13-Specifications.pdf

SPECIFICATIONS

SCOPE

Harris County is seeking a project team (prime consultant and multiple sub-consultants) to provide consulting services to develop a ten (10) year Parks and Trails Master Plan for Precinct 1 that shall:

Capture Harris County’s mission statement, vision statement, and values;

Provide a framework for the overall vision of Harris County’s parks and trails system with a strong focus on equity, safety, accessibility, health, environmental stewardship, and excellence;

Identify gaps in programs, services, facilities, and maintenance;

Integrate drainage, green stormwater infrastructure, and flood resilience considerations into park and trail planning, with a focus on nature-based and low impact development infrastructure as well as advanced and emerging solutions in this space;

Establish a comprehensive and prioritized (according to defined criteria) action plan for park and trail investments and recommend additional funding sources beyond County funds to sustain parks maintenance and future capital improvements; and

Build on strengths of current initiatives and provide recommendations for expansion of new programs, partnerships, and services.

It is the responsibility of each firm to examine the entire RFQ, seek clarification in writing, and review their submittal for accuracy before submitting. Once the submission deadline has passed, all submissions will be final.

Questions relating to the bid must be submitted in writing and submitted though Bonfire at https://harriscountytx.bonfirehub.com/. The deadline for submission of questions relating to this bid is listed on the Event Schedule in Bonfire. All questions submitted in writing prior to the deadline will be compiled and answered in writing. A copy of all questions and answers will be released as a Public Notice to all firms through Bonfire. The County will not be bound by any information conveyed verbally.

BACKGROUND

Harris County Precinct 1 is committed to being a national model for delivering responsive public service that draws on inclusive, innovative, and collaborative approaches to improve the quality of life, advance equality of opportunity, and promote the fair treatment of all people in Harris County.

Home to 1.2 million of Harris County’s 4.7 million residents, Precinct 1 extends from the heart of Harris County in Houston to neighborhoods as far north as Spring and as far south as Clear Creek, encompassing dozens of historic neighborhoods and cultural landmarks, as well as two major airports, five universities, and numerous sports venues, including Toyota Center, Minute Maid Park, NRG Park, and Shell Energy Stadium. Precinct 1 manages twenty-five parks, forty miles of trails, and 3,220 acres of outdoor recreation space, while also maintaining 5,300 roads spanning more than 1,000 miles. Precinct 1 also operates nine community centers and two aquatics centers, with programs that serve about 4,000 residents every year.

Precinct 1 adopted the following strategic goals and operational goals in 2026 to better capture Harris County Precinct 1’s mission.

1. Make our communities a safe place to live, for today and tomorrow.

Planning, Sustained Development, Resource Management, Maintenance, Safety, and Beautification of Parks and Multiuse Trails (Walking & Biking) for Harris County Precinct 1

2. Prepare for and minimize the impact of climate change, environmental harms, and disasters.

3. Create mentally and physically healthier communities.

4. Make our economy more inclusive and equitable.

5. Protect and advance collective rights, justice, and freedom for all.

6. Secure additional resources and allocate resources in alignment with values.

7. Improve efficiency and effectiveness in operations.

8. Build a responsive and innovative workforce driven by community needs and vision.

All eight goals are relevant to the Parks and Trails Master Plan.

Looking ahead, Harris County is acutely aware of the current and changing landscape in Harris County and Precinct 1, which will impact how Harris County operates. Some impending changes include:

Population Growth: Between 2000 and 2020, Harris County’s total population grew by more than thirty-five percent (35%). During this period, population growth in unincorporated Harris County outpaced population growth in the City of Houston (eighty-eight percent (88%) versus eighteen percent (18%), respectively). For residents in the unincorporated area during this period, the County and Harris County were—and still are—the primary providers of services.

Transportation: As of 2018, thirty percent (30%) of all trips taken by residents were shorter than three (3) miles. It is projected that those shorter trips will increase by fifty-six percent (50%) by 2040. Residents are more likely to make these shorter trips by foot, bike, or transit if safe options are available.

Parks: While there are over 300 parks in Harris County, only fifty-two percent (52%) of Precinct residents live within a ten (10) minute walk to a park. Historically, Precinct 1 has lagged in providing amenities in parks, including restroom facilities.

Climate Change, Flooding, and Drainage: Increasing temperatures and more frequent, intense rainfall are reshaping Harris County’s natural environment, with direct impacts on public health, infrastructure, and flood risk.

Parks and green spaces are important tools for managing stormwater, reducing flooding in surrounding neighborhoods, mitigating heat, and improving overall environmental resilience.

Gentrification: As Harris County develops and improves with more community-based services, demand to live here also increases. It is critical that new residents are welcomed, while safeguarding those who have lived here for so long.

