PARKS & RECREATION BOARD 2014/06/17 PacketPARKS AND RECREATION BOARD COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING
TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2014 6:30PM at MUNICIPAL SERVICES LAKE FOREST, ILLINOIS
AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL Steve Hill, Chairman _____Charlie Kohlmeyer David Brush _____Curt Volkmann
_____Sondra Douglass _____Paul “Skoo” Walker
Dan Jasica
II. OPPORTUNITY FOR CITIZENS TO ADDRESS THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS III. RT. 41 IDOT-DEERPATH GOLF COURSE BASIN PROJECT UPDATE—Presented by Bob
Ells, City Engineer and Mary Van Arsdale, Director of Parks and Recreation IV. ADVISORY AUTHORIZATION TO NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT WITH RECREATION SOFTWARE VENDOR*—Presented by Mary Van Arsdale, Director of Parks and
Recreation V. APPROVAL OF EVERETT TOT LOT PLAYGROUND PROJECT*—Presented by Chuck
Myers, Superintendent of Parks and Forestry
VI. DIRECTOR’S REPORT VII. COMMENTS BY BOARD MEMBERS VIII. ADJOURNMENT
*ACTION ITEMS
SUBJECT: Route 41 IDOT-Deerpath Golf Course Project Information
PRESENTED BY: Mary Van Arsdale, Director of Parks and Recreation, 810-3918 and Bob Ells, City Engineer, 810-3555
PURPOSE AND ACTION REQUESTED: Staff will provide information on the status of the
Route 41 IDOT and Deerpath Golf Course Basin project. No action is being sought. BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION: For many years the City has faced flooding issues when
significant rainfall events occur at the Route 41 underpass. At this location is a pump
station that is owned and under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Department of
Transportation (IDOT). IDOT informed the City in 2013 that they were in a position to fund
the relocation of their pump station from beneath RT. 41 at Deerpath to a vacant
parcel at the corner of Ahwahnee and Deerpath. After coordination meetings with
the City, IDOT proposed to route, at their expense, a new storm sewer from the new
pump station to added detention ponds on Deerpath Golf Course.
You may recall that City staff shared the IDOT engineering sketch this past year (see
attached) with the Park Board and Golf Advisory Committee that outlined the routing
across the golf course such that it entered the southern portion of the course at the
17/18th hole, traveled north to the parking lot, east across the parking lot and then south
along Hole #1, before finally connecting back to the existing sewer near the Skokie
River. This alternative would alleviate the need to perform extensive excavation of the
Deerpath Road, where significant utilities exist, and where it would have a severe effect
on traffic for an extended period.
As a part of the pump station relocation design, IDOT is including upgrades to the city-
owned storm sewer system on Deerpath at Rt. 41 as well as some improvements to the
geometrical layout of the roads and ramps under the RT. 41 overpass. In addition, IDOT
agreed to have the City design the detention ponds into water features to mitigate any
negative impacts to the playability of the golf course.
Around this same time, City Council determined that it was too costly to add a deep
well on the north end of the golf course. However with the IDOT project in mind, City
Council directed staff to look at any synergy options between the proposed ponds and
a possible deep well for irrigation purposes. As a result, staff researched and sought
proposals for a golf course design firm, and in March 2014, selected Lohmann Golf
Design to assist the City in preparing golf course design plans that incorporated the
detention and hydraulics that would match to IDOT’s mandated specifications. The City
also extended their contract with McMahon Associates to continue to evaluate the
engineering components related to the deep well portion of the project.
City staff, Lohmann Golf Designs and McMahon Associates met with IDOT engineers in
early May and identified the key specifications and scope of the project. Lohmann Golf
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then proceeded to develop various golf design options that have been vetted to date
by City engineering, golf and recreation staff, KemperSports personnel, and McMahon
Associates. At the time of this packet preparation, Lohmann Golf Designs is
incorporating the most recent revisions to the proposed golf design. As a result, the
designs are not included in your packet but will be provided at the Park Board meeting.
