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HomeMy WebLinkAbout[10b] RFP Facilitation ServicesMEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM SUBMITTED BY: August 7, 2014 Administrator Reports b) Update on RFP Administration Council Agenda Item 10 b BOARD /COMMISSION /COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION: The Council requested staff prepare and distribute a request for proposals for facilitation services. The service would help engage the residents in the facility planning. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The request for proposal was published on the LMC and City Website and emailed to those firms requesting copy. The proposals are due on August 6, 2014. BUDGET /FISCAL IMPACT: ATTACHMENTS: Request for Council Action RFP for Facilitation Services REQUESTED COUNCIL ACTION: Discussion on how to proceed This page intentionally left elan CITY OF ST.JOSEPH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL CITIZEN PARTICIPATION AND FACILITATION SERVICES CITY OF ST. JOSEPH The City of St. Joseph is in the planning stages for the potential reprogramming and renovation of the existing City Office /Police facility. Additional planning may include planning for a community center facility which may be a topic during the planning process but will not be the focus. To help gauge /solicit community input, the City of St. Joseph is inviting proposals to provide citizen participation and facilitation services to solicit potential stakeholder and community input on the facility needs for the City to include a government center and possibly a community center. Proposals should include the following: 1. Project Approach: Describe in detail your approach and final deliverable in developing citizen participation. Describe your compensation and fee structure for services. 2. Relevant Project Experience: Provide information, including contact person's name and telephone number, about prior citizen participation planning and facilitation services rendered by your firm on at least two (2) prior municipal projects. Submit a previous work example or draft outline of your citizen participation process. Project Team Summary: Identify the key members of your firm who will be working on the project and their qualifications and relevant experience The City Council will interview firms submitting a proposal and select the firm that they feel will provide the best overall benefit to the City. Applicants must submit eight (8) copies of their proposal no later than 1:00 PM August 6, 2014. Proposals should be mailed /delivered to: City of St. Joseph Attn: Judy Weyrens, Administrator 25 College Avenue North PO Box 668 St. Joseph MN 56374 The City of St. Joseph reserves the right to waive any irregularities in any proposal and to select the proposal evaluated to be most advantageous to the City of St. Joseph. Further the City of St. Joseph reserves the right to disqualify any proposal or to reject all proposals if it is deemed to be in its best interest. The City of St. Joseph shall not be liable for any expenses incurred by the proposer including but not limited to expenses associated with the preparation of the proposals. The City of St. Joseph reserves the right to reject any and all proposals or to request additional information from all proposers. This page intentionally left elan wort-ml CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS August 6, 2014 Proposal for Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services City of St. Joseph Mr. Rick Schultz, Mayor Ms. Judy Weyrens, City Administrator 25 College Avenue North P.O. Box 668 St. Joseph, MN 56374 Dear Mr. Schultz and Ms. Weyrens, Bus 320.251.0262 Fax 320.251.5749 www.ramorton.com Thank you for the opportunity to introduce our team and submit our proposal for facility planning. R.A. Morton is an agency construction management that specializes in facility planning. We have a clear understanding of the scope of service requested by the City for this project. We have recently completed many projects that are very similar to your needs We sincerely look forward to the opportunity to provide The City of St. Joseph with the service and quality that you expect. Thank you for your consideration and the opportunity to present our TEAM qualifications. The following pages include an Executive Summary of why R.A. Morton would be a great fit for this project. Please feel free to contact me with any questions concerning our proposal, experience or fee structure. Sincerely, �/�-k Preston Euerle President/CEO R.A. Morton & Associates, Inc. IL MILJ ra EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - PROJECT APPROACH City of St. Joseph Government Center — Community Stakeholder Process R.A. Morton operates under the Agency Construction Management delivery method with full transparency and without any conflict of interest. Our scope of services is catered specifically to meet your needs and objectives. Our process and approach is specifically created to promote the successful execution of capital projects as the owner's representative. Few cities maintain the staff resources necessary to pay close, continuing attention to every detail - -yet these details can "make or break" a project. The use of our services to oversee the planning, design and construction process is recognized in both the public and private sectors as the most effective and efficient means of achieving successful delivery of a building project while yielding the greatest possible benefit for the owner. Our community stakeholder planning and construction management experiences tell us successful community construction projects have these common elements: Customer Service, Communication and Community Focus. The project team that keeps these elements in focus will be successful. Selecting the appropriate team for your facility planning will be the most important thing the City will do. Every project is unique. Acknowledging this is a key to our success and getting every project "Right from the Start" is our primary focus. Our qualifications are very strong and simply stated: 1. OWNER'S ADVOCATE RELATIONSHIP Our TEAM understands how to provide quality customer service. We know the success of each project is realized by building strong TEAM relationships among the stakeholders including City staff, City Council and Community members. Our customer service is focused on what is in the best interest of the City. We will ensure that your needs are met by eliminating any conflict of interest with the construction trades, approaching the project as if it is our own. The people you meet will be the people working on your project, all with a high level of integrity. 2. IDENTIFYING OPTIONS DURING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION Our quality personnel assigned to this project have a clear understanding of the construction process, including new construction, additions, remodeling and phasing of projects. Our strong TEAM is very good at determining and communicating material and pricing options that meet the objectives and budget, ensuring your project is "Right from the Start ". 2 3. OPEN BOOK AND FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY We provide direct and honest communication without fail. Direct honesty is the single most important factor in building relationships with all of the stakeholders of this project. 