Council approves RFQ process for parks master plan covering Pastime Park and former Ranco site

The Chair opened a council work session saying the meeting would focus on the parks master plan RFQ for Pastime Park and the site formerly known as Ranco. Staff described the RFQ as a qualifications-based request for designer/engineering services that will produce conceptual site plans, cost estimates and community engagement milestones. "It's a master plan for a Pastime Park and the new park to enhance our recreational assets and support the strategic growth of these parks and the community as a whole," the Staff member said.

Staff said Pastime Park is about 43 acres with disc golf, volleyball, basketball, pickleball, walking trails, a baseball field, a youth building, shower houses and a campground; certain facilities (the aquatic center, youth building and Kaiser Field) are expected to remain in place while other elements could be relocated or expanded. On the former Ranco site, staff flagged environmental remediation needs — there are asphalt and concrete pads and "8 more water wells that can't be removed quite yet" — and said the RFQ seeks firms experienced with remediation and site-survey standards. The RFQ timeline: open in January (electronic submissions via Bid Express), close in February, interviews in February, and a council selection in March, with community engagement beginning in April.

Council members discussed guardrails to give the consultant direction (for example, prioritizing athletic fields at TBD Park and specifying that some facilities should remain) and recommended that council participate in the evaluation or shortlisting. The Staff member said the process will score qualifications, past performance and proposal quality and that the fee will be negotiated after selection. The council asked staff to return with nomination options for a time-limited advisory committee to help guide selection and later community engagement.