Alejandra Garcia Project Coordinator
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City Council Report City Council Meeting: November 1, 2016 Agenda Item: 3.D To: Mayor and City Council From: David Martin, Director, Planning and Community Development, Strategic & Transportation Planning Subject: Safe Routes to School Program Encouragement & Education Contract Award Recommended Action Staff recommends that the City Council: 1. Award RFP #88 to Alta Planning + Design, Inc., a Los Angeles based company for grant-funded Safe Routes to School Program Encouragement and Education; and 2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Alta Planning + Design, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $450,000 over a 2-year period, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval. Executive Summary The City of Santa Monica aims to expand the reach of the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program by providing a series of encouragement and education activities to five elementary schools: John Muir Elementary School, Santa Monica Alternative Schoolhouse (SMASH), Franklin Elementary School, McKinley Elementary School, and Edison Language Academy. These schools were not included in the City’s initial 2012- 2013 SRTS Pilot program. Encouragement and Education programs catalyze desired outcomes around walking and biking behavior, and complement physical changes in the public right-of-way. This project is designed to provide “shelf ready” products and tools that can be easily used to educate students and inform parents about walking and biking to school. It will continue successful encouragement programs like Kidical Mass and Bike It! Walk It!, and complete walking and biking assessments at each school campus. Efforts include strengthening the relationship with student families to help ensure program sustainability. This project is funded by the State of California Active Transportation Program (ATP) and would take place over the course of the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years. Grant funds in the amount of $450,000 will pay for consultant services and select incentives, and project management will be provided by City staff. The recommended team of Alta Planning + Design, Inc. will be required to meet the grant requirements and provide minimum services consistent with the ATP funding agreement 1 of 5 with Caltrans. Background In July 2005, Congress passed federal legislation that established a National Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program to address the lack of walking and biking to school. At its core, the SRTS Program empowers communities to make walking and bicycling to school a safe and routine activity. Safe Routes to School includes a wide variety of programs and projects, from building safer street crossings to establishing programs that encourage children and their parents to walk and bicycle safely to school. Locally, students, parents and school administrators have expressed support for increased bicycling and walking to Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (District) schools. The Santa Monica High School Solar Alliance first initiated Bike It! Walk It! Day in 2007. The City has received over $2.1 million in Safe Routes to School (SRTS) grants. The majority of the grant funds ($1.3 million) pay for infrastructure. In addition to grant funds, the City has appropriated approximately $140,000 in General Funds to support the SRTS program. In July 2012 (Attachment A), the City successfully obtained two operating grants totaling $328,000 to fund a comprehensive Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Phase I Pilot program. With the support of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD), the grant-funded Phase I pilot program focused on two elementary schools (Will Rogers Learning Community and Roosevelt Elementary School) and two middle schools (John Adams Middle School and Lincoln Middle School). The program concluded in September 2013. On July 28, 2015 (Attachment B), the City accepted a grant awarded in the amount of $450,000 to build upon the growth and success of the SRTS program by creating tools that can be easily used by future stakeholders, as well as provide a series of education 2 of 5 and encouragement activities at five elementary schools which were not included in the City’s initial Pilot program. Discussion Over the course of expanding and refining the Safe Routes to School program, the City has developed a network of partners among the District, schools and Parent-Teacher Association that help to facilitate the implementation of SRTS. Events like Bike It! Walk It!, Kidical Mass, bike skills and safety trainings, and the Family Bike Hub have become core parts of the annual offerings after having been tested and found to be highly successful. Many of these elements were tested during the 2012-13 SRTS Pilot Program. This project will build on the success and lessons learned throughout the program and move the Safe Routes to School program towards an even greater level of sustainability. Another major component will be conducting targeting education activities at those Elementary schools not included in Phase I (aka the Pilot) which are; McKinley, Grant, Muir, S.M.A.S.H., and Franklin. Walk audits will also be completed at each of these schools to ensure all school sites in SMMUSD have a plan to improve conditions for children who walk, bike, skate, to school. This project seeks to further facilitate change in behavior among school children and their parents to increase walking and biking to school, an objective of the City’s Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE), Bike Action Plan (BAP), and Pedestrian Action Plan. While momentum of the program has sustained over the years, additional resources are needed to focus on the schools not included in the pilot, have evaluation data for 100% of SMMUSD schools, and to establish institutional responsibilities. This will further raise awareness of the benefits of active transportation to school and continue building support to solidify SRTS stakeholder partnerships. The Project is intended to enhance safety through education, training and 3 of 5 encouragement and does not involve the construction of infrastructure improvements. Bicycle and street safety training will be provided to schoolchildren, at the previously mentioned five targeted schools and other community events. All planned activities coincide with the parameters of Caltrans’ Active Transportation Program funding. Vendor/Consultant Selection On September 19, 2016, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Safe Routes to School Program Encouragement and Education. The RFP was posted on the City's on-line bidding site, and notices were advertised in accordance with City Charter and Municipal Code provisions. 308 vendors were notified, 20 vendors downloaded the RFP. 3 firms responded. (Alta Planning + Design, Nelson Nygaard, and Walk ‘N Rollers). Responses to the RFP were reviewed by a selection panel of staff from Mobility and Community Cultural Affairs. Evaluation was based on the following selection criteria: experience, stakeholder engagement/outreach strategy, ability to meet work plan/timelines, quality control, cost of services/cost control, references, and creativity/flexibility. Based on the criteria, Alta Planning + Design, Inc. is the best qualified firm. Alta Planning + Design offers over 20 years of experience as a firm leading Safe Routes to School Projects. They were the lead consultant for Southern California based Safe Routes to School projects such as: Los Angeles, Pasadena, Pico Rivera, Santa Clarita and dozens of other educational and encouragement program efforts targeted at elementary school students. Particularly this firm’s familiarity with Santa Monica, experience of a consolidated project team, and thorough/ refined nature of proposal makes Alta the apparent choice. Next Steps Following execution of the agreement with Alta Planning + Design, Inc. the consultant will prepare a plan of action and schedule for implementing educational and 4 of 5 encouragement activities for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years. Financial Impacts and Budget Actions The contract to be awarded to Alta Planning + Design, Inc. is for an amount not to exceed $450,000. Funds are available in the FY 2016-17 budget in the Planning and Community Development Department. The contract will be charged to account 20267.570410. Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval. Prepared By: Cory Keen, Transportation Management Specialist Approved Forwarded to Council Attachments: A. Grant-funded School-based Bike and Ped Training B. Modification to cont. Implementation to SRTS program C. Recommendation for 0.5 FTE Coordinator and On-going Support funds D. Alta Proposal Santa Monica SRTS Program E. Acceptance of Caltrans ATP Grant 5 of 5 PROPOSAL FOR THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA: SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM EXPANSION October 7, 2016 PREPARED BY: Alta Planning + Design IN ASSOCIATION WITH: Santa Monica Spoke This page intentionally blank transportation | recreation | innovation TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter of Transmittal . 1 Qualifications . 5 Key Personnel . 21 References . 35 Project Work Plan . 39 Cost Proposal . [separately sealed] Appendix: Additional Forms . 57 Successful “Walk to School Day” for the City of Los Angeles . Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper manufactured with wind power. This page intentionally blank transportation | recreation | innovation LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 617 W . 7th Street, Suite 505 Los Angeles, CA 90017 (213) 489-7443 www .altaplanning .com October 7, 2016 Cory Keen, Safe Routes to School Coordinator City of Santa Monica, Mobility