Please note that we have also invited the Golf Advisory Committee members to join the
Park Board meeting for this first agenda item so that they too may be brought up to
date on this future, but currently developing project. Staff looks forward to sharing this
project with the board and advisory committee members.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: None, for informational purposes only.
IDOT Rt. 41 Project
SUBJECT: Advisory Authorization to Negotiate a Contract to Purchase Parks and Recreation Software
STAFF CONTACT: Mary Van Arsdale, Director of Parks and Recreation (847-810-3918)
and Elizabeth Holleb, Director of Finance/IT (847-810-3612) PURPOSE AND ACTION REQUESTED: Staff requests Parks and Recreation Board advisory approval to negotiate a contract with Vermont Systems, Inc. (VSI) for replacement of
the Parks and Recreation Department software system. PROJECT REVIEW/RECOMMENDATIONS:
Reviewed Date Comments
Parks and Recreation Board 11/19/13 Plante Moran Consulting Recommendation
City Council 12/2/13 Awarded Plante Moran Consultant Contract
City Wide Staff 01/2014 Participated in Needs Assessment
Parks and Recreation & Finance/IT Staff 01-06/2014 Developed Software Specifications, Conducted RFP and Vendor Diligence
City Manager 2/5/14 Needs Assessment Report & Authorization to
Proceed with Software Vendor RFP
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION: The City Parks and Recreation department has utilized
Active Network Class software for the past 16 years, since 1998. The current version of
this software is being phased out in 2015 and will no longer be supported. As a result,
the Parks and Recreation Department in conjunction with the Finance/IT Department
began to investigate a right- sized, comprehensive software solution to meet
operational business needs. In December 2013, City Council authorized a contract
totaling $40,325 with Plante Moran, a software consulting firm, to support staff and
provide project management expertise through the project phases except the
implementation phase.
Plante Moran has since guided staff through a very detailed and extensive six-month
process using their assessment methodology and set of related scoring tools intended
to mitigate City risk while incorporating City of Lake Forest needs (see Plante Moran’s
Project Memorandum page X). Since January 2014 staff with Plante Moran has
completed four very distinct phases of work that included:
• Phase 0-Project Management: Defining structure, roles, scope, deliverables &
timelines. A Selection Committee, made up of staff from recreation, finance and
IT, was created to participate in all phases of the work. Completed December
2013.
• Phase 1-Needs Assessment: Identified current practices, inefficiencies, existing
infrastructure, conducted team interviews, and developed needs justification
report for City Manager (See Project Executive Summary page x). Completed
January 2014.
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• Phase 2- RFP Vendor Preparation and Delivery: Defined vendor selection criteria and weighting factors, developed detailed software specifications, identified
potential vendor distribution list, developed and distributed RFP to software vendors. Completed March 2014.
• Phase 3-Software Vendor Response Analysis & Selection: manage Q&A from vendors, completed analysis of RFP responses, conducted vendor
demonstrations, and exercised due diligence with references and vendor clarifications, scored and selected preferred vendor. Completed early June
2014.
• Phase 4-Statement of Work Development and Contract Negotiations: (not
begun yet, but upon authorization to proceed to contract negotiation, the work during this phase will assure final best price for selected software) Anticipate
completion in September 2014. CURRENT PROJECT MILESTONE:
The City issued a Request for Proposal to potential recreation software vendors on
March 7, 2014. Staff received 3 comprehensive proposals and 1 best of breed solution
(volunteer management) for a total of four (4) proposals. All were deemed to satisfy the
minimum criteria that allowed the City to proceed with further evaluation. Proposal
costs were received from the vendors as follows:
Vendors Proposal Results- One Time & Year One Costs Cumulative Costs over 10 Year Period
Active Network (VH) $182,904 $1,179,578
eTrak-Plus (VH) $136,654 $289,041
Vermont Systems (VH) $162,200 $425,576
Vermont Systems (OP) $151,700 $305,205
Volgistics (Best of Breed VH) $1,176 $13,482
VH=vendor hosted solution, OP=on premise hosted solution
As the chart above indicates, the four RFP vendors provided one-time and on-going
prices that varied widely due to software capabilities, fee structures and suggested
modification scope. A full financial analysis of the totals above included a one-time
cost summary, on-going cost summary, 10-year cost summary, modular cost summary, data conversion summary, interface summary and service hours summary (see Project
Executive Summary page X). As a result, vendors were provided an opportunity to clarify information in their proposals via written responses to address remaining City
questions. Armed with RFP responses, addendum responses, and analyzing their ability to best meet the City’s functional and budgetary requirements, City staff chose two
vendors to provide full day demonstrations of their software solution: ETrak-Plus and Vermont Systems. Full day demonstrations, with approximately 18 City staff in
attendance, were held in May 2014.