Harris County Employees: Over fifty percent (50%) of Development and Infrastructure employees work in parks or on road and bridge projects outdoors. With an increasingly warm climate, Harris County shall require changes to operating policies to support those employees.

SCOPE OF WORK1

In developing the Harris County Parks and Trails Master Plan, the selected project team shall perform the following range of services. These services may be revised by the selected vendor in consultation and collaboration with the Harris County, if in the opinion of the vendor a different path forward would yield a better result.

1Note: All deliverables include one draft submittal and one final submitting incorporating all comments provided by the Client

Task Objective

Task 1: Project Management

Ongoing management of all phases in coordination with Harris County staff.

Task 2: Framework for Harris County

Vision of Greenspace and

Park Maintenance and Operation

Standard Analysis

Using current industry best practices and in consultation with Harris County executive leadership and select staff, summarize and define the Harris County vision for greenspace and parks standards of State of Good Repair (SGR), maintenance, resilient drainage and green stormwater infrastructure, and ongoing operation standards, which should be guided by Harris County’s strategic priorities and will serve as a framework for developing any final plan.

Task 3:

Understanding and

Analysis

Audit and evaluate current state of parks system SGR against agreed-upon vision Framework, utilizing current available information and past study findings, including field visits of all parks.

Task 4: Establish Stakeholder Group and Initial Input Gathering Exercise

Establish stakeholder group of ten (10) to fifteen (15) selected Harris County staff and parks stakeholders and present the vision framework (Task 2) as well as existing conditions (Task 3) to confirm all current conditions are recognized and to solicit feedback.

Task 5: Needs and Gaps

Based on the metrics identified in Task 2, the assessment of existing conditions developed in Task 3, and the feedback gathered in Task 4, summarize needs and gaps throughout Harris County Park system. Needs and gaps shall include identification of mis-assigned facilities versus community needs, gaps in facilities restricting usage of park components, as well as populations without reasonable access to parks.

Task 6: Preliminary Recommendations (Draft Parks and Trail Master Plan

Report)

Based on information developed and gathered in Tasks 2 through 5; develop:

1. A park and trails projects priority plan that includes list of prioritized one (1) time improvement projects including SGR, reassignment of facilities, addition of new components, and new park or trail facilities needed to eliminate access gaps (from Task 5), and

2. A drainage and flood resilience framework for precinct parks, identifying projects and opportunities to integrate green infrastructure, improve drainage performance, improve water quality, reduce flood risk, and align capital improvements and maintenance practices with long-term resilience objectives.

3. A complete maintenance and operation plan with all recommended maintenance practices, including practices currently maintained (from Task 3 and Task 5, with feedback from Task 4) as well as practices that should be adopted, with associated resources to maintain defined level of Harris County specific parks maintenance and operation standard from Task 2.

Task 7: Stakeholder Input on Preliminary Recommendations

Present findings of Task 6 to the stakeholder group established in Task 4 and gather feedback on Draft Parks and Trail Master Plan Report.

Task 8: Produce Final Parks and Trail Master Plan Report

Based on feedback gathered in Task 7 produce Final Draft Parks and Trail Master Plan Report for review to Harris County staff and then produce final report.

Task 1: Project Management The project team shall support the project with active project management services, coordination of partners, and the production of required work products.

Tasks/Deliverables Final scope and work plan (including meeting schedule and key milestones).

Establishment of project work environment and practices (e.g., communication protocols, shared document area, graphic standards, etc.)

Hosting of biweekly project meetings (timing TBD).

Planning and facilitation of project kick-off meeting, initial interviews with Commissioner and relevant staff.

Facilitate stakeholder meetings including appropriate record keeping being included in the final report. (At the project kick-off meeting review goals, timeline, and deliverables, available data, previous plans, relevant information, ongoing programs and projects, and stakeholder engagement plan.)

Summarize data collection needs for the project.

Ensure oversight and quality assurance of team, schedule, and deliverables.

Task 2: Framework for Harris County Vision of Greenspace and Park Maintenance and Operation Standard Analysis Conduct a review of international best practices and consult with Harris County leadership to create Harris County-specific greenspace vision and park maintenance and operation standards, which shall be guided by Harris County’s strategic priorities. Framework to align with and build-on prioritization framework developed during the concurrent Precinctwide Mobility Plan.

Tasks/Deliverables Engage Harris County executive leadership and select staff to identify overall expectations and confirm levels of park maintenance to establish current state of Harris County parks and future expectations.

Confirm and utilize current Harris County parks and industry best practices to develop an overall vision for greenspace and parks maintenance and operation standard that shall serve as framework for the final master plan.

This shall include standards for SGR as well as maximum distance between residents and parks.

