Alaris Center commission backs staff pick for scoreboard consultant, urges attorney review of contract language

The Alaris Center Commission voted to recommend that city council approve staff’s selection of Anthony James Partners (AJP) to develop design documents and support procurement for a new Alaris Center scoreboard.

Christian Danielson, the city engineer leading the project, told commissioners the city received four RFQ responses, invited three firms for interviews and that AJP emerged as the top-ranked candidate after combined scoring by a selection committee. “Arthur James Partners or AJP was our top ranked firm,” Danielson said, noting he negotiated a scope and fee that appears in the meeting packet.

The recommended agreement is about $160,000 and covers project development, design, preparation of a vendor-neutral bid package and construction-administration support. Danielson said the contract includes two not-to-exceed allowances — a $50,000 structural/electrical engineering allowance and a $10,000 travel allowance — inserted because the firm had not yet completed a survey of the existing Alaris Center infrastructure. “They estimated on the conservative end that 50,000 is probably the most that they could ever see using on a project like this for structure or electrical engineering,” he said, adding travel funds are only to be expended as needed so the national firm can put “boots on the ground.”

Commissioners pressed staff on several contract and schedule points. One commissioner asked about Section 11, which the commissioner said appeared to grant ownership of deliverables to the consultant. Danielson said the city has not finished its review and that the intent is for city‑paid deliverables (contract documents, specifications, material listings) to become city property. He said that language and liability provisions will be reviewed and finalized by the city attorney. “That master agreement will typically have all the liability pieces that our city attorney is looking for,” Danielson said, adding that the attorney will “scrutinize that section pretty closely because he does a very good job in making sure that the city is protected.”

Danielson also outlined an expected schedule if AJP is approved: a 3–5 week design window after onboarding, a 90% design package by late July, a bid advertisement in August with award in September or early October, and installation beginning later in the fall with completion likely in the spring so the scoreboard would be available for next football season.

Ken Veen moved that the commission concur with staff’s recommendation; the motion was seconded and, after discussion and the city‑attorney caveat on final review, carried on the voice vote. The commission asked staff to continue providing regular capital-project updates and to bring design milestones back for review as appropriate.

The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to city council for final approval at its upcoming meeting.