sr-120611-3eS
City of City Council Report
Santa 3101aica,
City Council Meeting: December 6, 2011
Agenda Item: .3 ° -
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Martin Pastucha, Director of Public Works
Subject: Professional Services Agreement for Phase II of Santa Monica Airport
Visioning Process
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute a professional services agreement with Moore lacofano Goltsman, Inc. (MIG), a
California -based company, in an amount not to exceed $148,280 to design, facilitate
and manage Phase II of the Santa Monica Airport Visioning Process and train City staff
on the facilitation process.
Executive Summary
On October 4, 2011, Council directed staff to move forward with Phase II of the
comprehensive three -phase public process regarding the future of the Santa Monica
Airport Campus. Phase II will engage the public in an open and transparent dialogue
through the use of community discussion groups to gather and record community
comments and ideas in formulating, discussing, and prioritizing potential policies and
actions in advance of Phase III. MIG is recommended for the design, facilitation and
management of this Phase II process at a cost not to exceed $148,280. In addition, as
a part of this agreement, MIG would provide training to City staff to assist with the
facilitation of the community discussion groups, establishing a well- trained cohort of City
facilitators, who would serve as a resource going forward.
Discussion
The City has embarked on a rigorous three -phase public process regarding the future of
the Santa Monica Airport Campus. On October 4 2011, Council directed staff to move
forward with Phase II as proposed. During this phase an extensive program of
community discussion groups would be conducted from January to March 2012 at
locations throughout the city to maximize accessibility. Staff recommends partnering
with MIG, a planning, design, communications, and management firm, to lead the
facilitation of the community discussion groups to engage the community in a dialogue
about the future of the Santa Monica Airport. MIG has developed a unique facilitation
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model called "Meeting of the Minds" that blends social psychology with dynamic
visualization to facilitate groups, manage conflict, and reach agreement on vision and
direction.
Additionally, as part of a Citywide staff development effort, MIG would provide training
of its specialized facilitator methods and techniques to 24 City staff members who would
assist with the facilitation of the community discussion groups. These City staff
members would gain hands -on experience and be able to apply their newly acquired
skills to future projects to improve communication and problem solving. Staff would also
have the opportunity to witness a complex community process unfold. At the conclusion
of the community discussion groups, MIG and staff participants would debrief about the
process.
The community discussion group format, as developed by MIG, provides the public the
necessary time, resources, and fullest opportunity to participate productively in an
informed and focused dialogue with the objective of ensuring that each participant-
specific recommendation is recorded. These meetings would encourage a broad range
of participants to fully engage in the public process by seeking to include in the mix
neighborhood, community and civic groups, interested organizations, the business
community, and members of City Boards and Commissions. The community would also
be informed through a designated website that would provide all the Phase I consultant
presentations, informational materials provided to the discussion groups, and the
reports from the discussion group meetings.
Meetings would be scheduled during January, February and March of 2012 at various
dates, times, and locations to ensure all interested members of the public have the
opportunity to participate. Each community discussion group would meet for two hours
and consist of approximately 8 to 12 participants. To ensure a maximum mix of
participants and varying points of view, each interested individual would be able to
participate in only one session, at a time and location of his or her choosing.
Community members interested in registering for a community discussion group would
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be able to do so online via a link on the City's homepage. For questions or to register
by phone, the public can contact the Public Works Department at (310) 458 -8221.
Consultant Selection
The City Manager has exercised his authority to identify a firm that is uniquely qualified
to assist the City with the crucial task of providing meaningful guidance on the Airport
public process and its relationship to the community. MIG is recommended to
undertake the comprehensive effort to design, facilitate, and manage the Phase II public
engagement process. Since the early 1980s, MIG has focused on planning, designing,
and sustaining environments that support human development. The firm embraces
inclusivity and encourages community and stakeholder interaction as experienced on
other City projects including the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) process that
recently concluded.
MIG designs and implements multi - leveled, well- documented involvement processes
aimed at increasing public confidence in decision - making. With more than 25 years of
expertise and experience, MIG's community outreach process focuses on developing
common objectives and providing a full range of successful strategies for achieving
those objectives.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
The contract amount to be awarded to MIG is $148,280. Funds are included in the
FY2011 -12 budget at account 33431.555060.
Prepared by: Susan Cline, Assistant Director of Public Works
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Forwarded to Council:
Rod Gould
City Manager
Reference Contract No.
9513 (CCS)