This framework shall include the level of standard care that is going to be adopted and associated resources such as the number of caretaker hours per park and the cycle of repair, rehabilitation, and reconstruction required for certain specific items within the park.

Memorandum summarizing the findings of this task that shall be incorporated into the final master plan.

Incorporate principles of green stormwater infrastructure, Low Impact Development (LID), nature-based solutions, and advanced emerging technologies into the Harris County vision for greenspace, emphasizing reduction of impervious cover, integration of drainage features into park landscapes, and replacement of conventional hard drainage infrastructure where feasible.

Based on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) outlined in the Harris County Strategic Plan, identify best practices for integrating green stormwater infrastructure considerations into performance metrics, including stormwater infiltration performance, water quality improvement, air quality benefits, social and public health outcomes, and overall quality-of-life benefits.

Task 3: Understanding and Analysis Evaluate current state of parks and trail system, including inventorying existing facilities (see table below), research, plan review, and mapping and data analysis against the framework of greenspace vision and maintenance standard in Task 2.

Level of effort for assessments shall correlate with both total acreage and programable acreage, with fieldwork and analysis for forested and other natural spaces minimized beyond tree coverage and diversity of foliage. (NOTE: Harris County shall provide any available field collection data of park assets, significantly reducing level of effort on consultant.)

Park Name Acreage

Alexander Deussen Park 309.0

Dwight D. Eisenhower Park 682.0

El Franco Lee Park 361.0

Tom Bass Regional I Park 292.0

Tom Bass Regional II Park 178.0

Tom Bass Regional III Park 115.0

Christia V. Adair Park 60.0

Barbara Jordan Park 6.0

Bane Park 19.0

Sheldon Sports Complex 154.0

Quebedeaux Remembrance Park 0.2

Gene Green Park 250.0

Mickey Leland Memorial Park 0.4

Lincoln Park 7.0

Boyce - Dorian Park 9.0

American Statesmanship Park 0.1

Danny Jackson Family Bark Park 2.8

Hutcheson Park 3.5

Blue Ridge Park 296.0

Schiveley R/C Airfield Park 106.0

Finnigan Park 19.0

Alabonson Park 47.2

Almeda School Road Park 43.0

Reverend William and Audrey Lawson Park 24.7

The Hill at Sims 106.0

Tasks/Deliverables Review and evaluate Harris County’s existing conditions through key Harris County/County documents, including, but not limited to3:

○ Harris County organizational chart;

○ The Trust for Public Land Park-Smart Precinct One (August 2019);

○ Playground Guardian inventory;

○ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance study;

○ List of planned/existing capital and maintenance projects;

○ Precinct One Master Signage Plan;

○ Precinct One Detention Basin Study;

○ Northeast Trails Study;

2The Hill at Sims project will be substantially complete by the beginning of this Master Plan. Available acreage and planning programming at this facility should be included as an input, without new recommendations for this space required.

3Note that these documents will be provided by Harris County to the selected team.

o Harris County Toll Road Authority’s (HCTRA) Barrier Free Program;

o Harris County Mobility Plan (ongoing);

o Harris County parks data collection;

o Harris County Strategic Plan;

o Precinct One Drainage Study;

o OCE LID and Green Infrastructure

Summarize findings from review of previous planning endeavors in a Plan Review deliverable that highlights previous recommendations and areas of alignment, any areas of misalignment and conflict, and how the Parks and Trails Master Plan shall build on these previous efforts.

Engage with Harris County staff/representatives in the following subdivisions at one (1) meeting to understand current operations, organization, policies, and staff needs:

o Environmental Management o Facilities o Parks o Programs o Project Management o Reservations o Drainage

Inventory existing facilities, park standards, and current programming at each existing park based on framework and vision set out for Harris County parks in Task 2 and gather data from field observations and publicly available sources for the creation of base maps.

Evaluate existing trails, trail standards, and identify trail opportunities. This would also include evaluation of missing trails along detention basins. Gather data from publicly available sources for the creation of base maps. Review existing trail studies completed within the study boundary.

Assess existing stormwater and drainage conditions within each Harris County park, including the extent of impervious surfaces, use of conventional hard drainage infrastructure, and opportunities for incorporating green stormwater infrastructure, LID strategies, and naturalized drainage features, and emerging technologies consistent with the vision framework.

Develop an inventory of existing parks and determine the SRG of each component within each park within the Precinct 1 boundary.

Based on international best practices and metrics, identify level of service for parks based on forecasted population growth over next five (5) to fifteen (15) years, with consideration of adjacent parks not owned by Harris County and Harris County parks to avoid duplication of amenities.

Task 4: Establish Stakeholder Group and Initial Input Gathering Exercise Establish and gather feedback from a ten (10) to fifteen (15) person stakeholder group selected by Harris County.

