CONSTRUCTION COST PLUS AN HOURLY NOT-TO-EXCEED FEE FOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SERVICES OF $1,189,860 PLUS REIMBURSABLE AND GENERAL CONDITIONS EXPENSES OF $630,980 BASED UPON AIA C132-2019 CONTRACT TERMS, AND TO ESTABLISH A TOTAL CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT FEE BUDGET IN THE AMOUNT OF $2,040,951, INCLUDING A SIX AND ONE-HALF PERCENT CONTINGENCY FOR THREE RIVERS AND FIVE PERCENT CONTINGENCY FOR THE CITY, FROM THE PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED PROJECT BUDGET, WHICH INCLUDES FUNDING FROM THE CITY OF BROOKLYN PARK PER THE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.

The following information was prepared by Jason Zemke, Senior Manager of Architecture, and Matt Swenson, Project Manager.

Background Information:

Advertisement for Bids for this project was placed on Quest CDN and Finance and Commerce on February 21, 2023. Similarly, our Construction Manager, Hoffman & Uhlhorn Construction Inc. (H+U), posted this project on their website, in plan rooms and other industry publications, including but not limited to, the National Association of Minority Contractors, Association of Women Contractors, and more. Bids were received on March 16, 2023.

H+U has evaluated and interviewed each low bidder for responsibility for compliance with the scope of work and contract provisions. Their recommendations for award for those contracts that were formally bid are summarized in the attached letter (Reference 4A-1). 18 contracts are still being evaluated and are not being presented for award at this time but are included in the cost summary table as “Pending Contracts” for reference against the total budget.

In addition to those contracts that were formally bid, two other contracts are included in the total recommended contract award motion. The first contract was procured through the State Contract cooperative purchasing agreement (Flagship: play equipment at $387,041), and the second is a specialty design contract that was selected through a qualifications-based process (Split Rock Studios: Gateway Center exhibit fabrication at $303,357) and are included in the table below.

Contract Award Summary:

Construction Management:

The proposed fees and scope of work proposed by H+U for construction management were cooperatively developed between Park District Staff and H+U to be appropriate for the established project scope and complexity. H+U has provided a high level of service through the design and bidding phases of the project and is intimately familiar with the details of the project. As such, Staff recommends they be hired to continue providing complete construction management services for the construction of the Mississippi Gateway Regional Park Redevelopment Project.

Bottom Line:

Bids were slightly higher than the construction budget by 1.6%, using a 10% contingency. However, with a recommended 6.5% contingency and 5% contingency for Three Rivers and the City, respectively, both agencies are able to stay on or under budget with construction. Staff is comfortable with recommending a 6.5% contingency given the dollar amount and historic use of contingencies on similar, past projects in the Park District.

Cost Summary

Consideration of Alternates:

As a reminder, Bid Package #1 included four Alternates for Three Rivers. Bid Package #1 also included two Alternates for the City. The bids for these Alternates are as follows, including contingency:

With a 6.5% contingency, the Park District realizes a budget surplus of $424,636, while the City’s 5% contingency allows them to essentially break even. Budget surplus does not allow the City to incorporate either of their two alternates. The Park District’s surplus could allow award of Alternate #4, however Staff recommends postponing award of Alternates until April to allow time to evaluate if additional funds are available to also incorporate Alternates #1 and #2. For this reason, award of contracts that include costs for Alternates #1, #2, and #4 is being postponed until April, along with other contracts that must be rebid.

Tree Removals will begin April 2023, immediately following contract award, with other critical construction beginning shortly thereafter. A detailed schedule will be developed by H+U upon approval of the contracts.

Relationship to the System Plan

The Request for Action supports the following goals(s) of the System Plan:

• Goal 1: You Belong Here
• Goal 2: Parks Matter
• Goal 3: Lead by Example

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

MOTION TO ENTER INTO A CONSULTANT AGREEMENT WITH WSB & ASSOCIATES, INC. TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION SERVICES FOR THE MISSISSIPPI GATEWAY REGIONAL PARK REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT, WITH A TOTAL HOURLY NOT-TO-EXCEED FEE IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,340,626.00 INCLUDING REIMBURSABLE EXPENSES, AND TO ESTABLISH A TOTAL CONSULTANT FEE BUDGET IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,427,767.00, INCLUDING A SIX AND ONE-HALF PERCENT CONTINGENCY, FROM THE PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED PROJECT BUDGET, WHICH INCLUDES FUNDING FROM THE CITY OF BROOKLYN PARK PER THE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.

The following information was prepared by Jason Zemke, Senior Manager of Architecture, and Matt Swenson, Project Manager.

Background Information:

The Mississippi Gateway Regional Park Redevelopment Project bids for construction were received on March 16, 2023. The Board considered award of construction contracts in a separate motion on March 30, 2023. This companion Special Meeting Action requests approval of the requisite consultant agreement for professional construction administration services during construction of the project.

The proposed consultant fee and scope of work were cooperatively developed between Park District staff and the consultant to be appropriate for the established project scope and complexity. WSB and Associates, Inc. (WSB) has provided a high level of service through the design and bidding phases of the project and is intimately familiar with the details of the project. As such, staff recommends they be hired to continue providing complete construction administration for the construction of the Mississippi Gateway Regional Park Redevelopment Project.

The entire project, including development components in the West Unit, will continue to be managed by the Park District and its consultants. Costs for construction services that are related to the City of Brooklyn Park (West Unit) components will be reimbursed from the City to the Park District according to the Cooperative Agreement.

Relationship to the System Plan

The Request for Action supports the following goals(s) of the System Plan:

• Goal 1: You Belong Here
• Goal 2: Parks Matter
• Goal 3: Lead by Example

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

NO ACTION REQUIRED; THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.

Background Information:

The Park District’s 2023 total budget totals just under $82 million. This amount consists of nine operating budgets totaling $67.3 million and a capital budget totaling $14.6 million. The nine operating budgets are funded by a variety of user fees, several government grants, and property taxes (General Fund only). The capital budget is funded by a variety of government grants and the issuance of long-term bonds, which are repaid over 10 to 20 years through an annual property tax levy.

The bonds issued for the capital budget are sized to provide the funds needed to construct the projects in the capital budget. This amount is often less than the amount originally anticipated in the budget due to project savings, unanticipated grants, and local government participation in projects. The Board approves the issuance of bonds and their structure based on a recommendation from the Chief Financial Officer who, along with a fiscal advisor, works to structure the bonds to provide the funds needed at a reasonable future cost to taxpayers.

The Park District budget process begins in late spring with staff assembling operating information and challenges for the upcoming year. The summer is spent discussing budget issues with the Superintendent and the Board including major costs and economic issues along with user fees and the potential property tax impact of both the operating and capital budgets. Since the property tax levy for the capital budget is a fixed number, the discussion of property taxes centers on the operating portion of the levy, which needs to be preliminarily set in September. The final tax levy is adopted in December.

Each year staff develops a 5-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) that serves as the basis for identifying the projects to be included in the Board-approved Asset Management Program (capital budget) for the next year, and to identify the tentative projects for years 2-5 of the CIP. Project selection and timing is influenced by the Board’s set of principles and priorities as outlined in the CIP document, as well as available funding, partner timing and workload considerations.

Staff will go over the CIP process, its components, how it is funded and the Board’s current CIP principles and priorities. A draft presentation as background material is provided (Reference 5A-1).

Relationship to the System Plan

The Request for Action supports the following goal(s) of the System Plan:

• Goal 1: You Belong Here
• Goal 2: Parks Matter
• Goal 3: Lead by Example