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Cedar-Isles Community Collaborators

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Cedar-Isles Community Collaborators Request for Proposals COMMUNITY COLLABORATOR SERVICES for the Cedar Lake-Lake of the Isles Regional Park Master Plan Project ROUND 1 Proposals Due: Round 1: DUE Friday April 16th, 2021, 5pm CST PROPOSAL OVERVIEW The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) seeks Community Collaborator services from businesses, institutions, nonprofits, and cultural organizations to design and implement an engagement project that will help MPRB build relationships within different communities in Minnesota and/or gathers community feedback to influence the Cedar Lake-Lake of the Isles Master Plan. Due to Covid-19 safety risks with in-person interactions, MPRB encourages applicants to think creatively about digital or socially distanced outdoor engagement opportunities. Any proposals that include in-person engagement are expected to follow current CDC safety guidelines. Applicants can work with MPRB staff to develop safety guidelines as needed. Examples of engagement could include but is not limited to: - Virtual coffee hour with community members - Story campaign with video interviews - Socially distanced outdoor open house - Online focus group or community conversation The Community Collaborator initiative is a paid opportunity for groups across the region to convene their own conversations about parks and recreation to inform the design and priorities of the Cedar Lake-Lake of the Isles area for the next 20-30 years. Proposals will be competitive, and those that are selected will receive funding to implement their idea. Learn more about the Cedar-Isles Master Plan project: www.minneapolisparks.org/cedar-isles. Funding will vary from $500-$3,000 according to the project idea and proposed budget. Proposal deadline is Friday, April 16th, 2021. Work can be completed between May and September 15th, 2021. WHAT IS THE CEDAR-ISLES MASTER PLAN? Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles are part of Minneapolis Chain of Lakes Regional Park, connecting to Bde Maka Ska and Dean Parkway on the southern border and Brownie Lake and Theodore Wirth Regional Park to the north. Visitors enjoy a multitude of year-round activities that include walking, biking, swimming, fishing, canoe/kayaking, cross-country skiing, and ice skating. The Regional Park as a whole sees more than 7 million annual visits. It is the most visited park site in the state. Master Plans play a critical role in advancing the park board’s mission. They: • Set a vision to guide long-term development and improvements to a park or group of parks, • Guide stewardship and ensure that park features and amenities reflect the needs of the communities they serve, • Help ensure long-term financial and ecological sustainability, • Involve extensive engagement with individual and group stakeholders, other community partners and governmental entities The completed master plan will direct policy and design implementation for the park land around both lakes for the next 20+ years. The regional parks are funded in large part by the State of Minnesota and the Metropolitan Council. They are considered 1 the state parks of the metropolitan region, and as such are meant to be enjoyed by everyone: people that live in the adjacent neighborhoods, people who live in Minneapolis and adjacent cities, and people visiting from outside of the region. COMMITMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY MPRB staff are committed to comprehensively incorporating racial equity into the Cedar-Isles master planning process. As a government entity, MPRB staff understands that we play a critical role in breaking down systems of oppression through every decision and project. Seeking out broad input is one of many strategies we will be incorporating into this master planning process in our commitment to design a park that is for everyone. WHOM WE HOPE TO ENGAGE WITH Projections tell us that communities of color, youth, and seniors will double in current demographic percentages by 2040 (Thrive MSP 2040), confirming how integral it is for MPRB to make sure there is broad representation at the table. According to the Met Councils’ 2016 Regional Parks Visitor Census Data, seniors and people of color are underrepresented among those who currently visit the regional park system. We seek proposals that help MPRB broaden whose voices are included within this master plan process to ensure the master plan creates a plan for the parks that helps all to feel welcome. Our engagement to date has successfully engaged with local residents and regional Cedar-Isles park users. MPRB hopes to receive proposals that help us connect with additional communities listed on page 6 and 7 of the Community Engagement Plan which includes: - Cultural communities and/or communities of