CRA seeks parks master plan; commissioners direct staff to negotiate with top-ranked firm

The Lake Clarke Shores Community Redevelopment Agency on Sept. 9 heard presentations from three consultant teams competing for the master-plan contract for Memorial Park, Pine Tree Park and North Park.

Kotler & Herring (with REG Architects), Kimley-Horn, and SRS/Siskovich each presented study approaches that emphasized waterfront activation, pedestrian and multimodal connections across Forest Hill Boulevard, shade and sustainability, and community-engagement plans including surveys and pop-up outreach. "Our project team will be led by myself and my team of professionals, including landscape architects, pedestrian networks, pathways, and roadways, and, of course, the community engagement portion of this as well," Nicole Plunkett of Kotler & Herring said during her presentation. Kimley-Horn highlighted grant-writing capacity and permitting experience for waterfront elements; SRS emphasized consensus-building and a nine-step project approach.

Commissioners completed evaluation forms and after commissioners tallied their rankings they voted to direct staff to negotiate a contract with the top-ranked firm (motion text as recorded directed staff to negotiate with the firm identified in the vote). The CRA also addressed a separate procurement item: the community-park lighting project received two sealed bids well over budget; staff recommended rejecting those bids, waiving the sealed-bid requirement for this procurement threshold, and obtaining three written quotes to secure a contract not to exceed $80,000 so the lighting can be installed before daylight-saving time changes. The CRA approved that direction by voice vote.

No final contract was signed on Sept. 9; commissioners asked staff to return with negotiated terms and a final contract for formal approval.