Following each of the vendor demonstrations, the Selection Committee met to debrief
and discuss strengths and weaknesses of the proposed solution and unanimously
concluded that Vermont Systems offered the solution that would most satisfy the City’s
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software needs. The Selection Committee then conducted in-depth reference interviews with three current clients using similar modules and obtained overall high
satisfaction feedback. The City intends to conduct additional reference checks to further evaluate the vendor’s ability to interface the proposed solution with the City’s
current SunGard HTE financial system and further explore the vendor hosted option.
At this phase of the project, City staff is seeking authorization to move forward into a development of the Statement of Work and Contract Negotiations with our preferred
vendor, Vermont Systems. During this next phase, the City will work with the vendor to confirm any items that may alter the final costs and ensure that the specific scope of
software, hardware, immediate and on-going services is clearly documented. In addition, implementation timing and other details such as terms and conditions must be
agreed to in order to finalize a contract. The contract, with the final and full project costs identified, and which has been reviewed by the City’s attorney, will come back to
City Council for approval by September 2014.
BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT: City staff is not seeking any financial approval at this phase;
rather we are seeking authorization to move forward into contract negotiation based
upon the six months of research, request for proposal process and diligence that has
occurred resulting in the selection of Vermont Systems, Inc. as the preferred software
firm. This project was identified as a FY15 Capital project funded via the Recreation
Fund and the process to date complies fully with the Project Plan and City’s purchasing
policies.
Below is an estimated summary of Project budget:
FY2015 Funding Source Amount
Budgeted
Amount
Requested
Budgeted?
Y/N
Fund 220 Parks & Recreation
220-8065-451-75-01 $290,000
None at this
phase of
project
Y
RECOMMENDED ACTION: If appropriate and should the Parks and Recreation Board
desire, recommend City staff to negotiate a contract with Vermont Systems, Inc. and seek City Council approval of said contract and costs by September 2014.
Memorandum
To: Mary Van Arsdale, Lake Forest Parks and Recreation Board, Lake Forest City Council
From: Chris Moshier and Mike Riffel
Date: June 12, 2014
Re: Parks and Recreation Software Replacement Project Summary
In January 2014, the City engaged Plante Moran’s Government Technology Consulting Team to assess the
existing parks and recreation management application environment and provide independent assistance to the City throughout the software selection process. Over the past several months, the City has completed a
thorough process of conducting a parks and recreation software needs assessment and system selection. The remainder of this memorandum summarizes the activities conducted by the City, with assistance
provided by Plante Moran, which has resulted in the City Selection Committee’s recommendation of the preferred finalist vendor.
CURRENT SITUATION OVERVIEW
The mission of the Software Replacement Project was to provide an integrated Parks and Recreation system
that will support City staff in the delivery of services and activities, take advantage of best practices, and significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of customer service and business processes.
To develop a leadership structure for the project, the City established a Steering Committee to support the
software selection process and key decisions related to it. The Steering Committee included participation by key stakeholders representing parks and recreation, information technology, and finance process areas.
Additionally, through a Project Charter the Steering Committee established the following objectives for the successful completion of the Parks and Recreation Software Replacement Project:
Replace core Parks and Recreation systems (CLASS) and shadow systems with a web/internet based, transaction based, integrated Parks and Recreation system.
