02-28-2022 HOPKINS PARK BOARD AGENDA
Monday, February 28, 2022
6:30 pm
THIS AGENDA IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
UNTIL THE START OF THE PARK BOARD MEETING
The public may attend this meeting via zoom.
I. CALL TO ORDER
II. ADOPT AGENDA
III. COMMUNITY COMMENT
1. At this time, any interested resident may come to speak on an item not on the evening’s
agenda.
IV. CONSENT AGENDA
1. Minutes of the January 24, 2021, Park Board Meeting
V. GENERAL BUSINESS
1. Vote on Chair and Vice Chair Assignments
2. Review 2022 Annual Calendar
VI. GENERAL PARK UPDATE
1. Hopkins Academy
2. RFP Interviews + Questions
VII. PARK AREA ASSIGNMENT REPORTS
1. Emma Figgins (Chair): Buffer Park, Central Park
2. Megan Slindee (Vice Chair): Harley Hopkins Park, Maetzold Field
3. Anna Pohmer: Hilltop Park, Burns Park
4. Dre Jefferson: Cottageville Park, Park Valley Park
5. Emily Waitz: Minnehaha Creek Preserve, Valley Park
6. Matthew Miller: Oakes Park, Hiawatha Oaks Preserve
7. Kimberly Stiele: Elmo Park, Downtown Park
8. Annika Burman & Misheel Battur: Shady Oak Beach, Interlachen Park
VIII. ADJOURN
1. March 28, 2022 – at Hopkins City Hall, 1010 1st St S.
HOPKINS PARK BOARD
REGULAR MEETING PROCEEDINGS
JANUARY 25, 2022
CALL TO ORDER
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof a regular meeting of the Hopkins Park Bo ard was
held on Tuesday, January 25 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom and in the Council Chambers at City
Hall, 1010 1st Street South.
Vice-Chair Emma Figgins called the meeting to order with Commissioners Jefferson,
Miller, Stiele, Pohmer, Waitz and Slindee. Staff present included Management Analyst
Imihy.
ADOPT AGENDA
Motion by Waitz. Second by Miller.
Motion to Adopt the Agenda.
Ayes: All.
Nays: None. Motion carried.
CONSENT AGENDA
Motion by Miller. Second by Waitz.
Motion to Approve the Consent Agenda.
1. Minutes of the December 13, 2021 Park Board
Ayes: All.
Nays: None. Motion carried.
No public comment.
GENERAL BUSINESS
V.1. Review of Adopted 2022 Park Board Work Plan and Calendar
Management Analyst Imihy let the board know the work plan was approved by City
Council at their December meeting after Vice Chair Slindee presented it to them. Imihy
informed the board that the plan may change and it is approximate. Imihy also answered
questions from board members.
V.2. Review of Draft RFP for Master Parks System Plan and Implementation Plan
Imihy explained there was a request for proposals for services for the City of Ho pkins
parks system master plan. It was explained that the idea is the board will receive similar
plans from consultants and be able to score them adequately and evenly. Imihy explained
there were also members of the Public Works and Planning departments that contributed
and that the Economic Development Authority will be paying for a portion of the plan as
well.
HOPKINS PARK BOARD
REGULAR MEETING PROCEEDINGS
JANUARY 25, 2022
The board discussed the purpose statement. Member Miller had submitted comments
regarding access to nearby municipal park systems and how they influence Hopkins
parks. Chair Figgins also noted in the fifth bullet point race was not mentioned and it was
decided that it would be added in the demographic portion.
Pages 2-4 of the plan explain what type of community Hopkins is. Imihy answered
questions from board members and members commented on some of the statements
regarding high priority populations for community engagement involvement. The board
continued to discuss community engagement and sports groups place in that plan.
Member Waitz wanted to clarify that the section is trying to say that the board wants their
plan to ensure it addresses groups that are unlikely park users and to be aware of issues.