Tasks/Deliverables

Establish a ten (10) to fifteen (15) stakeholder group that will be part of the process, which can be from individuals from the Harris County and outside Harris County representatives.

Recommend and perform targeted survey of park users as necessary that may be needed beyond available information. This shall include both in-person distribution/collection of surveys and posting of an on-line version.

Input requested from stakeholders and the general public shall help determine factors and their weights that shall be applied to all projects.

Present and collect feedback from the stakeholder group on vision framework of greenspace (Task 2) and existing conditions analysis performed (Task 3) to confirm all relevant conditions are acknowledged.

Task 5: Needs and Gaps Based on assessment of existing conditions performed in Task 3 in combination with feedback gathered in Task 4, it summarizes needs and gaps throughout Harris County Park system. Needs and gaps may include:

Quantity of park space (total and allocated across the precinct).

Quantity and quality of infrastructure (total and identified at specific locations to ensure all facilities are at an SGR) versus how any facilities are misaligned with facilities in demand by the community.

Quantity of programming (total and identified at specific locations).

Access improvements.

Maintenance improvements to match Harris County standards.

Shading including tree coverage and other shade structures, especially above spaces that are/will be designated for active uses

Diversity of foliage.

Opportunities to reduce impervious cover and retrofit parks with innovative green stormwater infrastructure and LID strategies to improve drainage performance, ecological function, park character, and reduce the urban heat island effect.

Tasks/Deliverables

Maintenance practices to be implemented or that require improvement in methodology such as frequency of repair and rehabilitation, administration of work process, or improved procedures to meet the vision framework identified on Task 2.

Capital improvement projects needed to ensure all parks offer similar levels of amenities required to meet the vision framework of greenspace identified in Task 2. This list of capital improvement plan shall be prioritized based on the prioritization scheme determined in Task 4.

Identification of park areas where green stormwater infrastructure solutions are needed and where conventional drainage infrastructure could be replaced or supplemented with advanced and emerging green stormwater infrastructure solutions.

Task 6: Preliminary Recommendations (Draft Parks and Trail Master Plan Report) Evaluate recommendations park by park individually. Categorize improvements based on level of improvements (minor, mid, major improvements) and priorities (short-term, midterm, and long-term time horizons) for implementation.

Evaluate trail recommendations based on connections to parks, bayous, and other existing trails plans. For connections to parks, focus on 0.5-mile radius around park for pedestrian accessibility. Identify connections along roadways and greenways. Develop pedestrian and bicycle access recommendations in coordination with the ongoing Precinctwide Mobility Plan emphasizing safety with a goal of providing a “Safe Route” to all facilities.

Tasks/Deliverables

Based on input from Tasks 1-5, develop individual concept-level park plans and trails plan.

Include cost estimates (low/mid/high categories) and differentiate how recommendations can be achieved (internal staff, on-call contract, capital project).

Identify and recommend park-specific green stormwater infrastructure, nature-based, and LID projects and strategies categorized by level of effort, costs, maintenance requirements, and estimated implementation timelines. (Reference established regional guidance and best practices for promoting green stormwater infrastructure and LID strategies such as https://www.h-gac.com/low-impact-development/resources.)

Define areas where nature-based detention for future improvements may be located.

Submit Draft Parks and Trail Master Plan Report for review and comment.

Task 7: Stakeholder Input on Preliminary Recommendations Engage with established stakeholder group established in Task 4 to assure all stakeholder input initially identified are addressed and/or considered within the Preliminary recommendations park by park, individually.

Tasks/Deliverables Workshop with stakeholders presenting and discussing preliminary recommendations and explaining how prioritization led to those recommendations Proper documentation of the workshop that shall be part of the final report.

Task 8: Produce Final Parks and Trail Master Plan Report Develop phased, long-range recommendations for parks and trails; ten (10) year action plan for capital improvements, operations, and maintenance; and a strategic plan to guide the implementation.

Tasks/Deliverables Final report including o Executive summary o Finalized framework of vision of Harris County greenspace, resilient drainage, and maintenance strategy.

o Summaries of precinct-wide existing conditions, park assessments, drainage assessments, engagement, mapping, and data analysis.

o Finalize park, trail, and green stormwater infrastructure recommendations for proposed projects and improvements.

o Identification of range of possible local, state, federal, and private funding strategies to provide the resources necessary for park improvements, operations, and maintenance. (Note: funding strategies should be identified specifically to each proposed project.)

o Submit draft final plan for review by Harris County. The draft final report shall include data, analysis, maps, and recommendations consistent with tasks identified.

o Implement review comments on the draft final report and submit final booklet and PDF of plan upon approval.