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BACKGROUND The 2002 Downtown Parks and Trail System and Downtown Specific Plan recommended that the. Firehouse Arts Center, Lions Wayside Park, Delucchi Park and the Downtown Regional Trail Corridor be treated as a single park area. The Master Plan for this overall area, known as the Lions Wayside and Delucchi Parks Master Plan, is included in the City Council's Annual Work Plan. Staff anticipates completion of the plan by summer of 2014. The Master Plan outlines numerous improvements to the two parks. A major design decision of the plan was related to whether the drainage swale that traverses Lions Wayside Park should remain open or be piped and undergrounded. After holding public hearings in 2009, the Parks & Recreation Commission supported the underground option, citing the enhanced and enlarged lawn area for the popular Concerts in the Park series, as well as improved safety, esthetics and accessibility. Later that year, the Civic Arts Commission also voted to recommend the underground option. More recently, on July 16, 2013, Richard Larson of Richard Larson & Associates presented the preliminary schematic design to the City Council. The Council, following broad public input, also supported the underground option. As the drainage swale is deemed a "waterway" by the various regulatory agencies with jurisdiction over bodies of water, any improvements involving filling the drainage swale will require coordination with and approval from the US Army Corp of Engineers (USAGE), US Fish and Wildlife Service, Regional Water Quality Control Board, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. DISCUSSION In anticipation of the completion of the Master Plan in the next few months, staff has initiated the next phase of the project, which includes completion of an environmental review process in compliance with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and preparing permit applications. The regulatory issues related to the undergrounding option may present challenges due to the permitting required by the agencies listed earlier in this staff report Since AECOM Technical Services, Inc. (AECOM) recently completed the Preliminary Jurisdictional Determination Report, which catalogued and inventoried all of the site features for the project area, staff requested that AECOM provide the City with a proposal for the environmental and permitting consulting services. The firm has qualified experts and extensive experience with the relevant Federal and State agencies that will most likely review and decide on the improvements the City desires to make to the Lions Wayside and Delucchi Parks. Despite the complexities and constraints associated with undergrounding the drainage swale on Lions Wayside Park, AECOM balances the challenges associated with such a project with a sound strategic approach. The estimated cost of the consultant agreement is $131, 373, which has been reviewed by staff and deemed responsive and reasonable. (A 10% agreement contingency brings the total expenditure to $144,510.) Given these factors, staff recommends that a Page 2 of 3