Imihy will clarify on the document. They also discussed adding a bullet point for people
who are not in walking distance to the parks.
Pages 4-7 of the plan are the scope of services and tasks. Imihy briefly explained this
portion of the plan to the group and noted that it wa s the largest part of the plan. The
board discussed implementation and the role of the park board within said
implementation. The board discussed community engagement opportunities and the
number of them. The board decided they would separate the recreation and capital
expenditures to help see the difference with finances. Imihy proposed an overall timeline
to the board and a timeline for recommending a consultant. The board will interview 2-4
consultants. Member Miller noted that zoning will be putting on community engagement
events at the same time this spring and Imihy suggested the park board combine with
them to reach more residents. The board continued to discuss community engagement
and a consultant’s role in it. Imihy explained the process after a firm is chosen to the
board. Imihy suggested a special meeting in March or April for consultant interviews and
to choose a firm after members expressed concerns about doing both in one meeting.
Imihy provided a timeline to the board of a special meeting the week of March 14. March
28 they would make a recommendation to the city council unless they decide on a
consultant at March 14 meeting.
Imihy explained to the board that pages 9-12 of the plan are submittal requirements.
Pages 13-14 of the plan are evaluation criteria. She also recommended to the board to
first grade the firms without budgets. Members discussed the scoring system/rubric for
consultants and Imihy told the board that some City staff will also review and attend
interviews. The board will leave the rubric as a point scale and also have the ability for
the full range of points.
APPROVAL OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Motion by Figgins. Second by Miller.
Motion to Approve Request for Proposals.
Ayes: All.
HOPKINS PARK BOARD
REGULAR MEETING PROCEEDINGS
JANUARY 25, 2022
Nays: None. Motion carried.
V.3. Prepare and Discuss Annual Meeting + Chair/Vice Chair Assignments
The annual meeting is in February and the board will vote on chair and vice chair positions
at that time instead of voting in July when new members onboard. Positions are voted on
annually. Imihy gave the board a rundown of what the positions entail and the members
in the positions currently described what their tasks are. Member Steile expressed interest
in the vice chair position and other members also expressed support for vice chair Sl indee
to step in to the chair role.
GENERAL PARK UPDATE
Warming House Hours
Imihy reported to the board that the City of Minnetonka has cut warming house hours
during the weekdays due to a lack of staffing and a lack of skaters during those hours.
Central Park and the Pavilion are open during the day if residents need a place to skate.
Shady Oak Beach is also going to begin hiring for summer. Vice chair Slindee commented
she would like to see the beach open longer during the summer and Imihy will pass that
along to Minnetonka.
PARK AREA ASSIGNMENT REPORTS
Imihy asked the board members to note the last time they visited their parks and
something they observed there. This agenda topic can be revisited next meeting to see if
the board would like to keep the reports on the agenda.
The park assignments are as follows:
Emma Figgins: Buffer, Central: NTR (nothing to report)
Meg Slindee: Harley Hopkins, Maetzold Field: Maetzold Field turns in to a toddler sledding
hill on the side of 12th Ave and it’s a popular spot for small kids to sled.
Anna Pohmer: NTR
Dre Jefferson: Cottageville, Park Valley: NTR
Emily Waitz: At Valley Park there was no one there for the first time and the bathrooms
in the warming house were barricaded with garbage cans.
Matthew Miller: Oakes, Hiawatha Oakes Preserve: NTR but wanted to give a compliment
to the parks department for closing the speediest slide at Burnes Park as it was very fast.
Suggested that these park updates are submitted before the meeting so members can
see them, but not take up any time during the meetings.
Kimberly Stiele: Elmo, Downtown: Some the parks are more used at different times of the
year so maybe this is a seasonal question/agenda topic.
