Staff recommends the approval of the Professional Services Contract with A&E Design, Inc. for the design services for the Amend Recreation Campus.

The 2017 City Council approved Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Plan identified the need for increased indoor recreation space to expand recreational opportunities for the Billings Community. Subsequently, a study from Victus, commissioned by the Billings Chamber of Commerce in 2018 indicated that Billings has a strong potential for sports tourism, namely for indoor youth sports tournaments. In 2019, a South Billings Aquatic and Recreation Center Masterplan and Feasibility Study from A&E Design confirmed the need for expanded indoor recreation facilities.  This feasibility study examined suitable locations and Amend Park was identified as the best option.City Council approved the 2022 conceptual design and masterplan for a multi-generational recreational center located at Amend Park that had gone through a rigorous public process.  A general obligation bond issue in November of 2023 for funding the facility was not successful.Early in 2024, the South Billings Urban Renewal Association allocated funding to examine a different means of developing indoor recreation facilities at Amend Park.  The study from Collaborative Design identified a campus layout at Amend to separate indoor facilities to allow for potential public/private partnerships to enhance opportunities for our growing community. In the FY24 Capital Improvement Plan, City Council approved $1 million for design of the Amend Park Recreation Campus.  The design components include a site plan to incorporate pad sites for potential public private partnership opportunities for organizations like hockey, swimming, tennis, etc.  Also included in the design are architectural drawings for a sport court facility which includes at least four (4) full-sized and eight (8) middle school-sized basketball courts.A Request for Proposals was issued and advertised on September 27th and October 4th.  A total of four proposals were submitted and accepted before the closing date of October 9th. The submitted proposals were from Second Nature Consulting, A&E Design, Cushing Terrell, and Collaborative Design.  The RFP included a Master Q & A Form (Attachment D) for proposer to submit any questions or concerns related to the RFP.  No questions were submitted.The Selection Committee, with representatives from the Parks and Recreation Department, Finance Department, Facilities Division, South Billings Urban Renewal Association, Tourism and Business Improvement District, and the Parks Advisory Board reviewed the proposals on October 21st and recommended interviewing the top three firms, Cushing Terrell, A&E Design, and Collaborative Design on October 31st. After careful consideration, the selection committee unanimously recommended A&E Design as the top-rated firm based on their Recent Recreation Center Planning and Design Experience, the proposed Work Plan, Key Project Personnel, Past Project Performance, and their proposed Pricing. During contract negotiations with A&E Design, and in an effort to maximize the aggressive timeline outlined in the RFP, a Letter of Intent, signed by the City Administrator, was developed to allow A & E the opportunity to get the design process started.  The LOI was important due to having a site plan designed and developed as soon as possible to allow the Yellowstone Ice Foundation to benefit from the 2024 $3 million dollar grant from Signal Peak Mine. After negotiations with A&E, a final scope and fee were agreed upon and reflected within the contract.
After negotiations with A&E, a final scope and fee were agreed upon. The total cost of the project is not to exceed $21,000,000 for all phases of design and construction of the Sports Court Facility.
The operations of the recreation center will be determined after the Proforma has been completed by the professional team hired to provide the data necessary to make an informed decision about how to effectively manage a recreation center of this design.

City Council may:

• Approve award of a Professional Services Contract to A&E Design, Inc; or,
• Not Approve a contract with A&E Design Inc. If this is not approved, the site plan and Sports Court Facility design will be delayed, which would result in delaying the Yellowstone Ice Foundation's ability to secure the additional $3,000,000 grant from Signal Peak mine, which could jeopardize the public/private partnership and the construction of the ice facility at the Amend Recreation Campus.

The Amend Recreation Campus design is being fully funded using South Billings Urban Renewal Association funding which was approved in the FY25 CIP.

In order to move this project along and stay within the tight timeline established to meet all users' needs, A&E Design, Inc. needs to get moving on this design. The pad site selection committee chose the Yellowstone Ice Foundation during a separate RFP process. The Yellowstone Ice Foundation has six million dollars committed to developing the ice facility, but they have a narrow window to get the project started. The site design is a crucial step in the process. A lease agreement is currently being negotiated with the Yellowstone Ice Foundation.