4. EXPERIENCE AS AGENCY CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS We strongly believe that Quality of Service outweighs quantity of projects. Our Planning and Agency Construction Management experience has led to extremely positive references. Our "Right from the Start" process and early involvement in projects has enabled us to clearly identify the project objectives and work closely with our customers and teams of consultants. 5. SAVING MONEY THROUGH A COMPETITIVE BID PROCESS This is an important community based project. Our aggressive and comprehensive bid rp ocess enables all qualified local contractors and suppliers (including the area general contractors) the opportunity to bid and be part of this project at their true cost, not a marked up bid. A local opportunity for contractors is not only good community stewardship, but also returns better bid results. Because we are thorough, fair and aggressive, we receive the most competitive bids in the marketplace. R.A. Morton markets to local community contractors better than any other firm. The actual results of past projects have proven that the project cost savings generated by our bid process are greater than the fixed fee of our construction management services. 6. MORE THAN JUST A PROJECT Our focus is to create long-term relationships. We are excited to serve the City of St. Joseph by providing a high degree of quality and value through our efforts. Our success will be graded by your willingness to recommend us for future projects or to other clients. This is evident by the willingness of past customers to refer us for other projects. We have a solid understanding of quality design and function while providing a healthy checks and balance approach. We are very good at listening, understanding and meeting the needs of all project stakeholders and have found that our clients have a great appreciation for our abilities to work with your staff and community representatives ... a TEAM. Our experiences and customer references are substantial. We encourage you to contact any of our references to inquire about the quality of our services and success while working with their organizations. Through our unique process of Customer Service, Communication and Community Focus the expectation of building the best possible facility within a stated budget becomes a reality. 3 Proposal Background The City of St. Joseph is in the planning stages for the potential reprogramming and renovation of the existing facility to house the city's Administration and Police department. Additional planning may include planning for a community center facility which may be a topic during the planning process but will not be the focus. City Participants Input from the Administration, Police Chief, Council and other City stakeholders are necessary for a successful process. Summary of services for the St. Joseph Community Stakeholder planning process are as follows: 1. Meet with Administration and Police department heads to review their space programing needs. 2. Conduct up to three community listening sessions to establish community perceptions of the City's public services. 3. Conduct up to four community task force meetings to establish potential options for consideration. 4. Establish concept option budgets. 5. Review with the department heads to confirm the option programming and adjacencies of spaces. 6. Prepare a recommendation to the City Council. Proposed compensation = $5,500 This amount would be credited back to the City if R.A. Morton is retained for construction management services for any project resulting from the study. R.A. MORTON CLIENT REFERENCES — RELEVANT PROJECT EXPERIENCE: Sauk Rapids Government Center - Mr. Ross Olson, City Administrator (320) 258 -5300 Rolson @ci.sauk- rapids.mn.us St. Cloud Police Headquarters - Ms. Susan Stawarski, Assistant Police Chief (320) 650 -3802 Susan .Stawarski@ci.stcloud.mn.us Lake City Marina - Mr. Robert Keehn, City Planning Director (651) 345 -6806 RKeehn @ci.lake - city.mn.us St. Cloud Fire Stations #2 & 5 - Mr. William Mund, Fire Chief (320) 650 -3517 BILL.MUND @ci.stcloud.mn.us Avon Township Hall & Maintenance Facility - Mr. Richard Bresnehan, Township Supervisor (320) 363 -2930 rbresnahan @csbsju.edu N Citizen Participation Process Outline 1. INTRODUCTION MEETING TO COUNCIL a. Introduction of RA Morton Staff b. Overview listening session process C. Overview of Community Stakeholder process and schedule d. Overview establishment process for Task Force 2. RA MORTON PREPARATION a. Internal review of current support documentation (Studies, Surveys, etc.) b. Tour of City Facilities C. Listening Session Preparation 3. CONDUCT LISTENING SESSIONS a. Introduction of attendees b. Review Community Stakeholder planning process C. Review previous programs, planning studies and facilities assessment d. Obtain views of the City e. Obtain thoughts of previous options f. Obtain thoughts of what needs to be done g. Obtain thoughts of what will be supported h. Identify suggestions on how to keep the City residents informed i. Identify potential task force members j. Recap results 4. RA MORTON TO DRAFT A REPORT TO THE CITY LISTENING SESSION CONCLUSIONS 5. TASK FORCE MEETING NUMBER ONE a. Introductions b. Define Process C. Establish meeting dates d. Role /Responsibility of Task Force and members e. Overview of Listening Sessions f. Review previous options and information g. Review Existing Facilities and /or schedule tour of facilities h. Establish project criteria /objectives L Prioritize criteria /objective j. Develop concept schemes 6. TASK FORCE MEETING NUMBER TWO a. Review Task Force Meeting Number One b. Review what Task Force Members are hearing through discussion with friends, family, neighbors, etc. C. Review the criteria /objectives d. Review the concept schemes e. Compare concept schemes to criteria /objectives f. Establish homework for the next meeting 5 7. TASK FORCE MEETING NUMBER THREE a. Review Task Force Meeting Number Two b. Review what Task Force Members are hearing through discussion with friends, family, neighbors, etc. C. Review preliminary costs for concept schemes d. Establish preliminary tax impact e. Open discussion of concept schemes f. Compare concept schemes to criteria /objectives g. Narrow concept schemes to two for further definition 8. TASK FORCE MEETING NUMBER FOUR a. Review Task Force Meeting Number Three b. Review what Task Force Members are hearing through discussion with friends, family, neighbors, etc. C. Present updated concept schemes d. Present update of cost estimates of concept schemes e. Establish Pros / Cons of each concept scheme f. Compare concept schemes to criteria /objectives g. Task Force confirmation of final scheme h. Recommendation to City 9. TASK FORCE MEETING NUMBER FIVE a. Open date held for optional meeting if needed 10. RECOMMENDATION SUBMITTED TO CITY COUNCIL INCLUSIVE OF: a. Listing of objectives /criteria b. Concept Plan C. Concept Estimate d. Proposed Timeline 11. INFORMATIONAL MAILING 12. COMMUNITY INFORMATION MEETINGS 13. INFORMATION POSTED ON CITY WEB SITE 14. TASK FORCE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 0 