2016.10.24 Council Agenda Item 12

Summary

Order to approve a supplemental appropriation of $35,940 from the Route 1 North TIF for the Route 1 North Concept Plan project.

A public comment period will be included (3 minutes).

ACTION: Council action is anticipated.

Description

On August 30, 2016 the Town Manager sent the following update on the committee's work to the Council: "The committee has been very active this summer and making great progress. They have been involved with the development of the RFP and mostly following a similar planning process that was successful with the Route 100 project. Once the committee concludes a review of all responses to the RFP, they will present an update and proposal to the Council for funding this aspect of the project. I expect the work will be very conceptual and cost of services at or lower in cost to similar efforts on Rt 100 and 1 South."

In late August, the Town issued a "Request for Proposals for Development of Concept Plan for the Route 1 North Area in Falmouth, Maine." Sixty-nine professionals representing thirty-nine firms were notified directly, the RFP was posted on the Town's website and distributed to News subscribers on August 29, 2016, and a legal advertisement was placed in the Portland Press Herald on August 31, 2016. On September 14, staff conducted a mandatory pre-bid meeting with six interested firms to answer questions.

Four proposals were received by the RFP deadline. An interview committee including the Route 1 North committee chair and vice chair, Council liaison, Town Manager and Director of Long-Range Planning conducted interviews with two firms (MRLD and VHB) and recommended that VHB be hired for this assignment at a cost of $35,940. The recommendation by the interview committee was supported by the full Route 1 North Committee at its meeting on October 17.

The proposal by VHB is a lump sum cost of $35,940 and is proposed to be paid from the Route 1 North Tax Increment Financing (TIF) account, which has an available balance. The final report is expected to be delivered to the Council by May 2017.

Background information: The Council's draft 2016-17 Work Plan contains a high priority Comprehensive Plan action item (CP 35) that reads: "Prepare a Route 1 (North) Development Plan working with the Town of Cumberland and others as appropriate." The Council appointed the Route 1 North Committee in 2016. The committee started meeting in late June 2016.

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