SR-6-J (72)
30/-00'2- - 6-J
CDD:CNS:PC:BS:JR:EC:sl:srkidsct OCl 8 '99'
council Meeting: 10/8/91 Santa Monica, California
TO: The Mayor and the city council
FROM: city Staff
SUBJECT: Recommendation to Authorize the city Manager to
Designate the site and Negotiate and Execute a Contract
for Architectural and Engineering Services to Design the
Kids city Youth Leadership Center
INTRODUCTION
This report recommends that City Council authorize the City
Manager to designate the ground floor frontage of Parking
Structure 2 (on 2nd street between Arizona and Wilshire) as the
site for the Kids City Youth Leadership Center. The report also
recommends that the City Council authorize the Ci ty Manager to
negotiate and execute a contract with Carde Ten Architects for
architectural and engineering services to design the Kids city
Youth Leadership Center. The report includes a brief background
summary, an outline of the procedure used to select the
architects, a discussion of the proposed scope of services and
the fiscal impact.
BACKGROUND
Kids city is a youth empowerment program of the City of Santa
Monica which was approved and funded by the city Council in
November 1989 as part of the ten-year city-wide Youth Action
Plan. Designed for middle and high school age youth, Kids city
provides a much-needed forum for the youth of Santa Monica to
speak out, take responsibility, act on their concerns, and
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accomplish their dreams. Its aim is to develop youth leadership
and create a City more responsive to and more supportive of
children and youth. Kids City creates the context for and builds
the capacity within youth to become leaders, to organize one
another, to develop an agenda and to actively implement it.
In FY 1990-91 and 91-92, funds for design service for the Youth
Leadership Center were approved as a part of the City's Capital
Improvement Program. This Youth Leadership Center will join
together various programmatic elements that reflect the youth
needs in Santa Monica. A range of activities will be launched
and overseen from these facilities: career exploration,
socialization, communication, cultural activity, youth leadership
and government, employment and youth business development. The
project represents a major commitment by the City of Santa Monica
to serve the needs of its youthful residents. It will complement
existing and new planned facilities for youth in Santa Monica.
After a year long search, the Kids city Youth Center Committee,
composed of adults and youth, in conjunction with other Community
Development staff and local business and community leaders, have
identified the 2nd Street parking structure (on 2nd between
Arizona and Wilshire) as the appropriate downtown site for the
Youth Leadership Center. The Youth Center design and
construction project includes adapting the infrastructure,
building the shell and interior improvements, and improving the
streets cape to create an innovative youth facility. The mandate
is for the architects to involve youth throughout the entire
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design and construction process so that the end product is
reflective of the unique contributions and values of the city's
youth.
DISCUSSION
1. Selection of the Architect for the Youth Center
To solicit proposals from a broad range of architectural firms,
the Community Development Department, including Kids City adult
and youth staff, prepared a Request for Proposal (RFP) . It
contained a request for services aimed at developing a detailed
architectural and engineering design for the Youth Leadership
Center. Three basic work phases were identified in the RFP in
order to achieve this:
Phase 1
A. Help Develop and Refine Building Program with Youth and
Adults from Kids city
B. Conduct Collaborative Pre-Design Development with Youth
and Adults from Kids City
Phase 2
A. Conduct Design Development Phase
B. Develop Construction Contract Documents
Phase 3
A. Construction Administration
The RFP was issued on April 1, 1991 and was advertised and sent
to over 60 firms. On May 2, 1991, the City received 8 proposals.
An RFP Selection Committee was established and comprised of staff
of General Services, Community Development, including Kids city
adult and youth staff, and the Police Department, representing
the Police Activities League ( PAL) Program. The committee
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reviewed all proposals and invited three of the respondents to an
interview with the committee on June 5, 1991. The criteria for
selection included understanding of and approach to tasks,
experience of the firm in working with youth, experience working
with similar public works projects, and qualifications of staff
and project team.
Upon completion of the interviews and presentations, the
Selection Committee determined that Carde Ten Architects with
subconsultant Diane Caughey Architect was the most qualified team
to undertake the project. These firms have distinguished
themselves as designers of public and private works projects for
children and youth. They also have extensive experience in
involving youth in the design process, both as teachers and
consultants and have developed a strong team including: theater
instructors, neon artists, community based artists, electronic
specialists, furniture makers in addition to the more traditional
engineers and construction consultants.
2. Scope of Services
The design and construction improvements for the Youth Leadership
Center in Parking structure 2 will satisfy the public improvement
and urban design guidelines set forth in the Third street
Promenade Specific Plan for the development of ground floor
parking structures, as well as the Santa Monica General Plan and
the Coastal Commission Plan. Improvements will include the
programmatic elements outlined in the RFP (assembly and
performance multi-purpose space, computer and homework center,
arts areas, offices and counseling, etc. ) as well as innovative
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state-of-the-art features reflective of the unique needs of youth
for "institutionalized change." The design team will also focus
on activating the street frontage/ making appropriate links with
the Promenade and other pedestrian corridors.
The design team will be participating in public workshops with
both the youth and other interested community members during the
design development phase of the project in order to receive
community input and to involve youth in the preparation of design
alternatives. The design team will also participate in numerous
meetings with city Boards and Commissions/ Bayside District
Corporation, Bayside District interest groups and others.
BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT
Funds are available in the amount of $98,870 for design services
in the following CIP accounts:
01-720-262-20091-8900-99254 ($33/870) and
01-720-262-20092-8900-99254 ($65/000).
