Subcommittee backs CMGC procurement path for North Mirror Pond parking and event space

A Bend subcommittee on Aug. 12 voted to forward to the full council a recommendation to use a Construction Manager/General Contractor (CMGC) alternative delivery method for the North Mirror Pond parking-and-event-space project.

Joe Wells, the city’s facility architect, told the committee the CMGC approach will let a contractor join the design process early, helping the city ‘‘design to budget’’ and avoid developing features it cannot afford. ‘‘So we are here today to discuss the potential of approving an alternative contracting methodology,’’ Wells said during the presentation.

Staff said the plan is for the committee to ask the full council on Sept. 2 to approve a design amendment for Walker Macy and to authorize initiating the CMGC RFP process. Under staff’s schedule, the project team would complete about a 30% design set by January and submit for a conditional-use permit required to host events on the lot.

The committee also reviewed the project budget: staff said construction is currently estimated at $3.4 million, with contingency, permitting and soft costs bringing the total project budget to $5 million. Wells said the team had scaled back features from an earlier $4.2 million construction concept to fit the $5 million total.

Committee member Mike Riley moved the recommendation and it passed in committee after a short vote. The recommendation now goes to the full council for action on the design amendment and the procurement-exemption request.

Next steps: staff said they will pursue targeted public engagement with downtown businesses and Republic Services between September and January and return with more detailed scope and procurement documents before final contracting.