Annika Burman: Interlachen, Shady Oak Beach: N/A
Misheel Battur: Interlachen, Shady Oak Beach: N/A
ADJOURNMENT
HOPKINS PARK BOARD
REGULAR MEETING PROCEEDINGS
JANUARY 25, 2022
There being no further business to come before the Park Board and upon a motion by
Emily Waitz, second by Anna Pohmer the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 8:30
p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lizzie Miller, Administrative Assistant
ATTEST:
_______________________________
Emma Figgins, Park Board Chair
PARK BOARD ANNUAL CALENDAR – 2/23/2022
January Begin RFP Review and Development
February Annual Meeting
March Review RFP Submittals
Select Consultant Team
April Consider tactics to advance relationships relating to the park board and
identify documents will be helpful for future park boards
May Begin research on Park Board role in sustainability
Continue conversation regarding relationships to the park board and
documents for transition of park boards
June
New
members
observe
Continue conversation on Park Board role in sustainability
Partner Presentations
July
New
members
join
Continue conversation on Park Board role in sustainability
Partner Presentations
August Work plan prep
September Formalize recommendation regarding sustainability & the Park Board
October Work plan draft for council finalized
6-month MPP Check-in
November Review feedback from Council
December Finalize work plan for next year
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City of Hopkins Park System Master Plan RFP Questions and Responses
2/17/2022
Q: Page 10, Submittal Requirements: It is requested that we provide ten total copies of the proposal.
Should that be on 10 separate flash drives, or two total - one with nine copies of the technical
proposal on it and one with the technical and cost proposal on it?
A: We would like 10 separate flash drives with the technical proposal, and one flash drive with both the
proposal and the budget.
Q: Page 11, Work Examples and References: We’re allowed to show 3-5 representative projects. Does
that include projects from our subconsultants as well? Or would you like to see 3-5 projects from each
firm on the team.
A: Please show 3-5 projects total, including any subcontractors.
Q: Page 13, Cost Proposal and Approach to Budget: Does the city have a budget, or budget range
identified for this project that we should aim for?
A: We have identified a maximum of $150,000 but I anticipate our board being most comfortable with
spending around $100,000.
Q: Page 2, Addendum #1: We see that 30% of the budget should be going to a firm that is certified by
the State of Minnesota (MNUCP) – Can the prime consultant count toward that goal?
A: If the primary consultant is a DBE, then yes you can be counted towards that goal.
Q: Will the project have a dedicated website? If so, will the city be hosting and managing the site, or
will this be the responsibility of the consultant team? (Section: Scope of Services/Task, B. Community
Engagement pg. 6)
A: The City will not provide a dedicated website for the project, this responsibility will fall to the
consultant to design and assist in managing. If a site were created City staff can assist and monitor, but
the consultant should maintain responsibility of the site. The City will at a minimum create a dedicated
webpage, or series of webpages hosted on the City’s website.
Q: Could you speak further to the city’s role in community engagement outreach (i.e. email blasts,
social media, etc.)? (Section: Scope of Services/Task, B. Community Engagement pg. 6)
A: The City anticipates the consultant will lead engagement efforts, but City Staff will assist.
Communications staff will help with email blasts, social media, etc. and various members of
departments will be present at events. The project manager, PeggySue Imihy Bean, will be present at all
engagement events and can assist in design / planning, etc.
Q: Does the city have an online engagement platform – i.e. Bang the Table, ArcGIS for interactive
geographic mapping, etc.? (Section: Scope of Services/Task, B. Community Engagement pg. 6)
A: The City expects that the Consultant team would provide any online engagement tools needed for
this process.
Q: A key member of our team is in process of receiving her DBE certification. She would have a
significant role on our team. Would this meet the DBE requirement? (Addendum, Section: Equity, pg.
2)
A: No, the intent of this requirement is to have a DBE consultant or subconsultant benefit financially
from the City’s RFP. If this staff member is working as a subconsultant and would be paid at a higher rate
2
outside of her hourly wage and this can be documented, then we would consider this fulfilling the
requirement. But it would not be counted if the staff member was being paid her hourly wage through a
firm which is not a DBE.