PROJECT TEAM SUMMARY: PRESTON EUERLE President /CEO /Facilitator About Preston: Preston grew up on a farm in Litchfield, MN. He is a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN with a BA in Administrative Management and Education. Preston and his wife, Linda, reside in St. Cloud with their 3 children. He has been actively involved with St. Cloud area youth Baseball and Basketball programs as an in -house program and travel team coach and is also involved in the St. Cloud Area Chamber, Central Minnesota - - Youth for Christ, St. Cloud Economic Development Board and Miracle League. Experience /Project Responsibility: Preston had 14 years of management at Herberger's Department stores and became the Vice President of Merchandising prior to joining R.A. Morton in 2000. He has been the Principal -In- Charge for all projects since 2001. He facilitates the pre- referendum process and oversees the pre- construction planning and the construction phases. Upon completion of project, Preston will lead the post- construction warranty work. Relevant Experience: Sauk Rapids Government Center St. Cloud Police Headquarters St. Cloud Fire Stations #2 & 5 Lake City Marina Evansville Public Schools Fergus Falls Public Schools Sibley East Public Schools ROCORI Public Schools Alexandria Public Schools Goodhue Public Schools Hawley Public Schools Verndale Public Schools *Partial listing of projects, detail project list available upon request* STEVE PLANTENBERG Senior Project Manager /Facilitator About Steve: Steve is a graduate of St. Cloud State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Arts. Steve and his wife, Laura, reside in Avon. Steve is actively involved with regional planning is his community. Experience /Project Responsibility: Steve had 22 years in the construction planning environment as a Corporate Planner for G.R. Herberger's Inc. and Project Manager for b years at an established general contractor prior to joining R.A. Morton in 2005. His primary focus was post- secondary education projects Steve is able to combine years of planning, facilitation and estimating skills to assist the client in making an informed decision when it comes to pre- referendum strategy. He is an integral team member. Steve will provide estimates and quality control from concept to completion. His experience has given him the understanding of construction projects along with the need to address and solve challenges throughout the process. Relevant Experience: Sauk Rapids Government Center ROCORI Public Schools, Cold Spring Avon Township Hall & Maintenance Facility Fergus Falls Ice Arena, Fergus Falls Fergus Falls Public Schools, Fergus Falls (Multiple Projects) Upsala Public Schools, Upsala* Detroit Lakes Public Schools, Pre - referendum planning *Project Experience with Previous Firm* *Partial listing of projects, detail project list available upon request* n Participation ana ❑r_ilitation Sp-rvirp-r, r�A YY SB & ,,,,.,,� engineering- planning- environmental- construction August 6, 2014 Ms. Judy Weyrens Administrator City of St. Joseph 25 College Avenue North PO Box 668 St. Joseph, MN 56374 RE: Proposal for Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services Dear Judy and Members of the Selection Committee: 701 Xenia Avenue South Suite 300 Minneapolis, MN 55416 Tel 763 - 541 -4800 Fax 763 - 541 -1700 Research shows that the perception of open government is tied to higher levels of community satisfaction. However, working with local citizens and stakeholders to build consensus around key public decisions can be challenging work, especially when there are competing interests, a lack of information, and hardened positions. Our team's qualifications and experiences offers the City of St. Joseph a balance of professional neutral facilitation experience, planning background, and municipal engagement expertise that is second to none. We propose a robust, collaborative citizen engagement approach to moving your facilities projects forward faster. The City of St. Joseph has already shown a history of project development work without compromising its citizens' input. The City has also shown an eagerness to receive feedback through your facilities and community center committees. As leaders of the community, you are now poised to start a structured process that establishes community interests, visions of success, needs, and collaborative strategies to move forward the right facilities projects in partnership with citizens. Take advantage of an opportunity to enhance public trust through collaborating with citizens. We appreciate the opportunity to propose our services for this important matter. We encourage you to contact the references we provided to hear firsthand how we apply our expertise. Please contact me if you would like any additional information. Sincerely, WSB & Associates, Inc. P411r Facilitator Client Liaison Equal Opportunity Employer wsbeng.com — owCITY OF � '- M ' INNESOTA Proposol to Provide Professionot Services for the: City Office /Police Facility and Community Center Facility Citizen Participation and Facilitation &1h August 6, 2014 Table of Contents Project Understanding .................... 1 Project Approach ........................... 2 Qualifications and Relevant Experience .................... � ,�nne BUSINESS LEADERSHIP COUNCIL August 6, 2014 Table of Contents Project Understanding .................... 1 Project Approach ........................... 2 Qualifications and Relevant Experience .................... 11 Examples of Past Facilitation Work (with References) ................ 13 Project Team .............................. 14 Why WSB? .. ............................... 16 Conflict of Interest ...................... 17 Appendix: Work Example Contact: 701 Xenia Avenue South, Suite 300 Phi/ Barnes �^� Minneapolis, MN 55416 (763) 270 -3461 J Tel: (763) 541.4800 - Fax: 17631541 -1700 pbarnes @wsbeng.com wsbeng.com & Associades, Inc. A WS Proposal to Provide the Lebanon Hills Regional Park Master Plan Citizen Panel Facilitation F 1 4 4 e"i' For approximately two years, the City of St. Joseph has been in the process of planning and discussing future City facility needs. A "Facilities Committee" has been working with an architect and construction contractor on options to remodel or rebuild the existing City Hall building. Additionally, a five - member citizen -based "Community Center Committee" has been appointed by the Council to research a stand -alone Community Center that could be used for active recreation of various types, special events, and other community activities. A series of public meetings and Council discussions have occurred regarding these City facilities, which would potentially be funded through the City's pro -rata share of a regional half -cent local option sales tax and state capital investment bond funds. Throughout these discussions, there have been varying opinions regarding specific facility needs, priorities and a common long -term City facility vision. Some of the specific discussion points that have evolved as part of these discussions include, but are not limited to: Remodeling /repairing the existing City Hall or tearing down and rebuilding on the existing site Building a "community room" at City Hall or building a stand -alone "community