Have more effective business processes & replace paper-oriented processes using e-forms, document imaging and workflow.
Protect and enhance the functionality that is currently available to City employees.
Provide better front-end services by improving back-end services & systems.
Incorporate fully integrated Parks and Recreation "best business practices"
Develop a system that is user-friendly and empowers departments to improve their business processes and reporting capability
Add and improve functionality in back-office functional areas
Improve quality and accessibility of information for business process planning decision support
Eliminate paper-based workflow processes and forms
Reduce redundant “shadow systems”, data entry, storage, and paper processing
Improve operational effectiveness and productivity
Enable specific strategic planning initiatives (e.g. e-Government), including enhanced customer
service and web/customer self-service
Reduce the number of systems we own and support and their related costs by retiring existing
legacy and back office "systems" and tools
Increase the City’s ability for greater use of mobile applications/devices
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SOFTWARE SELECTION SUMMARY During the month of January, a series of interviews were conducted with City staff to identify software needs for a new integrated recreation management solution as well as functional gaps in the City’s current recreation management systems. Interviews were conducted with stakeholders from Parks and Recreation as well as other City departments who have similar functional needs that may be satisfied through recreation software including CROYA and Senior Services. The information compiled through these interviews was referenced along with other background information provided by the City to prepare a Needs Assessment report which was presented to the City Manager prior to proceeding to the Request for Proposal (RFP) development and selection phase of the project. The Needs Assessment report included several key findings and opportunities which supported the City’s belief that the current system did not satisfy its requirements. Plante Moran summarized several formal recommendations to the City in the report which included replacing the current system. Following authorization to proceed to the selection phase, the information compiled through the stakeholder
interviews was used as the major source of input into the development of a draft Request for Proposal (RFP). The RFP was significantly detailed to document the City requirements for a new recreation management system. In addition to system requirements, the RFP included minimum proposal criteria, described the criteria for initial proposal evaluation and established finalist vendor selection activities and criteria.
The City established a Selection Committee and a evaluation process prior to issuing an RFP. The Selection Committee would be responsible for scoring each proposal based on a defined set of criteria during multiple rounds of evaluation. After the City stakeholders reviewed and prioritized the draft software specifications, Plante Moran facilitated cross-functional specification review sessions to confirm the requirements to be incorporated into the RFP.
Additionally, Plante Moran facilitated a work session to review and edit the draft RFP with participation of the Steering Committee in late February. Following this, the City’s Selection Committee performed a detailed review of the RFP and provided feedback which was incorporated into the final version. On March 7, 2014 the RFP was distributed to a significant number of recreation software providers which were identified by the project team. It was the intent of the City to select, if possible, a single turn-key vendor
solution that would satisfy a significant portion of the City’s needs. The process included vendor Q&A, a pre-bid meeting, as well as multiple RFP addendums to clarify the City’s requirements.
On April 21, 2014 four vendor responses were received and all four proposals were deemed to satisfy the minimum criteria and proceed onto further evaluation. The responses included:
1. ACTIVE Network 2. eTrak-plus 3. Vermont Systems 4. Volgistics
The one-time and on-going prices of the qualified proposal responses ranged widely as did the overall solution scope. Additionally, there were varying levels of response to the proposal requirements that necessitated further review of the proposal responses to develop a more comparable analysis of the
respondents. Plante Moran and the City Selection Committee conducted a detailed review of the proposals and Plante Moran presented an initial proposal analysis to the Selection Committee that
included a comprehensive review of vendor responses related to software functionality, vendor background, costs provided by vendors, and compliance with requested contractual terms and conditions. In order to maximize the thoroughness in reviewing the most qualified solutions, a decision was made to
conduct demonstrations from the top vendors that best met the City’s functional and budgetary requirements. On May 6, 2014 the City’s Selection Committee met to review the proposals, analysis
materials and determine a short list of semi-finalist vendors. The Selection Committee used the selection
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criteria established in the RFP to score and determine that two vendors, eTrak-plus and Vermont Systems, would be invited to perform software demonstrations.
