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RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AN AGREEMENT WITH RDG PLANNING & DESIGN, INC FOR PLANNING AND DESIGN SERVICES FOR AN ATHLETIC VENUES REINVESTMENT INITIATIVE ACTION PLAN IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $383,500.
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CITY PROPOSAL:
RESOLVED, that the proper city officials are hereby authorized to execute an agreement, substantially in the form of Exhibit A, with RDG Planning & Design, Inc. for planning and design services associated with the Athletic Venues Reinvestment Initiative Action Plan for an amount not to exceed $383,500, payable from fund 452-030-5310-HANDHTAX-1531 (tourism and recreational projects; Finance; contract services; half and half tax projects; AVRI planning for phases II and III).
Statement of Purpose
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: This resolution authorizes an agreement with RDG Planning & Design, Inc. (RDG) for an amount not to exceed $383,500 for planning and design services for the Athletic Venues Reinvestment Initiative (AVRI) Action Plan. The Action Plan will serve as a comprehensive guide for planned public/private investment in the City of Duluth’s primary outdoor sports tourism venues and one or two new or renewed indoor athletic venues. The plan process will commence in June 2024 and is anticipated to be completed in April 2025.
Funding is provided by the Duluth Athletic Venue Reinvestment Initiative, a planned $36-million City investment in parks-based athletic venues intended to support sports tourism and improve quality of life. City funding for the Initiative is sourced from one-half-of-one-percent increments in the City’s food-beverage and lodging taxes authorized by the City Council and the State of Minnesota Legislature for this purpose. City Council Resolution 23-0748R preliminarily allocated $400,000 from the from these taxes to develop the AVRI Action Plan.
RDG’s proposal and draft contract are attached as exhibits.
RDG is an interdisciplinary firm offering professional services in comprehensive planning and design, architecture, landscape architecture, and engineering, complete with a Sports Studio team that specializes in indoor and outdoor athletic venue development with extensive project experience in cold-weather climates.
RDG’s services will include:
1. Sports tourism-focused market analysis
2. Existing venue condition analysis
3. Analysis of community athletic venue needs and gaps
4. Site selection analysis for new indoor facility location(s)
5. Economic impact analysis for new indoor venue(s)
6. Comprehensive venue investment recommendations
7. Recommendations on public-private project financing and operating models for existing and new sports tourism athletic venues.
8. Site-specific capital investment recommendations
9. Conceptual architectural designs for primary outdoor venues and the new indoor venue(s)
In support of these services, RDG will facilitate extensive community engagement, including community surveys, focused user group meetings, open houses, and public presentations.
RDG will perform their work related to indoor facilities in close consultation with the Indoor Athletics Venues Taskforce, and RDG will conduct an assessment of specific opportunities for co-investment in the new indoor venue(s) from higher education, local government partners, the public school system, philanthropic giving, and private investors.
Purchasing issued a Request for Proposals on February 27, 2024, and three proposals were received by the March 22, 2024 due date. A team of City staff and one member of the Indoor Athletics Venues Taskforce reviewed and scored the proposals, and conducted interviews with all three firms. RDG received the highest ranking and is recommended for award. The scores were as follows:
Company Score
RDG Planning & Design, Inc. 80.46
Ayres Associates, Inc. 75.45
Sports Facilities Companies, LLC 74.40