center" Using School District and /or College of St. Benedict facilities to address some needs City financial capabilities to address facility needs and other City infrastructure needs Short -term current needs approach versus long- term /growth- oriented approach Specific needs of City Administration, Police Department, Council, and residents Extensive work has been done by the Facilities Committee, which includes two Council representatives. An architectural firm has developed 23 variations of a Government Center /City Hall, including remodeling the current building, relocating, and constructing a new building on the existing site. These plans were presented to the public at a Special Session of the St. Joseph City Council on March 27, 2014. Based on input received at this meeting, the City decided to delay going out for bids on the preferred building design, which included demolishing the existing City Hall and rebuilding on site, including a community room. At the May 15, 2014 City Council meeting, a citizen petition of 997 residents was presented requesting that the existing City Hall building be kept. After some discussion, a Council motion was approved at this meeting to not proceed with plans to rebuild a new City Hall /Government Center on the existing site, and to instead, explore a different option that better meets the needs of City residents. At a June 24, 2014 meeting of the St. Joseph City Council, a Council motion was passed to solicit Request for Proposals (RFPs) for citizen participation and professional facilitation services for the City Hall/ Government Center building and the Community Center building. Project Understanding / 1 A WS Proposal to Provide the Lebanon Hills Regional Park Master Plan Citizen Panel Facilitation Research shows that the perception of open government is tied to higher levels of community satisfaction. However, working with local citizens and stakeholders to build consensus around key investment decisions can be challenging work, especially when there are competing interests, a lack of information, and hardened positions on what is the right decision. Despite the challenges associated with engaging citizens in key municipal decisions, structured discussions can result in a richer outcome and more buy -in for the final plan. 1 r � The issues that typically stall public projects include: Confusion about local benefits, impacts, and costs Not defining and engaging relevant citizens groups and stakeholders Perceived illegitimacy of the project Ideological issues Traditional approaches of engaging relevant citizens and stakeholder groups can exacerbate the problem. Governments regularly complete a large number of open house meetings that attract few citizens, until the community feels they will be directly impacted by construction, plans, assessments, or policy. By this time, citizens and stakeholders do not feel empowered and traditionally become competitive. Stakeholders and citizens then often come to the table with firmly entrenched positions and little information. At this point, ignoring public interests is short - sighted and ultimately results in unsatisfied constituents. Decisions that are perceived by the public as "legitimate" are more easily arrived at when citizens' interests are taken into account. If citizens do not feel that their input is influencing the decision, governments only risk more controversy and unproductive conflict. However, controversy and conflict surrounding a public decision can create an opportunity. They create a leadership opportunity for the city officials and safe forum for citizens to partner with their government. Through structured discussions, WSB's service can enhance the ability of St. Joseph's stakeholders and citizens to be heard, understand different perspectives, and increase the chances of a mutually beneficial solution for St. Joseph's facility needs. Parties who disagree may come to understand why others hold the position they do, and greatly help the journey toward common ground from which solutions are more easily attained. WSB's process goes beyond informing, consulting, and even engaging St. Joseph's citizens and stakeholders. Our process focuses on structuring collaboration. WSB will create a safe forum for citizens, stakeholders, and government officials to partner together in each aspect of the decision, including the development of alternatives for facility solutions, and the identification of a recommendation for a preferred solution. Project Approach / 2 A WSBProposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph Inform Consult Engage Collaborate Empower Provide citizen and Obtain citizen Work directly with Partner with citizens Place final decision - stakeholders with and stakeholder citizens and stakeholders and stakeholders in making authority in balanced and objective feedback throughout the each aspect of the the hands of citizens information to assist on analysis, process to ensure that decision, including and stakeholders. them in understanding alternatives, andlor stakeholder concerns the development of the problem, alternatives, decisions. and aspirations are alternatives and the opportunities, andlor consistently understood identification of the solutions. and considered. preferred solution. WSB's approach to citizen engagement emphasizes sharing power, information, and a mutual respect between government and citizens. A seasoned, objective, neutral professional facilitator will encourage the community to collaborate to build solutions for St. Joseph's facility challenges. If facilitators are very well informed about an issue, it is likely that they may have well- entrenched opinions, which may make it harder for them to remain scrupulously impartial. A facilitator's ability to provide impartial guidance is one key to the success of citizen engagement efforts, as citizens and stakeholders who feel their opinions are not heard will not respect the outcomes of the event. On the other hand, knowledge can prove helpful in keeping the conversations on track. An alternative is to find a seasoned facilitator who is less well- versed in the subject matter to which information can be provided, understood, and transmitted to citizens in a neutral fashion. WSB has the skills, knowledge, and abilities to be that alternative. To resolve issues, and move decisions forward, WSB's proven process will: Separate people from the problem Focus on interests, not positions Use objective criteria and standards Frame questions around the possibilities about the future What happens if St. Joseph chooses to use WSB's collaboration service, and open up difficult facility decisions to citizens and stakeholders? First, the process will make the decision more transparent and collaborative. Citizens and stakeholders will feel empowered and engaged, and more likely to be satisfied with the City's decision- making operations. The process will create more public trust and confidence in St. Joseph's government that will lead to more trust in decisions and actions. If citizens feel that they are part of a decision making process, they will likely participate, while creating more civility for the community. Despite the challenges in engaging citizens and stakeholders in key decisions, the results will create a richer outcome with more buy -in. Choose collaboration, and not the traditional approach. Project Approach / 3 A WSBProposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph + :.. Step 1: Introduction to Collaboration with r � � St. Joseph (Meeting 1) WSB is excited to whet the appetite for citizen engagement for those new to 4 +'.