In late May, both vendors were brought in for one-day software demonstrations. The Selection
Committee and other City stakeholders who use the current recreation software participated in these demonstrations. Additional City staff participated in the demonstrations who currently do not use the
CLASS software, but were interested in expanded functionality available in current integrated recreation software systems such as League Scheduling, Maintenance Management, Donation/Memorial
Management.
Following each of the vendor demonstrations, the Selection Committee met to debrief and discuss the feedback/evaluations as well as the observed strengths and weaknesses of the proposed solution and
company. Following the second demonstration, the Selection Committee discussed high-level feedback relating to the vendor software demos and unanimously concluded that Vermont Systems offered a
solution with the greater ability to satisfy the City’s most important needs. Because of this, it was determined that reference checking activities would be conducted to further evaluate Vermont Systems’
solution, implementation, and support services. City staff contacted three references (Wilmette Park District, IL; Durango Parks and Recreation, CO; and Cape Coral, FL) provided by Vermont Systems and
obtained overall positive feedback related to their solution. The reference checking activities involved members of the City’s Selection Committee. The City intends to perform additional follow-up reference
checks to further evaluate the vendor’s ability to interface the proposed solution with the City’s current SunGard HTE financial system.
On June 10th, the Selection Committee reviewed the results of the reference checks conducted scored
the two shortlisted vendors based on the Round 3 Evaluation Criteria identified in the RFP. Vermont Systems received the higher score and was unanimously determined by the City’s Selection Committee
to be the preferred finalist vendor as summarized below:
eTrak-plus: 53.1 of 100 possible points
Vermont Systems: 77.9 of 100 possible points
The City conducted high-level discussions with Vermont Systems and Plante Moran to determine which software modules would be appropriate to purchase in preparation for developing a Statement of Work
(SOW) with associated pricing. The current anticipated software purchase includes the following recreation process areas (please note that not all functions will be satisfied through a dedicated module):
1. Activity Registrations
2. Court Reservations 3. Customer Management 4. Donation and Memorial
Mgmt 5. Facility Reservations
6. League Scheduling
7. Pass and Memberships 8. Payment Processing & POS
9. Rental Management 10. Trip Reservations
11. Maintenance
Management 12. Event Ticketing 13. Personal Trainer
14. Volunteer Management 15. Various Integrations
Overall, Plante Moran’s Government Technology Consulting team endorses the process that the City has used to perform the selection and supports the recommendation of the City’s Selection Committee.
Project Executive Summary
City of Lake Forest Recreation Software Replacement Project
The Recreation Software Replacement Project began with a needs assessment
phase to document deficiencies in the current system as well as to identify process
improvement opportunities and key decisions to consider during the system selection
phase. Following the needs assessment phase, the City of Lake Forest Recreation Software
Replacement Project Selection Committee was provided several comprehensive proposal analysis
documents which supported the review and evaluation of each vendor’s proposed solution. The following
is an Executive Summary of the key materials which the Selection Committee reviewed. Please
reference the complete report and analysis documents for comprehensive notes and assumptions;
however, below is a summary of each analysis included on the following pages:
1. Needs Assessment and Recommendations Report Excerpts
This is a high-level summary of the key sections prepared within the Needs Assessment and
Recommendations report.
2. Specification Compliance Summary
This analysis is a summary of vendor responses to the functional requirements included in Section 4 of
the City’s Recreation Software Replacement Project RFP. It directly reflects the responses provided by
each vendor which is based on their interpretation of the requirements. As such, this analysis was
intended to serve as an additional resource to the Selection Committee to evaluate the strength of each
vendor’s proposed solution, identify critical functional gaps, and document any specific follow-up
questions for the vendors.
3. Cost and Service Hours Analysis
This analysis is a summary of the proposed costs and service hours for the City of Lake Forest
Recreation Software Replacement Project RFP. It primarily reflects the actual proposed costs for each
vendor as provided in the pricing forms submitted. Unless specifically noted otherwise, all costs
represent the actual proposed costs by each vendor. Throughout the analysis “(VH)” reflect a proposed
vendor-hosted solution and “(OP)” represents a proposed on-premise solution.
