Memorandum
City of Lawrence
City Manager’s Office
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DATE: |
1/22/2009 |
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TO: |
David L. Corliss, City Manager |
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FROM: |
Casey Toomay, Budget Manager / Interim Transit Administrator |
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CC: |
Cynthia Boecker, Assistant City Manager Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager Jonathan Douglass, Assistant to the City Manager |
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RE: |
Agenda item – Authorize City Manager to Enter Into Agreement to Provide Route and Schedule Design for Coordinated Transit Services |
Please place the following item on the agenda for consideration by the City Commission at their meeting on January 27, 2009.
Authorize City Manager to enter into an agreement with Olsson Associates for Route and Schedule Design for Coordinated Transportation Services in Lawrence.
Background.
The City and University have been working toward more coordinated public transit services. In mid-December, a joint Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued for route and schedule design for coordinated transit services in Lawrence.
The RFP asked firms for recommendations for route and schedule changes in two parts. Part 1 recommendations will be for improvements that are easily identifiable and able to be implemented by August of 2009. However, because students make living decisions for the fall beginning in mid-March, Part 1 recommendations are to be provided by the firm by March 1, 2009. This timeframe, while extremely narrow, will also allow the City to be responsive to Lawrence voters’ support of public transit and make some immediate progress toward coordination. Part 2 recommendations will be more comprehensive in their scope and will be provided by the firm by January 15, 2010.
Project Status
Proposals from five firms were received in early January. The joint KU / City Transit Planning Team scored the firms on their written proposals using a number of criteria including their project understanding, project approach, the experience and qualifications of their team, related project experience, and ability to successfully complete the proposed project.
Based on the scores, the team selected four firms to interview. Each firm was asked to present a project they had worked on that they felt was most similar to the proposed City / KU project. The firms were also asked a series of questions. The team scored the firms on their presentation and their responses to the questions.
The scores were tallied and two firms were selected as finalists. After additional discussion, the team ranked the finalists and agreed to recommend using Olsson Associates / Bourne Transit.
The team felt that Olsson Associates, located in Overland Park, had the best understanding of the proposed project. They were also very familiar with previous studies and provided very specific examples of recommendations they would make for immediate coordination. Their presentation demonstrated a good understanding of the issues facing the City and University and their project approach seemed the most likely to succeed. The team seemed uniquely qualified due to their experience with coordination of city and university systems, specifically the City of Ames, Iowa and Iowa State University. One of the members of the team also attended KU, had extensive experience riding both the City and University bus systems, attended the two open house meetings the planning team held in December, and had followed the City’s sales tax campaign very closely. One team member had also successfully worked with the University on previous transit and parking related issues.
The University Provost has given authorization to proceed with this project; however, authorization from the City Commission is needed. Provided an agreement can be reached, a kick-off meeting is scheduled for January 30 for the KU / City Transit Planning Team and the team from Olsson Associates / Bourne Transit.
Project Funding.
The cost proposal submitted by Olsson Associates was for a total of $91,879.
The Lawrence Douglas County MPO has $20,000 of funds for this project in their 2009 UPWP. These funds do not require a local match.
In addition, the City and University have secured a commitment from KDOT for up to $120,000 for this project. These funds will require a twenty percent local match. The City and University have agreed to split the local match equally.
As shown below, the local match needed will be $14,376. The City will be responsible for fifty percent of that match, or $7,188. Funding for the City’s share will come from the Public Transportation Fund and cannot be reimbursed with federal or state dollars.
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MPO funds available |
$20,000 |
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KDOT funds |
$57,504 |
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Local match |
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50% City |
$7,188 |
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50% KU |
$7,188 |
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TOTAL RESOURCES |
$91,880 |
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Cost Proposal from Olsson |
$91,879 |
Action Requested.
Staff requests the City Commission authorize the City Manager to enter into an agreement with Olsson Associates for route and schedule design for coordinated transit services in Lawrence.