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Exeter committee selects KZLA to negotiate design and engineering for Fairpoint Park
Summary
The Fairpoint Park Stakeholders Advisory Committee chose Boston-based KZLA to negotiate scope and fee for design and engineering work; staff said a select board authorization could be sought in mid-July and a kickoff meeting set for late summer.
The Fairpoint Park Stakeholders Advisory Committee on July 7 said it will negotiate a scope and fee with Boston-based landscape architecture firm KZLA to produce design and construction documents for Fairpoint Park.
Committee chair Steve Jones said the panel received five proposals and interviewed all firms, concluding that KZLA “presented very strongly” and was the right choice. Jones said the panel was “faced with an embarrassment of riches” given the quality of the proposals and that the committee narrowed the field to KZLA after deliberation and follow-up questions to several firms.
Jen Martel, a newly introduced committee member who served on the interview panel, said KZLA’s presentation convinced the panel they had thought in advance about accessibility, pavement surfaces and tree protection. “They clearly thought about the park and the challenges that we were going to have moving forward,” Martel said.
Town staff summarized the procurement timeline: the RFQ was posted in late April, five proposals were received, interviews were held June 11, and on June 25 the interview panel decided to enter negotiations with KZLA. Staff said the firm submitted a proposed scope and contract language on July 2 and that the town is reviewing insurance and indemnification language before returning the contract to KZLA.
Staff said, if the contract is returned promptly by the firm, the committee could request a select board slot as early as the July 13 meeting to authorize the contract; if not, staff plans to seek authorization on July 20. A kickoff meeting with the design team is expected in August or September once the contract is authorized.
Martel outlined a multi-step design process the firm proposed: develop design-development documents that refine the concept, prepare construction documents that can be priced, and (if funded) move into construction administration. She flagged the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant process as the likely schedule constraint: LWCF requires a state site visit and a detailed application and, staff said, state review is not expected before May 2027.
Next steps for the committee include finalizing the negotiated scope and returning the contract to the town for legal and insurance review, scheduling a select board authorization, and holding a kickoff meeting to establish deliverable dates and collaboration points between the committee and the design team.
