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City moves forward with architect bid for 165 Miller Street planning grant, outreach planned
Summary
Staff described a $250,000 planning grant and posted architect bid for 165 Miller Street; bids are due July 30 with a recommended selection by August 11 and DECD approval required before contracting. Staff outlined a two-week outreach blitz (Aug. 4–15) and a five-question survey aiming for 300 responses.
City staff told the committee the city posted a bid package on July 9 for architects to complete planning work under a $250,000 planning grant for 165 Miller Street, covering 60% construction drawings for the first and second floors and site work. Bids for the planning contract are due July 30 and staff expects to recommend a firm by August 11, after a qualifications review and interviews.
Brian Daniels, the city manager, said the selection and the recommended firm must be sent to the state for DECD review and approval before a final contract is executed. The planning work must produce 60% design drawings by roughly November 30–December 1 so the city can apply for construction funding through DECD/CIF by the early-December deadline; Daniels said the state typically announces awards the following spring through the bonding process.
Leah (staff) described a public-outreach plan tied to the grant: a short five-question survey (professionally translated to Spanish), QR codes for events, targeted distribution at service locations and community events, and a goal of 300 responses during a two-week outreach window (Aug. 4–15). She said paper surveys will be entered into SurveyMonkey and returned as a consolidated report to match the grant application.
Committee members asked whether selecting an architect before outreach is complete would limit public input. Staff responded that architects are bidding on the schedule and technical requirements and that outreach findings will be shared with the selected architect and the review committee during the late-August–December design phase.
Dan Zabrowski, speaking during public comment, suggested posting the survey to the city website to help reach the 300-response goal and urged outreach to state representatives to keep them engaged on funding over the next several years.
Ending: The committee did not make a contract award at the meeting. Staff will forward the recommended firm to DECD for approval, continue the outreach plan, and report back with updated survey results and the state’s response on any construction grant application.