■r citizen collaboration strategies, and to deepen the understanding about how WSB will proceed to close the gap between government and citizens. This will --- include presenting an overview to City staff and Council members. At this short meeting, WSB would like to engage in a high -level stakeholder analysis with City staff to ensure that the appropriate citizens and stakeholders are invited to the process. WSB's measure of success is to have a diversity of perspectives represented and all interests are accounted for in the decision - making process. We want to avoid surprises and want people at the meeting who care about the overall facilities objective or will be directly affected by decisions. In the end, WSB's strategy is to bring the right people to the table to address the facilities decisions at hand. This will occur by establishing a task force, while integrating broader community interests into the discussion. WSB will also request information and data that will support future discussions. This could include previous studies and surveys. We will also request information on what broadly defined options are most likely plausible to consider moving forward. Step 2: Explain the Decision Process to Citizens (Meeting 2) WSB will get citizens excited immediately with a two -hour evening meeting with citizens and stakeholders. The citizens of St. Joseph need to understand the overall process and how they are a part of community decision making. WSB's facilitator will provide an overview of the process to look at options for the facilities decision. In this step, citizens will develop a complete understanding of the problem - solving process. Citizens and stakeholders should also perceive the process as fair and equitable to all participants. In this step, we want to address all process interests to build confidence that the overall process will be handled in a fair and objective way with predictable steps. WSB will also hand -out a "Collaboration Workbook" for citizens and stakeholder to follow along and take notes on the process. At this meeting, the facilitator and other participants to fully understand the series of steps in the process, and how we will through a series of meetings: Develop task force membership Develop ground rules Develop vision statement Identify and prioritize risks to the vision Collaboratively develop strategies to support mutual interests and manage risk Develop final decision or plan Project Approach / 4 A WSSProposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph Step 3: Develop Ground Rules with Citizens (Meeting 2) At our first public meeting, WSB wants to ensure that a safe environment for participants to discuss their hopes, dreams, and concerns about the facilities decision is available to them. During a ground rules exercise, the facilitator may suggest that a ground rule be created to respect each other's time. Some other questions may include: What kind of behavior is counterproductive to an effective partnership? What kind of behavior is counterproductive to an effective partnership? What kind of behavior is conducive to an effective partnership? For example, do effective partners respect each other's time? After a list is developed of potential ground rules, your facilitator will ask the community to be enabled to enforce ground rules that ensure a safe environment for discussion. Citizens, stakeholders, and City officials' level of comfort in participating is a key criterion for success. The process will progress much more smoothly, with better outcomes, if we enforce behavior that is conducive to effective partnering and collaboration. "One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say. " — Bryant H. McGill Step 4: Background Information Presentation (Meeting 2) Our next agenda item for our first public meeting includes a presentation to familiarize the group with the facilities topic to be discussed. Your facilitator may ask for an expert on the history of the facilities discussion. While listening to the background information being presented, we will ask citizens and stakeholders to consider what additional information might be helpful. The facilitator will list information needs, and citizens will gain familiarity with the history of the topic, understanding the context of how things have been done in the past. We complete this step because the best way to forecast the future is to understand the past. In future taskforce meetings, the facilitator will ask taskforce members to forecast risks. Historical information will help participants develop a mutual understanding about what is likely. "We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it will be the past; and we must respect the past, remembering that it was once all that was humanly possible. " — George Santayana Project Approach / 5 A WS Proposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph Step 5: Document Citizens' Interests (Meeting 2) The last agenda item for the first public meeting will be to begin developing a mutual understanding of one another's interests and ideal hopes for the future. After the meeting, information from participants will be used to develop an agreed -upon vision statement that captures most interests for future facilities. Citizens will receive an index card to anonymously write down their interests and hopes. After the exercise, the facilitator will anonymously share ideas with the community. We complete this step to develop a register of interests that will be transformed into a final version of a vision statement. The final vision statement will create a baseline understanding for working together to develop solutions. The vision statement will also ensure solutions are advantageous to broader objectives. Before adjourning the meeting, we will ask for citizens to volunteer to be part of the taskforce. To become part of the task force, a citizen must commit to four additional meetings. All future meetings will continue to be open to the public. However, task force members will be involved in the bulk of the discussions. Non -task force citizens will be given time at the end of each task force meeting to comment and ask questions. Task force space will be limited, and participants may need to be screened to ensure a balanced team. It is expected that City officials actively participate. Step 6: Finalize Vision Statement (Meeting 3) The WSB team will synthesize citizens' comments into a draft vision statement. At the first task force meeting, the first task will be to amend the vision statement until it is finalized. The vision statement serves a unique purpose for that community. Each vision statement is different, and St. Joseph's will be focused on the facilities challenges. Vision statements can be diverse. For example, in Mahtomedi, the taskforce developed a final vision that reads: "The capital planning decision was successful because it created healthy, happy residents