color - Renters - Youth - Seniors/elders - People with disabilities - People who don’t currently visit Cedar Lake-Lake of the Isles Regional Park - People experiencing homelessness - Organizations and community groups from across the region SCOPE OF SERVICES MPRB is looking for ways to broaden community input and hear from communities that may not engage in typical MPRB meetings, events, and online platforms. Engaging communities that are often left out of master plan conversations is especially challenging for MPRB in light of Covid-19 and the inability to easily “meet audiences where they’re at” at events and conversations in-person. We are seeking proposals that identify creative, innovative ways to engage different communities through digital and/or socially distanced platforms. We hope proposals outline one or both of the following outcomes: Building Relationships – MPRB aims to build stronger relationships within different communities in the region to ensure we continually have a diversity of voices at the table during decision-making. Proposals may include relationship-building opportunities and dialogue between MPRB staff and community members to begin to build trust. MPRB hopes Community Collaborators will identify community members interested in staying connected with staff and influencing the Cedar-Isles Master Plan in some capacity throughout the process. Gathering Community Input – MPRB aims to bring a broad swath of voices to the table to inform decision-making. Proposals may include engagement with and feedback from specific audiences who are often underrepresented in our decision-making processes. Community Collaborators will share this feedback to MPRB staff to inform the Cedar-Isles Master Plan Questions MPRB is currently asking during MPRB-led community engagement - What do you currently value about the Cedar-Isles area? 2 - What is your vision for the future of the Cedar-Isles area? - What concerns do you have about this area? - What activities do you participate in? - What would encourage you to visit more often? - How do you normally access this area? - How often do you visit? - Is there anything that currently prevents you from accessing the area? If so, what? Community Collaborators may use these questions for their audience. We understand that some questions may not be applicable to some audiences, such as folks who haven’t visited the Cedar-Isles area before, and therefore MPRB welcomes proposals that tailor questions and engagement to best reflect the community they will be speaking with. MPRB is willing to work with Community Collaborator grantees to develop maps/visuals/talking points to help shape engagement as requested. To apply, please complete out the Community Collaborator Proposal on pages 5-6 of this RFP. Upon completion of the engagement project, Community Collaborators will be asked to share their findings and results through a Final Report with MPRB to inform the master plan process. FINAL REPORT OF ENGAGEMENT The Final Report of Engagement will be due to MPRB before payment can be issued for the service. The Final Report is required to include the following: 1. Summary of the proposed project idea 2. Overview of the final services provided 3. Information on who attended the event or engagement, along with total attendance numbers and any demographic information you can share 4. Documentation of the community input received through the engagement services provided 5. Photo/video documentation of the event or engagement SCHEDULE Application Release Date: Thursday, March 18th 2021 Optional Pre-Proposal Info Session #1 Thursday, March 25th, 2021 from 4:00-5:00pm Join via zoom: https://zoom.us/j/98585130429?pwd=VTdCb0dzWmtzVWxMUk1iVXlxam1FUT09 Join by phone: 1-312-626-6799, Enter Meeting ID: 985 8513 0429 Passcode: 674161 Optional Pre-Proposal Info Session #2 Tuesday, April 6th, 2021 from 5:00-6:00pm Join via zoom: https://zoom.us/j/94840566823?pwd=ZG5OcEZUdnQxRHBCV2hWSXVCckhjdz09 Join by phone: 1-312-626-6799, Enter Meeting ID: 948 4056 6823, Passcode: 949073 Proposal Due Date: Friday, April 16th, 2021at 5pm CST Notification of Selection Status: Week of May 3rd, 2021 Engagement Completed by: September 15th, 2021 Final Report Due by: October 15th, 2021 *Applicants are invited to submit to one or both of the funding rounds. We encourage applicants to consider submitting to both funding rounds to be able to engage communities at different points in the master plan project.* 3 APPLICATION SUBMISSION AND EVALUATION Due Date for Round 2: Friday April 16th, 2021 at 5pm CST Email proposals to: Emma Pachuta, MPRB // [email protected] or by mail: Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Attn: Emma Pachuta, Planning Division 2117 West River Rd N. Minneapolis, MN 55411 Mailed applications must be postmarked by Friday, April 16th, 2021. Applications will be reviewed and
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