Page 1 of 2
Excerpts from Parks and Recreation System Replacement Project Needs Assessment and Recommendations Report
Process Areas Included in Needs Assessment Phase
Activity Registration Event Ticketing Maintenance
Management
Rental Management
Court Reservations Facility Reservations Pass and
Memberships
Trip Reservations
Customer Management General and Technical
Requirements
Payment Processing
and Point of Sale
Volunteer
Management
Donation and Memorial
Management
League Scheduling Personal Trainer Related Interfaces to
External Systems
1.2 Key Findings
1.3 Major Opportunities
1. Limited Functionality
2. Unsatisfactory Support
3. Incomplete Utilization
4. Significant Redundancy
5. Inconsistent Communication
6. Strong Customer Focus
7. Fully Committed Team
1. Increase Integration
2. Expand Utilization
3. Minimize Redundancy
4. Improve Usability
5. Retire Shadow Systems as Appropriate
6. Enhance Customer Service
7. Support Information Accessibility
Page 2 of 2
1.4 Formal Recommendations
1.5 Significant Decisions
1.5.1 Statement of Work Development Phase Decisions
1. On-Premise vs. Vendor-Hosted
2. Data Conversion
3. Senior Services
4. CROYA
5. Kinderhaven
6. Miscellaneous Third-Party Applications
7. System Access at Satellite Locations
1.5.2 Implementation Phase Decisions
1. Business Process Changes
2. Accounting Processes
3. Web Site Coordination
4. Special Event Management
5. Waiver Management
6. Contract Service Provider Payments
7. Activity Budgeting
1. Replace the Current System
2. Expand Utilization of the New System
3. Evaluate the Benefits of Integration vs. Functionality
4. Assess the Value of Traditional Businss Processes
5. Establish a Formal Authority / Approval Structure
6. Embrace a Formal Project Mgmt. Approach
7. Prepare the Stakeholders for Change
Module Core Weighting ACTIVE eTrak Vermont Volgistics
Activity Registrations Core 11.00%81.30%95.80%84.20%Not
Proposed
Court Reservations Core 5.00%93.15%93.84%79.45%Not
Proposed
Customer Management Core 11.00%83.07%94.62%84.03%Not
Proposed
Donation and Memorial Mgmt Core 3.00%30.82%94.52%57.53%Not
Proposed
Facility Reservations Core 11.00%92.84%97.52%85.12%Not
Proposed
League Scheduling Core 7.00%78.18%87.27%82.73%Not
Proposed
Pass and Memberships Core 11.00%82.28%83.07%94.74%Not
Proposed
Payment Processing & POS Core 10.00%74.61%91.80%84.07%Not
Proposed
Rental Management Core 5.00%67.38%89.18%82.62%Not
Proposed
Trip Reservations Core 4.00%89.04%93.84%76.71%Not
Proposed
General and Technical Core 7.00%64.62%80.17%78.49%45.62%
Maintenance Management Expanded 6.00%4.17%60.68%74.22%Not
Proposed
Event Ticketing Expanded 2.00%84.95%93.01%87.10%Not
Proposed
Personal Trainer Expanded 4.00%87.63%81.44%76.29%Not
Proposed
Volunteer Management Expanded 3.00%84.62%73.98%87.33%78.51%
75.31%88.43%82.75%5.55%
75.31%88.43%82.75%55.49%
79.19%91.12%83.39%3.76%
53.28%73.19%79.11%15.70%
Legend
90% compliant or greater.
80% compliant or greater, less than 90%.
Less than 80% compliant.