and avoided financial hardship within the Briarwood community. The capital plan enhanced the neighborhood's beautiful character through sustaining smooth roads, transportation safety, and reasonable housing density, while protecting environmental treasures. " In the City of Monticello, the community's regional vision statement has a different unique purpose and reads: "The regional transportation system is appropriately expanded with the necessary resources and operated effectively to create timely mobility for workers and emergency response, while saving and enhancing lives through reducing crashes, eliminating rail conflicts, and encouraging more broad economic growth and better connected communities within the regional coalition. " "Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. " —Warren Bennis Project Approach / 6 A WS Proposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph Mutual Interests: Vision of Success Alternative A Afternative B A {ternat {ve C PW Profile A Profile B Profile C MAW C Step 7: Develop Major Options (Meeting 3) The next step for the task force is to develop major options to consider moving forward. These options will then be used as assumptions to assess risk. The goal is to define two or three major options that will be used in assessing risks when moving forward. For example, an option could be to build a new community center, while another could be to not build any new facility. Depending on the process recommended, this step may not be needed. In some situations, this step is necessary because it allows participants to compare different types of decisions. At times, participants may have hardened positions regarding how to move forward. There is realistically an infinite number of options, and ultimately options can easily become overly detailed. The goal of using options will be to focus on the best broad direction. A few options or "scenarios" will help us facilitate discussions, and likely may not be the end result. The facilitator will point out that the next step in the discussion will explore more detailed risks within each option. These risk discussions will be used to develop a more detailed option through developing more specific strategies surrounding agreed upon high risks. In developing major options, the task force will be encouraged to avoid developing hardened positions. Most task force members will likely learn something through this process that may change an opinion. The facilitator will encourage taskforce members to keep an open mind, and suggest that the end result of the process may be a blended decision or a new option that participants develop by understanding new information. Step 8: Identify Risks (Meeting 3) Next, the task force will be asked to their imagination in a safe environment to document concerns, issues, and risks to begin to identify and organize concerns about the future of St. Joseph's facilities. Risks will be used to support decisions about our major options, and later will ensure that we are effectively managing to reach our vision of success. The facilitator will document ideas as "risks" in a "risk register" and ensure innovative ideas do not lead to unproductive or tangent discussions. The goal is to have the group utilize diversity of perspectives to ensure we have captured known risks to our agreed -upon vision of success. We do this step to encourage diversity of perspectives. The risks identified are what we prioritize later in the process and will serve as problems for us to address collaboratively as a task force. "What is now proved was once only imagined. " —William Blake Project Approach / 7 A WSBProposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph Step 9a: Assess Impacts of Identified Risks (Meeting 4 and 5) Next, the St. Joseph task force will be asked by the expert risk -based facilitator to envision risks occurring and gauge the negative impact those risks would have on our vision of success. Task force members will assume that the risk occurs in the future and discuss how large of a barrier would it be to reaching St. Joseph's community vision. We complete this step because risk has two variables: impact and probability. It's the product of probability and impact that helps us prioritize risks to the St. Joseph's vision statement. AWV Participants should now begin to separate problems from people. This will not focus discussions on what Person A or Person B thinks, but rather on the risk. This takes focus away from personal relationships, positions, and interpersonal conflicts and turns the focus toward risks to a mutually defined vision Risk statement. Step 9b: Forecast Probability (Meeting 4 and 5) Next, taskforce members will be asked to use objective data, experts, and information to forecast how likely it is that the risk event will occur. The task force will utilize historical data and professional experts to help forecast more effectively. This discussion will lead participants to arrive at an agreed -upon probability rating for each risk statement. The facilitator will provide a custom scale that reflects this assessment. We may also assume a broad or high -level option has been moved forward. The best way to predict risk events is to use five main tools. These tools can be coordinated by the facilitator, but will not be provided. 1 . Interview the technical experts 2. Find trends in data 3. Investigate potential risk triggers 4. Ensure diversity of perspectives 5. Objective criteria and standards Project Approach / 8 A WSSProposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph Step 10a: Collaborative Strategies (Meeting 6) The focus of this meeting will be on the largest risks to reaching our vision of success within the reasonable broad options. This will help us avoid spending time on low priorities or misaligning valuable resources. The task force develops strategies for each high or moderate risk in the risk register in order to focus our efforts and strategy on the highest risk to our vision of success. The more risk we are able to manage, the more likely the group will be to reach our vision and choose an option. If the strategy manages the risk to an acceptable level, at an affordable cost, the taskforce will be encouraged to move the strategy forward. For each risk, the task force will consider the key risk response actions for a threat. These include: 1 . Avoid: Pick a different option. 2. Transfer: Enter a contract for someone else to be responsible. 3. Mitigate or Manage: Develop a cost - effective strategy. 4. Accept: Not all risks can be avoided or eliminated. However, nothing would get done if everyone attempted to avoid every risk. Ultimately, everything we do has risk. Risk acceptance or risk - taking is essential in all decision making. Step 10b: Strategy Effectiveness (Meeting 6) Some strategies are more effective than others. Individuals may have developed strategies that are not effective. Having the task force agree upon an effectiveness level can be critical to moving forward with a decision about St. Joseph facilities. After developing each strategy for major risks, the task force will gauge how much risk a strategy manages. Some risks are more expensive than others, and costs can factor into the discussion if they appear unreasonable. To make a final decision, a more sophisticated cost estimate may be required and completed by the appropriate technical expert. The task force may also want to identify who is responsible and accountable for implementation of strategies. But when it comes to fiscally constrained decisions, the goal is to demonstrate smart financial stewardship and moving forward cost - effective strategies. Below is an example of a tool to use to gauge strategy effectiveness. 