The City is seeking to enter a professional services agreement with a qualified consultant team to perform the tasks and provide the deliverables presented herein as the Scope of Services. The responding consultant team shall prepare a scope of work that includes all of the tasks listed, as well as any additional steps, milestones, or deliverables identified to facilitate Phases 1A and 1B – the Community Readiness and Planning phases of the Project. Refer to page 9 of the Reconnecting Communities: Highway to Boulevards Program Guidelines for more information on expectations for these two Phases. Phase 1A: Community Readiness The Community Readiness phase includes establishing and initiating discussions with North Coast regional stakeholders and project partners to perform preliminary planning activities and coordinating continued efforts for community involvement. For the purposes of this pilot project, the North Coast Region is from the Oregon border in the north to San Francisco Bay to the south, and as far east as the Hoopa Valley. The outcomes and deliverables of the Community Readiness phase will include: 1. Prepare a Preliminary Project Plan of the projected future phases and components of the Reconnecting Arcata project, including: o Preliminary financial plan, o Work with community leaders to identify local and regional stakeholders/partners and their roles, and o Plan to address project goals. 2. Identification, collection and presentation of community voices and historic impact of bifurcating the city with Highways 101, 255, and 299. 3. Review prior community engagement activities by the City and community partners to address transportation connectivity. Phase 1B: Planning Activities and outcomes of the Planning phase will build on the Community Readiness phase to engage the community, evaluate opportunities and constraints of the project area, and develop a set of alternatives to address the project goals as they relate to regional transportation needs of the three highways. Specifically, consultants and the project team will aim to: 1. Prepare a Reconnecting Arcata Community Engagement Plan in tandem with the City and RC:H2B staff to engage local community and regional stakeholders to address the RC:H2B program goals identified in the Community Readiness Phase, including: a. Refine Project mission/vision statement b. Establish community partnerships and their roles c. Prepare a toolkit of the information gathered to be used for public outreach activities d. Prepare a Community Engagement Plan e. Implement the Community Engagement Plan. 2. Prepare an Existing Conditions/Opportunities and Constraints Technical Memo for each project area, related to improving transportation safety and connectivity and other community benefits, such as housing and public/community space. a. Research relevant policies, plans, as well as current or anticipated development and roadway improvements that may affect the s Project Areas. b. Assess the existing environmental, cultural, multi-modal, and economic conditions within the three Project Areas. 3. Develop a Conceptual Reconnecting Arcata Project Master Plan that includes the following: a. Identify criteria for improved multi-modal connectivity and alternatives to improve community connectedness b. Preliminary survey including right-of-way (ROW) assessment and base mapping c. Long-range economic analysis of the identified alternatives d. Identification of potential funding sources e. Scope, schedule and budget for Phases 2 & 3 - Project Approval and Environmental Document (PA&ED) phase, and Final Design phase The Master Plan should follow best practices and integrate with the City’s existing trails/walking and biking paths planning documents. 4. Assist the City with preparation and submission of grant applications for future phases of the project. 5. Prepare and present a “RC:H2B Reconnecting Arcata Project Report” that outlines the process and results of the Community Readiness and Planning Phases and makes recommendations for creative solutions and next steps for successful implementation of the Project.