Q: Can you provide further clarification on the composition and role of the city staff and project team
coordination? (Section: Scope of Services/Task, B. Community Engagement pg. 6)
A: The project will be led by the City’s liaison to the Park Board, PeggySue Imihy who will be the main
point of contact for project coordination. Many other staff will be involved regarding plan details such as
the City’s Community Development Director and the Public Works Director and members of their
department. This project is led by the Park Board but there will be collaboration between Public Works
and Park Maintenance as well as the Economic Development Authority.
Q: Is there a Community Steering Committee or Project Advisory Committee identified to serve as the
guiding entity/decision-making entity? (Section: Scope of Services)
A: The Park Board as well as staff from the above-mentioned departments will be the guiding entities,
and the City Council will be the final decision-making entity.
Q: Aside from the current partnership with the City of Minnetonka Recreation Service Area, what
other ‘nearby’ municipal systems do you anticipate this study would cover? (Sections: Background
and Community Engagement, pgs. 4 and 6, respectively)
A: Hopkins is four square miles, surrounded by Edina, Minnetonka, and St. Louis Park, as a small and
fully developed community we would expect that as new amenities are desired by the community, we
also consider both the feasibility of them being made available in Hopkins as well as if something is
available in an adjacent community (ex. a waterpark).
Q: What is the expectation level anticipated for recommendations? Does the planning effort
anticipate individual park recommendations based on the Phasing Plan and Budget requested?
(Sections: Purpose and Emerging Issues and Opportunities, pgs. 3-5)
A: We expect that a firm can offer initial ideas of what they might propose for recommendations based
on their initial understanding of Hopkins prior to selection. That said, it would be anticipated that the
final plan includes both some high level either master plans or 30% plans with general plans for key
parks as well as generic recommendations and standards for the system.
Q: Page 13, Cost Proposal and Approach to Budget, Can you please identify a budget range for the
project?
A: We have identified a maximum of $150,000 but I anticipate our board being most comfortable with
spending around $100,000.
Q: Page 14, Proposal Evaluation Criteria, “Project team has considered a way to compensate some
community members for time and expertise.” Are there any ethics or codes of conduct around
compensation (i.e., maximum value, extents, use of public funds for incentives, etc.)
A: The City does not have a policy regarding codes of conduct around compensation. This is not
considered an incentive.
Q: Page 14, Proposal Evaluation Criteria, “Project team has considered a way to compensate some
community members for time and expertise.” Please elaborate on the definition of “some community
members”? Have the members been identified, is there a quantity?
3
A: “Some communities members” refers to the high-priority community members on page 5 of the RFP.
The term “some” indicates that we do not intend to pay all residents who participate in engagement.
Q: Page 14, Proposal Evaluation Criteria, “Project team or subcontractors are certified as a DBE with
the State of Minnesota and are budgeted for at least 50% of the work plan.” Does this mean that it is
the desire to have the prime consultant as a certified DBE?
A: An addendum to this project was issued 1/31/2022 which reduces this percentage to 30%.
Q: We're interested in finding a firm to partner with to submit to your Park System Master Plan RFP.
Would it be possible to get a plan holder list or a list of firms that submitted questions, along with
contact information?
A: The following consultants have submitted questions:
• Confluence
• Ayres Associates
• Damon Farber
• Asakura Robinson
• WSB
Q: Would the City consider a consultant who is pursuing a DBE requirement through the state of
Minnesota but has not been fully approved as fulfilling this requirement?
A: Yes, the intent of this criterion is to have a disadvantaged business benefit from the City’s RFP.
Q: Would the City consider a consultant whose business is woman or minority-owned, but is not DBE
certified as fulfilling the equity scoring criteria?
A: Yes, if the firm meets the qualifications as defined by the Minnesota Unified Certification Program.
https://mnucp.org/Apply-for-Certification.aspx If the firm is not certified, please provide documentation
detailing how they meet this criterion.