95% After implementation, risk has virtually no likelihood andlor impact. 75% After implementation, the risk level is generally low. 50% After implementation, the risk level is cut in half (50 %). Risk level could be tolerable or intolerable. 25% After implementation, the strategy is somewhat unproductive. Risk may still be intolerable for the group. 5% After implementation, risk level is virtually unchanged. Risk level is close to the same and is likely still intolerable. Project Approach / 9 A WSBProposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph "Ladies and gentlemen, we have run out of money. Now we must think. " —Winston Churchill Step 11: WSB Develops a Findings Report and Encourages Decision After all task force meetings, WSB staff will further develop transparency and agreement on a way to move forward that is acceptable. This will include the documentation and recognition of the work of all participants. Through this documentation, participants should understand why a decision was moving forward and accept the logic and reasoning behind the decision. Consensus is a goal. However, the facilitator may present process findings that did not result in a full consensus. These findings will be presented to organizational leadership an city council as a non - partisan reporter. Ultimately, the City Council will make the final decision. We do this step to communicate the hard work that is put into this process and to reveal findings that may sway, influence, or finalize decisions. The final report or presentation may suggest an option or reveal new information for final decision makers. Quote For Professional Facilitation Services The total cost of our proposed services to facilitate the below meetings, including preparation, summary notes, and associated exhibits is $5,530 flat fee. This does not include extensive information gathering, producing expert opinions or presentations. However, WSB will support the coordination of experts, relevant information for the taskforce, and provide no perception of conflict of interest. Phil Barnes, Project Manager, Professional Facilitator 25 hours X $138.00 = $3,3450 12 hours: meeting time 8 hours: recommendation report 5 hours: project management Kelsey Johnson, Planner, Co- Facilitator 15 hours X $98.00 = $1,470 12 hours: meeting time 5 hours: information and data gathering Scott Mareck, Planner, Project Liaison 3 hours X $138.00 = $414 3 hours: meeting time Project Approach / 10 A WSBProposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph WSB has facilitated countless citizen groups on planning projects. Specifically related to collaborating with citizens and stakeholders on a contentious decision, WSB team members led the community engagement efforts for the Mahtomedi Capital Improvement Plan. This collaboration effort included bringing together a diverse citizens taskforce to look at options for improving community infrastructure. The team conducted a series of presentations and workshops that developed a vision for the community, created options for assessment, and assessed risks to options for public facilities. Currently, our community engagement team is also helping the City of Monticello collaborate on a regional transportation plan with the City's neighboring jurisdictions. Citizens are attending meetings and the process has included reaching out to different government jurisdictions and the general public to gain a broad perspective on the needs for the regional transportation system. While working for MnDOT, our team has shown a proven ability to facilitate the development, organizational structure, and implementation framework for a sensitive Transportation Civil Rights citizen and stakeholder group. The Civil Rights Group is a collaborative group whose will is to create, develop, and retain a diverse representation in Minnesota's transportation industry. Abe Hassan accepting a national L� award for program administration excellence as a result of the Civil Rights Group efforts described at left. Their mission is to have the workforce within the industry reflect the demographics of the state. Through Phil Barnes' work, the group continues to be committed to delivering transformational and sustainable change to diversity challenges. Our team members have also worked with a citizen group to develop the Minnesota Partnership for Safe Mobility. This organization is now part of Minnesota's Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) initiative. This process involved facilitating a vision, organization, and action plan to improve mobility for the aging community. Qualifications and Relevant Experience / 11 A WS Proposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph r M aluou�u P��VI 7 ouNO FOU�oMFNT po = FUTUFa MN�+a. oaa oonoNOion TNF rtFV. AN asba =r��ti�� rcu.;icnxv w'+ In our work with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, there were many competing interests and opinions about the future of the playground in Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. Many thought it should embody African American history, some wanted it to symbolize unity, and others wanted to see a more general theme for the playground. Through a productive process, members of our team worked with neighborhood organizations, a steering committee, and several focus groups to find a balance in the playground design. Another example of finding common was our work negotiating an agreement between the State of Minnesota and the City of Bemidji. The State was interested in changing the jurisdictional responsibilities of MN -152. The City of Bemidji was not interested in taking over ownership. Ownership required financially supporting the operations and maintenance activities of the road. Through this process, the group of stakeholders were able to focus on issues this will cause public, rather than their positions. This concluded with the State being best capable of serving the public's roadway operations and maintenance needs for MN -152. 