At this time, the use of the $98,870 is recommended to be
allocated as follows:
(1) Architectural & Enqineerinq $ 60/000
(2) Youth Participation $ 13,000
Consulting fees for special youth
workshops in creative design
options/ training for youth in
technical design skills and community
wide youth planning workshops.
(See Attachment I.)
(3) Continqencies $ 25,870
Youth employees ($5,870),
Reimbursables ($5,000) ,
Project Contingencies ($15,000)
Total $ 98,870
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Thus, the contract with the architect will be in an amount not
to exceed $73,000.
Funds from the CI P budget in the amount of $350,000 in account
01-770-263-20092-8900-99306 have been appropriated in FY 91-92
for the basic infrastructure improvements for Parking structure
2. Additional funds for tenant improvements will be requested at
the time the construction contract is awarded.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the council authorize the city Manager to:
1) Designate Parking structure 2 as the site for the Kids
City Youth Leadership center; and
2) Negotiate and execute a contract with Carde Ten
Architects for architectural and engineering services to
design the Kids city Youth Leadership Center in an
amount not to exceed $73,000.
Prepared by: Peggy Curran, Community Development Department
Darrell George, Economic Development Division
Barbara StinChfield, Community and Neighborhood
Services (CNS) Division
Julie Rusk, CNS Division
Elena Chavez, CNS Division
Doug Allen, General Services Department
Shirl Buss, eNS Division
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ATTACID1E}l"T I
KIDS CITY
~THE NEXT GENERATION~
YOUTH LEADERSHIP CENTER
GENERAL GOALS OF THE PARTICIPATORY DESIGN PROJECT:
"DemocratIc responsibility can be acqmred only through practIce and involvement It does not arIse
suddenly m adulthood through sImple maturatton; It must be fostered directly from an early age. I believe
that the envtronments we occupy as dllldren and the extent to wbtch we feel involved in shapmg them, or
canng for them, is a particularly important domain for such learmng."
Roger Hart in Cluldren's Particlpation m Planning ami DeSlgn.
''The Next Generation Youth LeadershIp Center" will be a place where the goals and agenda of Santa
Monica's youth can best be realized. This youth leadership center will join together various
programmatic elements that reflect the Youth Action Plan approved by City Council in 1989 and the
results of the Youth Speakout in 1990. It will complement the existing facilities for youth in Santa
Monica. Activities in support of the Youth Action Plan will be launched and overseen from these
facilities. These activities include advocacy, career exploration, recreation, socialization,
communication, cultural activity, youth leadership and government, employment and youth business
development.
Every aspect of the design and detailing of the Youth Leadership Center will be an expression of or in
support of the goals and visions of the Youth Action Plan. The Kids City Youth Center will be a
unique, innovative and non-duplicable facility. The program also may include innovative
state.of-the-art features such as: communications center (newsletter/video), electronic graffiti wall,
youth-run businesses, state of the art recycling and energy recirculating systems, bicycle and scooter
storage areas, and art workshop.
We expect the design phase of the project to take twenty-two weeks from programming to completion
of bid documents. The program is stmctured to maximize genuine participation both by a core group
of paid youth designers as wen as many youth from the community at large. The design program is
structured to tap into the youthful exhuberance and creativity of many youth, and to then translate that
creativity into a real building. The youth designers will plan the role of peer organizers. They, along
with the professional architects, will be the "brokers" between the ideas of many youth and the actual
architectural design within the constraints of site, budget, and building regulations. This process
includes school projects, community workshops, and design sessions (see diagram). The core group
will run task force meetings to make final decisions, and will work intimately with the architects' In
their offices to bring the project to completion.
This project is an innovative effort to institutionalize participatory design. It is a model for creating
meaningful roles for youth in society by enabling them to collaborate directly WIth adults in the creation
of a real architectural project. The core group of youth designers (both paid and volunteer) will develop
skills and competence not only in the design and planning profesSion, but also as particIpants in the
social and political community of Santa Monica. The youth designers will be meaningfully employed
in a career oriented job. Other youth volunteers will have an opportunity to exert their power in
determining the end product on whatever level they choose to participate: from a one-time workshop
to more serious apprenticeship and training with the architects.
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KIDS CITY
"THE NEXT GENERATION"
YOUTH LEADERSHIP CENTER
, WEEKDAYS: SCHOOLS ,
Student participation in youth center design issues as part of the classroom curriculum:
St. Monicas, Crossroads. Adams, SaMoHi. Lincoln. Olympic
(150-200 youth)
? I
SATURDAY: COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
Ten public participatory design workshops in various locations
thoughout the city to maximize input in the design process:
Virginia Park.Santa Monica Place, St. Annes Church etc.
(30 - 50 youth per workshop)
VI ~
WEDNESDAY: DESIGN SESSIONS
\ Design workshops at Kids City to translate the input
from the community workshops mto more detailed and
refmed architectural design solutions.
(20 . 30 youth per session)
\ V
TUESDAY: TRIPS
Trips for all interested youth to visit other youth
centers, architectural sites, and art centers
to help stimulate and influence design decisions.
(10 - 30 youth per trip)
"
WEDNESDAY: TASK FORCE
Decision making body of youth who will
make program and design decisions
based on input from all youth at
workshops and design sessions.
(10 . 20 youth)
" ;
TUESDA Y: RESEARCH
Core group of youth will research ;
or investigate codes. maps.
site measurements etc.
(7. 10 youth)
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MONDAY and THURSDAY:
YOUTH DESIGNERS
In depth sessions with
architects sustained over
the course of the project.
Youth will work on plans.
models etc. to bring project
~ through to bid docs. J
(7 - 20 Youth)