Weighted Average for Expanded Modules:
Weighted Average for All Modules:
City of Lake Forest, IL
Recreation Software Replacement Project
Specification Compliance Comparison
Weighted Average for Offered Modules:
Weighted Average for Core Modules:
184.9K282.8K383.7K487.5K594.5K704.7K818.2K935.1K1,055.5K1,179.6K136.7K151.7K167.1K183.0K199.4K216.3K233.7K251.6K270.0K289.0K162.2K188.1K214.8K242.3K270.7K299.8K329.9K360.9K392.7K425.6K151.7K166.8K182.4K198.4K214.9K231.9K249.4K267.5K286.1K305.2K1.2K2.4K3.6K4.9K6.2K7.6K9.0K10.5K11.9K13.5K$0$200,000$400,000$600,000$800,000$1,000,000$1,200,000$1,400,000$1,600,000Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 1010-Year Cumulative InvestmentActual Proposed CostsACTIVE (VH)eTrak (VH)Vermont (VH)Vermont (OP)Volgistics (VH)
SUBJECT: Approval of Everett Park Tot Lot Playground Project as Included in the FY15 Capital Plan
PRESENTED BY: Chuck Myers, Superintendent of Parks & Forestry (810-3565)
PURPOSE AND ACTION REQUESTED: Staff is seeking Parks and Recreation Board
approval to purchase playground equipment and installation materials for the Everett
Park Tot Lot Playground Capital Project.
PROJECT REVIEW/RECOMMENDATIONS:
Reviewed Date Comments
Parks and Recreation Board 5/20/14 First Review of Design/Color Selection
City Recreation and Park Staff April-May
2014
Staff worked with NuToys Leisure in
Design Development
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION: The Everett Tot Lot playground, designed for children 2-5 years of age, is the smaller of the two playgrounds and is located on the west side of
the park. A larger elementary-age playground is located on the East side and is used
exclusively by Everett School and Recreation Department’s preschool program on a
daily basis. The current playground has reached the end of its useful life and consists of
rotting timber retaining walls, fibar wood chip surface, sandbox and metal and plastic
playground equipment in poor condition. The playground is heavily utilized by the
neighborhood and Lake Forest families using the soccer and baseball game fields. Replacement is needed to provide a safe and modern play structure for children.
In order to provide a consistent appearance of playgrounds in our parks, and since
residents have communicated strong support for our recent playground designs and
surfacing material at Waveland, Deerpath, and Townline Parks, City staff again worked
with our preferred sole vendor NuToys Leisure Products to design a playground that
would be well suited in scale for the Everett Park property. The proposed playground
(see attached) is designed with play elements that appropriately stimulate and encourage motor and cognitive play for young children, are in full compliance with
current ADA standards, and has poured-in-place surfacing which reduces the weekly and annual maintenance needs.
City staff also worked to keep the cost of the project down, while at the same time
ensuring that the highest quality standards were achieved. NuToys is an approved
vendor through HGACBuy, a national procurement service, which competitively bids
playground equipment to offer time and cost savings (6% discount on equipment) for
governmental entities and is compliant with the City of Lake Forest purchasing policies and State of Illinois procurement statutes. In addition, costs for construction will be
greatly reduced by having the playground installed by trained City staff.
Upon approval by the Parks and Recreation Board and City Council, the tentative
schedule for this project will be the purchase of all equipment in July 2014, with pre-
construction beginning in early August, and installation starting later that month. The
tentative completion date for this project will be September 26th.
BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT:
The total cost for this project; including equipment, site work and Poured-in-Place
rubber surfacing is $100,000. Funding for the Everett Park Tot Lot Playground Project is
budgeted in the FY’15 CIP (Parks & Public Land Fund).
Our estimated break down of costs is as follows:
FY ’15 Funding Source Amount Budgeted Amount Requested Budgeted? Y/N
Parks & Public Land
Fund $100,000 $100,000 Y
PARKS & RECREATION BOARD ACTION: Award of contract to NuToys not to exceed $100,000 for the purchase of playground equipment, surfacing and concrete installation.
Expense Amount
Playground Equipment $44,386
Concrete Curbing/Sidewalk Extension/Stone $23,423
Poured-in-Place Rubber Surfacing $32,191
Total Expense: $100,000