11V`�� •! d � MiV �� � Nip raary, ��nvU4q� " "ro4� r Qualifications and Relevant Experience / 12 A WSBProposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph Briarwood Citizens Engagement Task Force Scott Neilson City Administrator City of Mahtomedi 600 Stillwater Road Mahtomedi, MN 55155 (651) 426 -3344 sneilson @ci.mahtomedi.mn.us Regional Transportation Task Fo rce Jeff O'Neill City Administrator City of Monticello 505 Walnut Street, Suite 1 Monticello, MN 55362 (763) 271 -3215 jeff.oneill @ci.monticello.mn.us Transportation Industry Civil Rights Group Tim Worke Transportation Division Director Associated General Contractors of Minnesota (651) 796 -2185 Abe Hassan Former DBE /Workforce Development Director Minnesota Department of Transportation (651) 233 -7666 abduh 1 @juno.com Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Playground Redevelopment Project Jennifer B. Ringold Director of Strategic Planning Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis, MN 55411 Phone: (612) 230 -6464 Cell: (612) 516 -0727 Winona Project Plan, La Fayette Project Plan, Hastings Project Plan, Dresbach Project Plan, 494/169 — Performance Based Design Jean Wallace Assistant Division Director Minnesota Department of Transportation 395 John Ireland Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55155 (651) 366 -3181 Mileage -Based User Fee Implementation Plan Kenneth R. Buckeye, AICP Program Manager Minnesota Department of Transportation 395 John Ireland Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55155 kenneth.buckeye @state.mn.us (651) 366.3737 Examples of Past Facilitation Work with References / 13 A WS Proposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph Phil Barnes, Professional Neutral Facilitator Project Manager Phil is a facilitation expert with more than 10 years of experience in public sector eiAmanagement analysis and development. He has diverse experience as a neutral facilitator and has worked at both the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration as a Chief Risk Manager utilizing his skills as a neutral. Phil has worked on various public policy, strategic planning, community decisions, and project design decisions. He has facilitated more than 100 diverse planning and assessment meetings that generated various strategic plans, organizational development plans, and complex policy, project, and resource decisions. Phil has a proven ability to lead cross - functional teams and obtain buy - in from diverse constituents, while creating a positive collaborative team environment. He has strong communication and presentation skills, along with extensive experience in partnering with government and non - government stakeholders. Phil is exceptional at developing management agreements and has led to productive decision making for diverse groups at the national, state, and local level. For example, at MnDOT, Phil facilitated a series of stakeholder and citizen engagement meetings to develop the Disadvantaged Business and Workforce Development Organization. The collaborative group continues to be an organization that provides for the exchange of information, offer activities, shares resources, and enhances the capacity of members. The collaborative group's will is to create, develop, and retain a diverse representation of the demographics of the workforce and businesses in Minnesota's transportation industry. The group comprises a mix of stakeholders and citizens that attend. Their mission is to have the workforce within the Minnesota transportation industry reflect the demographics of the The group continues to be committed to delivering transformational and sustainable change to Minnesota's Civil Rights program that will benefit all stakeholders and citizens. The members won a national award for excellence in program administration for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Phil has regularly managed controversial topics and organized productive ways for dissenting opinions to be recognized and respected. He enjoys learning about others and serving communities through professional facilitation of steering committees, task force teams, focus groups, and stakeholder and citizen forums. It's what he does for a living. Project Team / 14 A WSBProposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph Kelsey Johnson, AICP, Community Engagement Community Engagement Expert and Co- Facilitator Kelsey is a certified land use planner with WSB and has a wide variety of experience both as a practicing staff planner and consulting staff planner. This experience allows her to ensure planning decisions can be practically applied, which is achieved by engaging stakeholders early in the process and working closely with the client. Kelsey has managed and participated in several community engagement processes and is highly skilled at working with local neighborhood organizations, business entities, city officials, and residents. Kelsey will partner with Phil to complete the facilitation process. Scott Mareck, AICP Project Liaison As a former staff member and Executive Director of the St. Cloud Area Planning Organization (APO), Scott has more than 22 years of experience working with the City of St. Joseph and other local governments in the St. Cloud region. During his tenure with the APO, Scott developed expertise in local government interjurisdictional coordination and public involvement for a variety of complex planning projects. Scott is well known for his ability to bring various diverse constituencies together to achieve the consensus necessary to implement planning visions. He is adept at communicating complex plans, projects and issues in simple terms to the general public. Scott also has extensive experience with legislative policy and state and federal grant processes related to community infrastructure and planning projects. Scott's role as project liaison will be to provide support at public meetings and act as a liaison to the Council and City staff to make sure that City needs and deliverables are fully addressed. Project Team / 15 A WSBProposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph WSB's Management Analysis and Development's entire business plan relies on our ability to be objective facilitators for complex projects and decisions. It's what we do for a living. WSB is excellent at setting a positive, optimistic tone while establishing ground rules to protect relationships and the structured communication process. We have developed an innovative process for St. Joseph to change the conversation and focus communications on stakeholder and citizen interest and away from fixed positions. Competitive position -based bargaining typically arises in times of controversy, and can be identified when solutions proposed by stakeholders are focused on individual interests without consideration of the needs of the other. Our process mitigates this scenario through focusing discussions around flexible interests and the future, while respecting the past and current plans. �_� kat.. _ _ _ ta If multiple stakeholders and citizens are not able to find joint solutions to complex decisions, building on compromise and accepting calculated risk may be the next step. Our team is exceptionally patient and careful and understands that, at times, it's acceptable to agree to disagree. If this occurs, we have the ability to pose a realistic question that the group can work on and capture issue tensions and diverse interests. As concerns are identified and prioritized, the process will ensures the community can begin to imagine solutions for overall joint gain for your facility needs. Why WSB? / 16 A WB Proposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph WSB does not perceive any conflicts with the City of St. Joseph or any other governmental unit we are working with at this time. The City of St. Joseph can be assured that we are working in your best interest at all times without question. Conflict of Interest / 17 A W` B Proposal to Provide Citizen Participation and Facilitation Services for the City of St. Joseph Work Example / 18